cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Delayed diagnosis of blunt duodenal injury: an avoidable complication

Abstract Background: There is controversy about the impact on morbidity from delayed diagnoses of blunt hollow viscus injuries. A recent study suggested that the increased morbidity was primarily from delayed diagnosis of blunt duodenal injury (BDI). Study Design: We studied the medical records from a 10-year period from June 1987 to June 1997 examining the data on 22,163 cases of blunt trauma. We assessed the incidence and consequences of delayed diagnoses of BDI, and identified preoperative factors associated with these delayed diagnoses. Results: Thirty-five patients (0.2%) were identified in the retrospective study of the records from 22,163 blunt trauma patients to have sustained BDI. Of these, 25 patients (71%) were male. Ages ranged from 1 to 58 years (mean 18.8 years), and the predominant mechanism was motor vehicle accident in 18 patients (51%). Seven patients (20%) (group I) had a diagnostic delay of > 6 hours; 28 patients (80%) (group II) were diagnosed in Conclusions: Blunt duodenal injury is an uncommon entity. Despite the presence of suggestive CT and DPL findings, the diagnosis was delayed in 20% of the 35 patients whose records were examined in the study; this delayed diagnosis was associated with increased abdominal complications. Patients with persistent abdominal complaints and equivocal CT or DPL findings should undergo laparotomy or repeat CT scan evaluations.
Putting law in the room.

attenuation in the case of a self-aware child is not only that it goes against that child’s interests by preventing her from reaching her full stature. The wrongness of growth attenuation is that it involves a failure to love and embrace the child with the characteristics and capacities she has. The mistake lies in making a child pay the price of medically unnecessary surgical modification for continued inclusion in her family’s everyday life. These wrongs are no less wrong even if Ashley will never be aware of them. Most actions that we consider to be wrong are wrong whether or not the victim of the action is aware that it has occurred. In the case of People v. Minkowski, for example, a gynecologist was convicted of raping his patients after he had engaged in intercourse with them during vaginal exams without their consent, although they were not aware at the time that that was what he was doing. As Meir Dan-Cohen (1999) argues, it is coherent to state that they were raped—and therefore wronged—even before they realized that they had been raped. When Diekema and Fost argue that growth attenuation is morally acceptable only if it is performed on a child who will never know what was done, they are arguing, in effect, that the intervention was morally acceptable because Ashley’s presumed cognitive impairment makes her different from most people. We argue, in contrast, that it is unacceptable because Ashley is the same as most people. She is the same in deserving to be accepted by and respected by and loved by her family for who she is and what she will become, with no modification required.
Transvascular drug delivery in solid tumors

The microvessel wall is a barrier for the delivery of various therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Tumor microvessels are, in general, more permeable to macromolecules than normal vessels. The hyperpermeability is presumably due to the existence of large pore structures in the vessel wall, induced by various cytokines. The cutoff pore size is tumor dependent, as determined by transport studies of nanoparticles. The vascular permeability is heterogeneous in tumors and dependent on physicochemical properties of molecules as well as the ultrastructure of the vessel wall. The ultrastructure is dynamic and can be modulated by the tumor microenvironment. The microenvironment itself can be altered by the transvascular transport because the transport may facilitate angiogenesis, reduce blood flow, and induce interstitial hypertension in tumors. Future studies of transport need to address mechanisms of the barrier formation and emphasize development of novel strategies for circumventing or exploiting the vascular barrier.
Eicosanoids from the Rhodophyta: new metabolism in the algae

Red marine algae are shown in this work to be a rich source of eicosanoid-type natural products. This is the first isolation of several of these mammalian arachidonic acid metabolites from any marine or terrestrial plant source (12-HETE, 12-HEPE, 6(E)-LTB4, hepoxilin B3). A few of these represent truly novel substances never previously isolated from nature [12(R), 13(S)-diHETE]. Inherent in these seaweed natural product structures is evidence for a highly evolved lipoxygenase-type metabolism that matches or exceeds the complexity of comparable metabolic routes in mammalian systems. As these compounds are produced by algae in relatively large quantities (0.1–5.0% of crude lipid extracts), these plants could be important commercial resources for these expensive and rare biochemicals. Further, we suggest that this metabolism is important to physiological processes in red algae that are completely unknown at present. For example, it is possible that they act in an exocrine sense to coordinate reproductive events, a hypothesis under current investigation through culture studies.
A network design for University: wide computer literacy and decision support systems

Pepperdine University is a mid-sized private institution with an informal relationship with the Churches of Christ. It is made up of four schools and colleges. Seaver College and the School of Law are located on the 819 acre campus at Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The School of Business and Management and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology are headquartered at Pepperdine Plaza, a high-rise building in West Los Angeles. This facility features a fully equipped academic computing laboratory and two electronic classrooms in addition to the administrative offices and classrooms for adult education.
An Empirical Examination of Women’s Empowerment and Transformative Change in the Context of International Development

This paper responds to calls from social scientists in the area of globalization and women's empowerment to test a model that investigates both structural and individual components of women's empowerment in the context of globalization. The investigation uses a liberation psychology framework by taking into account the effects of globalization, human rights discourse, and women's activism within social movements to identify how structural inequities may be related to empowerment. Surveys conducted in rural Nicaragua revealed that land ownership and organizational participation among women were related to more progressive gender ideology, and in turn, women's power and control within the marital relationship, individual levels of agency, and subjective well-being. The study demonstrates that psychology can bridge the theoretical arguments surrounding human rights with the practical implementation of development interventions, and provide empirical support that has yet to be demonstrated elsewhere. The findings have important implications for strategies and interventions that can improve conditions for women and contribute to the aims of social justice articulated in the Beijing Platform for Action.
Isolation of the complexes (n-Bu4N)2[(Re2Cl7)2{μ-(LL)}], where LL = Ph2PCCPPh2 or trans-Ph2PCHCHPPh2. The first examples of quadruply bonded dirhenium(III) anions of the type [Re2Cl7L]−

Abstract The reactions of ( n -BU 4 N) 2 Re 2 Cl 8 with the bidentate bridging phosphine ligands (LL) = Ph 2 PCCPPh 2 or trans -Ph 2 PCHCHPPh 2 in methanol-conc. HCl give the salts ( n -Bu 4 N) 2 [(Re 2 Cl 7 ) 2 {μ-(LL)}], the first examples of quadruply bonded dirhenium(III) anions of the type [Re 2 Cl 7 L] − . Their spectroscopic properties and reactivity have been examined.
Kitchen‐Inspired Nanochemistry: Dispersion, Exfoliation, and Hybridization of Functional MoS2 Nanosheets Using Culinary Hydrocolloids

As a two-dimensional material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has drawn wide attention due to its fascinating properties and exciting application prospects. However, in order to access these properties, which lie within single- or few-layer nanosheets, the inter-sheet van der Waals interactions within the bulk material must be adequately disrupted to exfoliate MoS2 to atomic thicknesses. The hitch with most current exfoliation methods, though, is that they employ expensive, exotic, or environmentally incompatible methods that suffer poor scalability and poor reproducibility, producing weakly stabilized sheets that retro-aggregate. These pitfalls render many current approaches unsuitable for the development of large-scale devices and nanocomposites, thereby making cheaper, more benign alternatives highly sought after. Herein, we present the sonication-assisted aqueous phase exfoliation of bulk MoS2 into dispersed single- or few-layer nanosheets using popular culinary hydrocolloids, including guar gum (GG), tannic acid (TA), and xanthan gum (XG). These green agents are commercially available, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly substances and act as good dispersing and exfoliating agents. Under optimized exfoliation conditions, dispersed solution concentrations of 0.24, 0.15, and 0.06 mg mL−1 were achieved for MoS2-GG, MoS2-TA, and MoS2-XG, respectively. In addition, the sterically stabilized nanosheets were successfully decorated with gold nanoparticles via an in situ reduction by the hydrocolloids to yield plasmonic nanocomposites exhibiting excellent catalytic activity in 4-nitrophenol reduction.
A multilingual approach to technical manuscripts: 16th and 17th-century Portuguese shipbuilding treatises

Shipbuilding treatises are technical manuscripts written in a variety of languages and spanning several centuries that describe the construction of ships. Given their technical content, understanding terms, concepts, and construction sequences is a challenging task. In this paper we describe a scalable approach and a multilingual web-based interface for enabling a group of scholars to edit a glossary of nautical terms in multiple languages.
Kinetic and Kinematic Gait Analysis and the Assessment of Lameness in the Dog

The current state of canine kinetic and kinematic gait analysis, as developed for the objective description of movement for the study of musculoskeletal disease and lameness, is reviewed. Basic terminology of gait is discussed. Ground reaction forces, dynamic flexion, and extension angles and angular velocities are described for the canine walk and trot and for lameness in cranial cruciate ligament rupture and canine hip dysplasia.
A pitfall in accelerated life testing

The Managing Editor invites communications which are consistent with the objectives of the Naval Research Logistics Quarterly. No communication will be printed without the expressed consent of the author. All views represented are those of the author and are not to be regarded as the opinion of the Naval Research Logistics Quarterly or any elements of the Department of Defense.
The Impact of Regulation on Technical Change

Input-based regulation restricts a firm's input choices to a subset of those that characterize the production technology. The Averch-Johnson (hereafter A-J) (1962) hypothesis states that rate-of-return regulation affects a firm's input demands for producing its selected output level. Given that firms can select the level of innovations in inputs through research and development, rate regulation can also impact a firm's selection of innovations among inputs. Regulation's influence on the choice of innovations also impacts the rate at which technical change occurs in an industry. The A-J hypothesis has been examined extensively in the literature. The impact of regulation on technical change has received less attention in the literature and is the focus of this paper. The subject matter is of some importance in that regulation, via the A-J hypothesis, leads to higher production costs. Regulation's impact on a firm's selection of innovations can magnify or dampen the rate at which technical change occurs. A magnification (dampening) of the rate of technical change leads to lower (higher) production costs in addition to regulation's impact on input demands. Regulation's impact on the rate of technical change can lead to small or large changes in prices for consumers. Regulators can use the information on regulation and technical change to evaluate the effectiveness of policies aimed at enhancing technical change. By how much do the policies affect production costs and how much would consumer prices change due to the policies? Regulators can also use the information to predict the impact deregulation would have on consumer prices. Both regulators and consumers can attempt to determine the amount by which consumer prices would change under deregulation. Smith (1974) and Okuguchi (1975) examined the impact of regulation on a firm's choice of innovations. They showed theoretically that regulation can alter a firm's choice of innovations
Double Primary Cancers of the Prostate and Bladder: A Literature Review

A number of studies report a high frequency of double primary cancers of the bladder and prostate. The coincidence was as high as 70% for prostate cancers in patients with bladder cancer, and 3.4% for bladder cancers in patients with prostate cancer. Two studies reviewing medical records reported a significant risk of bladder cancer after prostate cancer and of prostate cancer after bladder cancer. Only 1 of 3 cancer registry studies reported a significantly increased risk of prostate cancer after bladder cancer, and 3 of 11 studies reported a significantly increased risk in bladder cancer after prostate cancer. There was an association between DNA repair and N-acetyltransferase polymorphisms and risk of prostate and bladder cancer. These data suggest that these cancers may share a common carcinogenic process or that these patients are particularly susceptible to both cancers. Because of the association between these cancers, patients who are diagnosed with prostate or bladder cancer should be followed closely for the detection of the second urologic malignancy.
The Incidental Finding of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Echocardiography

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary hepatic malignancy. Most cases of primary hepatic carcinoma are secondary to either viral hepatitis infections (hepatitis C or hepatitis B) or cirrhosis, with chronic alcohol abuse being the most common cause of hepatic cirrhosis. Echocardiography is done primarily to evaluate the overall function of the heart; the condition of the heart muscle, heart valves, and chamber sizes; and the risk for heart disease. It is also used to evaluate the effectiveness of medical or surgical treatment over time. The case presented emphasizes the importance of performing a complete echocardiographic protocol on each patient and being aware of the surrounding structures that might be seen at the periphery of standard images. During an echocardiographic examination, diseases other than heart disease may be found incidentally and should be reported to the referring physician to optimally manage the patient’s care.
Old Testament Promissio and Luther's New Hermeneutic

In the main stream of contemporary Luther scholarship, there is broad agreement that the emergence of “reformation theology” is organically related to, if not constituted by, a new biblical hermeneutic.Furthermore, in the search for the “sources of Luther's theology,” historians have to be, and are, frequently reminded that Luther may have gotten some of his key ideas from the Bible — however important Augustine, Bernard, Occam, Biel or Staupitz may have been for his theological formation.Accepting these two assertions, I wish to question the adequacy of the current interpretation of Luther's hermeneutical development, and to indicate the direction in which I believe the hermeneutical changes evident in Luther's earliest exegetical writing (the Dictata super psalterium, 1513–15) can help make better sense of the well-known theological innovations which appear in his writings of the 1520's.
Regular variation of order 1 nonlinear AR-ARCH models

We prove both geometric ergodicity and regular variation of the stationary distribution for a class of nonlinear stochastic recursions that includes nonlinear AR-ARCH models of order 1. The Lyapounov exponent for the model, the index of regular variation and the spectral measure for the regular variation all are characterized by a simple two-state Markov chain.
Micromechanical Models for Damping in Woven Fabric-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites

This paper describes the development of a finite element model and a closed-form model for studying viscoelastic damping in woven fabric-reinforced polymer matrix composites. The finite element model was based on the actual geometric configuration of a plain weave fabric-reinforced composite unit cell, and the damping loss factors were determined from a strain energy formulation. The closed-form model was developed by first deriving an approximate elastic solution based on the mechanics of materials theory, then applying the Elastic-Viscoelastic Correspondence Principle to the elastic solution. The damping loss factors were then determined from the viscoelastic solution. Experiments were conducted using an impulse-frequency response technique to measure damping in beam samples made of plain weave E-glass fabric-reinforced vinyl ester resin matrix composite. The predictions from both analytical models show reasonably good agreement with experimental data.
Low-resistance earth-abundant metal contacts to nitrogen-doped cuprous oxide thin films

Formation of low-resistance ohmic contacts to novel earth abundant absorber materials is required to minimize resistive power losses in photovoltaic devices. We first show that the specific contact resistivity (ρ c ) of 3 inert metals (Au, Ag and Pd) to copper (I) oxide (Cu 2 O) thin films can be reduced significantly through the application of a doped Cu 2 O functional layer. Specific contact resistivity as low as 1.1×10−4 Ω·cm2 is observed for Pd to nitrogen-doped (N-doped) Cu 2 O films. This is the lowest-ever reported ρ c to date for Cu 2 O films. Temperature-dependent current-voltage (IVT) measurements indicate that thermionic emission dominates for nominally undoped films whilst field emission dominates for N-doped films. Additionally, IVT suggests that ρ c does not depend on metal type for N-doped films due to the formation of a tunneling junction. Lastly, we demonstrate that low contact resistivity can be achieved on N-doped Cu 2 O films using Earth-abundant metals such as Cu and Ni.
Characterization of periodic variations in the GPS satellite clocks

The clock products of the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Service (IGS) are used to characterize the timing performance of the GPS satellites. Using 5-min and 30-s observational samples and focusing only on the sub-daily regime, approximate power-law stochastic processes are found. The Block IIA Rb and Cs clocks obey predominantly random walk phase (or white frequency) noise processes. The Rb clocks are up to nearly an order of magnitude more stable and show a flicker phase noise component over intervals shorter than about 100 s. Due to the onboard Time Keeping System in the newer Block IIR and IIR-M satellites, their Rb clocks behave in a more complex way: as an apparent random walk phase process up to about 100 s and then changing to flicker phase up to a few thousand seconds. Superposed on this random background, periodic signals have been detected in all clock types at four harmonic frequencies, n × (2.0029 ± 0.0005) cycles per day (24 h coordinated universal time or UTC), for n = 1, 2, 3, and 4. The equivalent fundamental period is 11.9826 ± 0.0030 h, which surprisingly differs from the reported mean GPS orbital period of 11.9659 ± 0.0007 h by 60 ± 11 s. We cannot account for this apparent discrepancy but note that a clear relationship between the periodic signals and the orbital dynamics is evidenced for some satellites by modulations of the spectral amplitudes with eclipse season. All four harmonics are much smaller for the IIR and IIR-M satellites than for the older blocks. Awareness of the periodic variations can be used to improve the clock modeling, including for interpolation of tabulated IGS products for higher-rate GPS positioning and for predictions in real-time applications. This is especially true for high-accuracy uses, but could also benefit the standard GPS operational products. The observed stochastic properties of each satellite clock type are used to estimate the growth of interpolation and prediction errors with time interval.
Reducing medication errors, comparative effectiveness, and glucocorticosteroid dosing

Reducing medication errors Murray et al.1 reported that pharmacist interventions to improve medication use in outpatients with cardiovascular disease decrease the risk of adverse drug events (ADEs) and medication errors. The multiclinic intervention was provided by specially trained pharmacists. Participants were dispensed medications in containers that enabled electronic monitoring of adherence to the prescribed cardiovascular medications and medication information designed for patients with low health literacy. A computer that was integrated into the electronic medical record system was used for monitoring prescription and nonprescription medications, tracking materials provided to patients, and documenting communications with patients, nurses, and physicians. Compared with the control group, the risk of any event was 34% lower in the intervention group (risk ratio 0.66 [95% CI 0.50–0.88]), including a lower risk of ADEs (0.65 [0.47–0.90)], preventable ADEs (0.52 [0.25–1.09]), potential ADEs (0.70 [0.40–1.22]), and medication errors (0.63 [0.40–0.98]). Practice implications. Most studies of medication therapy management focus on the achievement of intended therapeutic and economic outcomes in community-based ambulatory care. This study showed that the risk of ADEs, especially preventable events, and medication errors was reduced substantially by specially trained pharmacists. Drug misadventures, including ADEs and medication errors, add to the overall cost of medication therapy, and medication use can be improved by pharmacy-based programs.
Endowment spending in volatile markets: what should fiduciaries do?

Spending rules often guide institutions in determining the annual expenditures from their endowments. A typical rule is five percent of some measure of the value of the endowment. That many institutions utilize the same type of spending rule suggests that these institutions set their spending rules independent of their investment strategy. This paper argues that for many institutions the spending rule and the investment strategy need to be determined simultaneously. The key to understanding this simultaneity is the institution’s willingness to reduce its endowment expenditures when the endowment drops in value. As an institution becomes more reluctant to reduce its expenditures in bad times, the need to set both its spending rule and investment strategy simultaneously increases. One practical implication is that even if an institution believes, for instance, that the returns of a particular class of assets, like equities, will be greater over the long run than the returns of other assets, that institution may still choose to hold some of these other assets if the resulting portfolio has smaller short-term volatility—despite the smaller long-run return.
A comparison of simple continuous versus simple interrupted suture patterns for tracheal anastomosis after large-segment tracheal resection in dogs.

Two suture techniques for tracheal anastomosis after large-segment tracheal resection were compared. Eight cartilages were resected from the trachea of each of 12 dogs; anastomoses with 4-0 polydioxanone suture were created using a simple continuous suture technique in six dogs and a simple interrupted suture technique in six dogs. Surgical time was shorter but apposition of tracheal segments at the time of surgery was less precise with the simple continuous suture technique. The dogs were evaluated for 150 days after surgery. Clinical abnormalities after tracheal resection and anastomosis were not observed. Percent dorsoventral luminal stenosis was calculated by measuring the tracheal lumen diameter on lateral cervical radiographs. Percent luminal stenosis was calculated planimetrically using a computerized digitizing tablet. Anastomotic stenosis was mild in all dogs; however, the mean percent luminal stenosis determined planimetrically was significantly greater for dogs that had the simple continuous suture technique. Planimetric measurements of cross-sectional area made before and after formalin fixation were not significantly different. Radiographic determination of percent dorsoventral luminal stenosis was a poor predictor of diminution of cross-sectional area determined planimetrically.
Allelopathy in Forage Crop Systems

Secondary plant metabolites and their degradation products are important in all agroecosystems including those with forage crops. Allelopathy affects cropping systems and interseeding of one species into established sods of another. Autotoxicity and heterotoxicity are types of allelopathy. Alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) has been investigated as both an autotoxic and heterotoxic species. Reestablishment of alfalfa immediately after alfalfa has usually resulted in poor stands due to autotoxicity, and several other forage species also exhibit autotoxicity. Many forage species have shown heterotoxicity, both between forage species and weed species. Several investigators have identified various allelochemicals and/or families of allelochemicals as being responsible for allelopathic reactions. Identifying such chemicals would aid in developing resistant forage cultivars and in maintaining a productive and profitable crop. Crop rotation, cover-crop management, interplanting, double cropping, no-till planting, and nonrotational cropping systems are involved with allelopathic effects. Some alfalfa cultivars possess some resistance to these allelochemicals. Therefore, a breeding program could provide resistant germplasms. Various forage grasses and some weed species have demonstrated allelopathic effects on alfalfa, and alfalfa has allelopathic effects on some weed species. This alone may provide an insight for herbicide studies in alfalfa production.
A new mimetic species of Heliconius (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), from southeastern Colombia, revealed by cladistic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences

Abstract A new species ofHeliconiusand a new geographical race ofHeliconius melpomeneare described from the vicinity of Mocoa, Dpto. Putumayo, Colombia, based on molecular and morphological characters. The new species,H. tristero, is a close relative ofH. cydno, a geographically differentiated species which lacks red coloration and engages in Mullerian mimicry with other blue and yellowHeliconiusspecies in Central and northwestern South Africa.H. tristerohas switched mimetic associations, instead mimicking the local, sympatric forms of two widespread mimetic species,H. eratoandH. melpomene. This discovery provides evidence that the splinter speciesH. heurippa, H. tristeroandH. timaretarepresent phenotypically divergent members of theH. cydnogroup that are endemic to successive river valleys on the eastern slope of the northern Andean Cordillera. The nominal taxonHeliconius amaryllis bellulaStichel, currently misapplied to bothH. tristeroandH. melpomenepopulations from the Mocoa region of Colombia, is considered here to represent a hybrid betweenH. heurippaandH. tristero. The Mocoa melpomene race is formally namedHeliconius melpomene mocoa, new subspecies.
Geometry of Ridge Regression Illustrated

Abstract For tutorial purposes ridge traces are displayed in estimation space for repeated samples from a completely known population. Figures given illustrate the initial advantages accruing to ridge-type shrinkage of the least squares coefficients, especially in some cases of near collinearity. The figures also show that other shrunken estimators may perform better or worse, depending on the parameters and design matrix; and they illustrate the problem of choosing a shrinkage parameter or stopping rule. Thus the figures help motivate results previously established algebraically.
Kilohertz laser linewidth measurements using fiber ring resonators

Laser linewidths have been previously measured using optical fiber circuits where differential fiber paths are much longer than the laser’s coherence length.1,2 For narrow linewidth lasers, however, these methods require excessively long fiber lengths, and since they yield autocorrelation measurements, they do not provide a direct method for determining whether the laser indeed operates at a single frequency. We demonstrate the use of fiber ring resonators, which may be operated in either a scanning Fabry-Perot mode or a FM discriminator mode, to monitor and measure linewidth characteristics of narrow linewidth single-frequency lasers.
Partial-FOV reconstruction in dynamic spiral imaging.

In many applications of dynamic MR imaging, only a portion of the field-of-view (FOV) exhibits considerable variations in time. In such cases, a prior knowledge of the static part of the image allows a partial-FOV reconstruction of the dynamic section using only a fraction of the raw data. This method of reconstruction generally results in higher temporal resolution, because the scan time for partial-FOV data is shorter. The fidelity of this reconstruction technique depends, among other factors, on the accuracy of the prior information of the static section. This information is usually derived from the reconstructed images at previous time frames. This data, however, is normally corrupted by the motion artifact. Because the temporal frequency contents of the motion artifact is very similar to that of the dynamic section, a temporal low-pass filter can efficiently remove this artifact from the static data. The bandwidth of the filter can be obtained from the rate of variations inside and outside the dynamic area. In general, when the temporal bandwidth is not spatially uniform, a bank of low-pass filters can provide a proper suppression of the motion artifact outside the dynamic section. This reconstruction technique is adapted for spiral acquisition and is successfully applied to cardiac fluoroscopy, doubling the temporal resolution. Magn Reson Med 43:429–439, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Supporting Situation Assessment Through Attention Guidance: A Cost-Benefit and Depth of Processing Analysis

Abstract : Automated support systems may be useful tools for aiding situation assessment in complex environments such as the military battlefield. These environments are marked by large amounts of information that often must be weighted and integrated into a meaningful judgment or assessment. The present research examines the effects of attention cueing on information integration tasks in static battlefield situations. Sixteen participants completed a resource allocation task for 56 battlefield scenarios (based on perceived threats). For half the trials, an automated system guided their attention to high-threat units. On two trials a memory probe was administered to assess the depth of processing of information, and on the final trial an automation failure was presented. Results demonstrated an overall allocation performance advantage for automation but poorer recall for automation-enhanced units. Half of the participants failed to attend to the system failure. Those participants who detected the failure were inferred to have processed the cues more deeply on the memory trials. The costs and benefits of automated cueing are discussed.
CO2 system hydration and dehydration kinetics and the equilibrium CO2/H2CO3 ratio in aqueous NaCl solution

Abstract Observations of pH on a millisecond time scale were used to obtain the CO 2 hydration rate, the H 2 CO 3 dehydration rate, the ionization constant of H 2 CO 3 , and the equilibrium ratio of CO 2 and H 2 CO 3 concentrations over a range of temperature (15–32.5 °C). In 0.65 molal NaCl, close to the ionic strength of seawater, the H 2 CO 3 dehydration rate constant ( k D ) is well represented by the equation ln k D ( s −1 )=30.15−(8018)T −1 , and the ionization constant, K a , for H 2 CO 3 followed the relationship log K a =−0.994−(610.5)T −1 , where T is the temperature (Kelvin scale). The equilibrium ratio ( K D ) of CO 2 and H 2 CO 3 concentrations at 25 °C was equal to 848. K D ranged from approximately 840 at 15 °C to 878 at 32.5 °C. Values of K D and k D were used to calculate the CO 2 hydration rate constant, k H . Over the temperature range of this work, k H was well represented by the equation ln k H ( s −1 )=22.66−(7799)T −1 .
SU‐E‐T‐142: Impact of Quality of Tri‐Axial Cable on Radiation Dose Measurement in Proton Beam

Purpose: Ionization chambers (IC) and electrometers are calibrated periodically at least every 2 years. However, the triaxial cables providing measuring system are neither tested nor calibrated periodically. Radiation treatment with small fields requires dose measurements with high degree of precision. In this study, we investigated the impact of different cables from various manufacturers on signals in a proton beam. Methods: Nine different commercially available cables from various vendors with different diameters and flexibility were studied. These cables were characterized by connecting to four different IC (volume 0.65–0.016cm3). The response of the cable‐connector‐IC combination's were analyzed in a proton beam under the reference irradiation condition. Signals from cables were evaluated without and with connecting to an IC to investigate the effect of the quality of cable and connectors on the measured signals. Results: A significant signal is detected without an IC when irradiating the cable connector alone. Connecting to an IC, the signal is linearly related to the chamber volume with a slope of 13.23nC/cm3 for all nine cables. In a proton beam, there is no significant change in the magnitude of signals for various cables for large volume chambers. There is a 2% variation in signal for the parallel plate chamber for the different cable combination s. The signal is within ±0.02 % for large volume IC (0.65 cm3). For small volume (0.016 and 0.02cm3) chambers, the response is dominated by the quality of cable with variations up to ±0.3 % and ± 0.5 % respectively. Conclusions: The quality of cable has a larger effect on small volume chambers especially for the parallel plate chamber. Uncertainty due to cable should be considered during calibration for small volume chambers in proton beam.
Ground-state properties of spin-aligned deuterium.

Ground-state properties of nuclear-spin-aligned deuterium are studied within the method of correlated basis functions (CBF), using Fermi-hypernetted-chain (FHNC) techniques to evaluate the requisite matrix elements of the Hamiltonian and identity attendant to a Jastrow choice of correlation operator. Results are presented for the ground-state energies of three hypothetical species of this system, calculated to low order in CBF perturbation theory, taking account of two- and three-body CBF effective interactions. Also included are data on the Jastrow momentum distribution and radial distribution function, computed using the FHNC scheme. These findings are supplemented by benchmark variational Monte Carlo results on the energy and radial distribution function. The three deuterium species provide examples of strongly interacting Fermi fluids, intermediate in coupling strength between nuclear matter and liquid $^{3}\mathrm{He}$.
Neovascularization and Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis are the major forms of blood vessel formation. Angiogenesis is the process where new vessels grow from pre-existing blood vessels, and is very important in the functional recovery of pathological conditions, such as wound healing and ischemic heart diseases. The development of better animal model and imaging technologies in past decades has greatly enriched our understanding on vasculogenesis and angiogenesis processes. Hypoxia turned out to be an important driving force for angiogenesis in various ischemic conditions. It stimulates expression of many growth factors like vascular endothelial growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and fibroblast growth factor, which play critical role in induction of angiogenesis. Other cellular components like monocytes, T cells, neutrophils, and platelets also play significant role in induction and regulation of angiogenesis. Various stem/progenitor cells also being recruited to the ischemic sites play crucial role in the angiogenesis process. Pre-clinical studies showed that stem/progenitor cells with/without combination of growth factors induce neovascularization in the ischemic tissues in various animal models. In this review, we will discuss about the fundamental factors that regulate the angiogenesis process and the use of stem cells as therapeutic regime for the treatment of ischemic diseases.
Inhibitory effects of nondigestible carbohydrates of different chain lengths on azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci in Fisher 344 rats

Abstract Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer morbidity and mortality in Western countries. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of prebiotic carbohydrates of different chain lengths on azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci in Fisher 344 male rats. After an acclimatization period of 1 week, 70 male weanling rats were divided into 7 groups and fed AIN-93G (Control) and 6 experimental diets that contained control + (maltodextrin; Raftiline HP, Raftiline ST, Raftilose P95, Raftilose Synergy1, and Mix; ORAFTI, Tienen, Belgium). All the rats received 16 mg/kg body weight of azoxymethane dissolved in saline subcutaneous at 7 and 8 weeks of age. The rats continued to receive the assigned diets until killed by carbon dioxide asphyxiation at 17 weeks of age. There was a significant ( P
Closed-form solutions to sensitivity equations in the frequency and time domains for linear models of ecosystems

Abstract We derive closed-form solutions for the properties of linear, donor-controlled, constant-coefficient models of ecosystems. The properties solved for are the frequency response, frequency response under feedback, and sensitivities of the frequency response and the time-domain solution to changes in model parameters. The last is known as transient sensitivity. All solutions are in expansions in the eigenvectors, with the eigenvalues determining the analytic properties in the frequency domain and the transient behavior in the time domain. The computer implementation produces fast code, because the eigenvalues and eigenvectors need only be found once to calculate the results for many different times or frequencies. All solutions are valid for degenerate eigenvalues, provided that linearly independent eigenvectors can be found by the subroutines that solve the eigenvalue equation.
Genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate the pregnancy loss rate resulting from genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction. Study Design: A cohort study was performed in pregnancies with maternal age >30 years. Pregnancy loss in a study population of 127 patients who underwent genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction were compared with a control group of 167 patients who did not have genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction. Results: The pregnancy loss rate in patients who underwent genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction was 3.1% (4/127 cases) compared with 7.2% (12/167 cases) in the controls ( P > .05). In the study group evidence of infection was found in only 1 case, in which the pregnancy loss occurred 1 day after the amniocentesis. In the other cases the pregnancy losses occurred 5 weeks after genetic amniocentesis, and these losses could not be directly attributed to either genetic amniocentesis or the multifetal reduction procedure. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the performance of genetic amniocentesis after multifetal pregnancy reduction does not increase the risk of pregnancy loss over that observed in association with the reduction itself. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:226-30.)
Copper(II) complexes of carnosine, glycylglycine, and glycylglycine-imidazole mixtures

Abstract A comparative spectroscopic study of the copper(II) complexes of carnosine, glycylglycine and glycylglycine-imidazole mixtures was undertaken to gain a better understanding of the solution structure of copper(II)-carnosine. Potentiometric titration data were obtained and correlated with the visible absorption spectra, water proton relaxation rates, and low temperature electron paramagnetic resonance spectra. Changes in the visible spectra and water relaxation rates with increasing pH reflect the displacement of solvent oxygen ligands from the coordination sphere of copper(II) by the ligating groups found on the dipeptides. Estimates of the number of solvent molecules in rapid exchange with the copper(II) for each dipeptide were obtained over the pH range 4 to 8. In addition, a weighted average of the metal-proton distances between copper(II) and bound solvent molecules in the axial and equitorial positions was obtained. From these measurements and EPR data, a monomeric solution structure for copper(II)-carnosine is proposed. This structure has a β-amino nitrogen, deprotonated peptide nitrogen, α-carboxyl oxygen, and a water molecule in the equitorial plane of copper(II), and an imidazole nitrogen as the fifth ligand in the axial position.
Physiology of myometrial function: intercellular coupling and its role in uterine contractility

The mammalian uterus is composed of a preponderance of small smooth muscle cells usually aligned in two layers. The number of muscle cells in the human uterus at term is estimated at 200 billion, each minute fusiform cell measuring about 5–10μm in diameter and about 200μm in length. The main function of the uterus is to harbour the developing fetus during pregnancy and then to contract vigorously during labour to expel the products of conception. In order for the uterus to contract rhythmically and forcefully, a mechanism must exist to allow interaction between muscle cells in order to achieve synchronous activity. Phasic or cyclical patterns of contractile activity of the uterus cannot be accounted for by stimulation or inhibition from the nervous or endocrine systems. Since myometrial cells are dependent upon action potentials for their contractile processes, some system must be present between the muscle cells for the propagation of action potentials between them. The observation that gap junctions occur in large numbers between myometrial cells during parturition is thought to be significant in this regard and they are considered to play an essential role in parturition and in the control and co-ordination of uterine contractility. In this brief review, we will discuss the role of gap junctions in the modulation of myometrial contractility and the mechanisms that regulate their synthesis and permeability.
8. Molecular biology and genetic conservation programmes

The techniques of molecular biology will become a standard part of germplasm conservation and exploitation. They are being used to gather information very rapidly about chromosome structure and genetic variation within the major crop species. Genetic maps with hundreds of DNA sequence markers covering the whole genome have already been created for some crops, such as maize, soybean, wheat and potato. Genetic variation is being revealed by the combined use of restriction endonucleases, fractionation of DNA fragments by electrophoresis and investigation of the size of specific allelic fragments. This kind of approach offers new opportunities to assess the extent of genetic variation among accessions in germplasm collections, thereby helping to decide which accessions are essentially duplicates and which should be maintained in a core collection. I recommend that germplasm banks will in the future also contain diagnostic DNA markers for characterizing and screening germplasm. When material from germplasm banks is used in crop plant breeding programmes to transfer specific traits into the crop, the availability of a complete set of molecular markers covering the entire genome makes it straightforward to discover which segments have been transferred and which are essential to maintain, so as to preserve the introduced trait. Germplasm banks are obviously a source of new genetic variation for the molecular geneticist as well as the plant breeder. The isolation of specific alleles determining self-incompatibility from Brassica oleracea accessions for subsequent introduction into oil seed rape is described as an example.
Echocardiographic Evaluation of Valvar and Shunt Lesions in Children

An evaluation of valvar and shunt lesions in children is directed toward appraising the need for, and timing of, surgical repair or palliation as well as demonstrating the cardiac anatomy which will, in turn, direct the type of surgery to be chosen. Static dimension measurements as well as dynamic measurements of wall velocity and time intervals are atraumatic and easily obtained values that increase our sensitivity to early cardiac decompensation. Contrast studies add both functional and anatomic information. Although one-dimensional time-motion scanning remains an invaluable source of anatomic detail, two-dimensional imaging has made positional information clearer and more reliable. The combined use of these three techniques offers the most complete evaluation of children with volume and pressure overload lesions.
A Pian–Sumihara type element for modeling shear bands at finite deformation

A monolithic numerical solution of a partial differential equation (PDE) model for shear bands, which includes a thermal softening rate dependent plastic flow rule and finite thermal conductivity, is presented. The formulation accounts for large deformation kinematics and includes incrementally objective treatment of the hypoplastic constitutive relations. Regularization is achieved by including finite thermal conductivity, which informs the PDE system of a length scale, governed by competition between shear heating and thermal diffusion. The monolithic solution scheme is then used to eliminate splitting errors during the solution of the discretized system. The scheme is presented in a general, mixed formulation, which allows for many choices of shape functions. We study and compare two elements, which have been implemented with the monolithic nonlinear solver: the Irreducible Shear Band Quad (ISBQ) and the Pian Sumihara Shear Band Quad (PSSBQ). ISBQ employs the same interpolation as an irreducible four node quad while PSSBQ is a mixed, assumed stress element. The algorithmic approximations to the Lie derivative and Jaumann rate of Kirchhoff stress are available in the literature for ISBQ type elements, and are derived in this paper for the PSSBQ. These expressions are used to achieve an incrementally objective formulation. It is found that the PSSBQ converges faster than the ISBQ with mesh refinement, and that the convergence of the ISBQ can be improved with a remeshing procedure.
Optical viscosity sensor using forward light scattering

Abstract A novel optical viscosity sensor using forward light scattering is presented. The sensor concept is based on the fact that the frequency response of a fiber partially submerged in a fluid is sensitive to the viscosity of the fluid. The viscosity is determined by measuring the vibration of a sinusoidally excited optical fiber. The sensor exhibits an excellent sensivity for measuring the viscosity. A significant change (≈1−10 dB) in the amplitude of the vibration and a frequency shift of 26 Hz in the response spectrum of the fiber during measurement in air, water and 5−40% sucrose solutions have been observed.