cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinicopathologic features of metastatic small cell carcinoma of the prostate to the liver: a series of four cases

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate (SCNECP) is a rare, aggressive subtype of prostate carcinoma. Most SCNECP arise from conventional prostate adenocarcinoma (CPAC) treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We identified four cases of CPAC treated with ADT, which evolved to SCNECP with liver metastasis. The average interval between the diagnosis of CPAC and SCNECP was 102 months (range: 12 to 168). Histologically, the tumors showed nests of cells with high nuclear:cytoplasmic ratios, granular chromatin, and frequent mitoses. All cases were synaptophysin, chromogranin, and AE1/AE3 positive, with a Ki-67 labeling index ≥70%. NKX3.1 was negative in all but one case and TTF-1 was positive in half. Weak ERG positivity by IHC was seen in one case which also demonstrated the TMPRSS2-ERG gene rearrangement; all other cases were negative for ERG by IHC. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were normal to near-normal in all. The median interval between the diagnosis of SCNECP and death was 3.25 months (range: 0.75 to 26). Our case series highlights the importance of considering a prostate primary, even in the setting of normal PSA levels and loss of prostate markers, when diagnosing neuroendocrine carcinoma in the liver. Further, we emphasize the significance of diagnosing SCNECP that metastasizes to the liver, as it portends a particularly dismal prognosis.
C4-T3 Replacement Laminoplasty and Microsurgical Resection of Ependymoma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Spinal ependymomas are the most common intramedullary spinal cord tumors in adults.1-4 They are benign histologically, and maximum safe surgical resection should be pursued with the goal of maintaining neurological integrity.4 Spinal ependymoma resections have been described in the operative video literature, including those using techniques of laminoplasty to prevent postlaminectomy kyphosis.1-3,5 Defining the planes between tumor and normal spinal cord is critical to achieving safe maximum resection.3 This video will illustrate the microsurgical techniques used in the resection of a large spinal cord ependymoma in a patient who presented with progressive lower extremity paraparesis and incontinence and was found to have a large intradural, intramedullary C4-T3 lesion with a rostral glial tumor cyst. The patient consented to surgical intervention. The patient was placed prone in MAYFIELD 3-point pin fixation (Integra LifeSciences, Plainsboro Township, New Jersey). Intraoperative neurophysiological electrodes were placed for somatosensory evoked potentials, motor evoked potentials, and D-wave monitoring of corticospinal tracts.6,7 C3-T4 replacement laminoplasties were performed. A midline dural incision spanning C4-T4 was made. A midline myelotomy preserving the pial venous plexus was performed with a 69 Beaver blade.2 The attachments of the tumor to the normal white matter of the spinal cord were microsurgically defined, coagulated, and divided. Tumor debulking was performed with an ultrasonic aspirator. Once gross total resection was achieved, the pial edges of the spinal cord were reapproximated. The dura was closed in a watertight fashion. The patient recovered from surgery well with preservation of her motor function with a continued T7 sensory level.
Semi-analytical calculation of the trajectory of relativistic nuclear collisions in the QCD phase diagram

We extend a semi-analytical model that includes the finite nuclear thickness to calculate the energy density $\epsilon(t)$ and conserved-charge densities including the net-baryon density $n_B(t)$ produced at mid-pseudorapidity in central Au+Au collisions at different energies. Assuming the formation of an equilibrated quark-gluon plasma with either quantum statistics or Boltzmann statistics, we extract the temperature $T$ and chemical potentials $\mu_B, \mu_S$ and $\mu_Q$ as functions of time. This then allows us to semi-analytically calculate the $T-\mu_B$ trajectory of relativistic nuclear collisions in the QCD phase diagram, which should benefit the studies of high density physics including the search for the critical end point. This model is also useful for exploring the trajectories in the more general QCD phase diagram in the $T-\mu_B-\mu_S-\mu_Q$ space.
The Keys to Power: Managing the Presidency

1. Powers and Prerequisites of the Presidency. 2. Presidential Campaigns and Elections. 3. The President and Congress. 4. The President and the Supreme Court. 5. The President and Public Opinion. 6. The Vice President. 7. The Presidents Cabinet. 8. The White House Staff. 9. The Executive Office of the President. 10. The President and the Bureaucracy. Bibliography.
Reaction of peroxyacetyl nitrate with sulfhydryl groups of proteins.

Abstract Peroxyacetyl nitrate does not react with the sulfhydryl groups of "native" ovalbumin, but does react with those of reduced glutathione in the presence of ovalbumin. At pH 4.5 all of the sulfhydryl groups of human hemoglobin react with peroxyacetyl nitrate, whereas at pH 7.2 the reaction is slower and is limited to two to three sulfhydryls per mole of hemoglobin. Ribonuclease in the reactive form is not inactivated by peroxyacetyl nitrate even when the oxidant is in 300-fold molar excess. Amino acid analysis of the protein shows a decrease in cystine and increase in cysteic acid. Reduced ribonuclease is prevented from regaining activity if exposed to peroxyacetyl nitrate in the sulfhydryl form. The inactivation of papain by peroxyacetyl nitrate depends on the amount of free protein sulfhydryl at the time of gas exposure.
Hypoxic regulation of blood flow in humans. Skin blood flow and temperature regulation.

Regulation of cutaneous vascular tone in humans is complex due to the different types of skin in various regions of the body and the vast array of nerves involved in regulation of blood flow. Due to these complexities, it is unclear how the cutaneous vasculature responds to hypoxia. There are reports of exaggerated vasoconstriction and vasodilation, while others suggest the skin is unresponsive to a hypoxic stimulus. Preliminary work in our laboratory suggests hypoxic vasodilation may be unmasked with ¨¢-receptor blockade. In contrast to skeletal muscle, hypoxic cutaneous vasodilation is not blunted by â-blockade, but may be abolished with NO-synthase inhibition. Furthermore, effects of hypoxia on skin blood flow may be more pronounced during combined hypoxic and thermoregulatory challenges. Along these lines, overall thermoregulation may be impacted by hypoxic effects on the cutaneous vasculature and hypobaric effects on sweating and evaporation. During supine heat stress, for example, skin blood flow can increase to 8 Liters per minute. This dramatic rise in skin blood flow is accomplished by an increase in cardiac output and redistribution of blood flow from the splanchnic and renal vascular beds. During hypoxia, splanchnic blood flow has been shown to increase. Thus, during a hypoxic challenge in the heat, a competition for blood flow between the compliant skin and splanchnic regions must exist, but is not well understood. In this review, the effects of hypoxia on the regulation of cutaneous vascular tone and the impact on tempera- ture regulation will be discussed.
Performance modeling codes for the QuakeSim problem solving environment

The QuakeSim Problem Solving Environment uses a web-services approach to unify and deploy diverse remote data sources and processing services within a browser environment. Here we focus on the highperformance crustal modelling applications that will be included in this set of remote but interoperable applications. PARK is a model for unstable slip on a single earthquake fault represented as discrete patches, able to cover a very wide range of temporal and spatial scales. GeoFEST simulates stress evolution, fault slip and visco-elastic processes in realistic materials. Virtual California simulates fault interaction to determine correlated patterns in the nonlinear complex system of an entire plate boundary region. Pattern recognition tools extract Karhunen-Loeve modes and Hidden Markov state models from physical and virtual data streams. Sequential code benchmarking demonstrates PARK computes 15,000 patches for 500 time steps in under 8 hours (SGI Origin 3000), GeoFEST computes 50,000 tetrahedral elements for 1000 steps in under 14 hours (Sun Workstation), and Virtual California computes 215 fault segments for 10,000 time steps in under 0.5 hours (Pentium III). QuakeSim goals for June 2004 are to deploy MPI parallel codes that compute 400,000 patches (PARK), 16,000,000 tetrahedra (GeoFEST) and 700 segments (Virtual California) in essentially the same wallclock time, incorporating powerful tools such as stress field multipoles and the ESTO/ PYRAMID mesh partitioning and refinement tools.
Answer set planning

In “answer set programming”[5,7] solutions to a problem are represented by answer sets (known also as stable models), and not by answer substitutions produced in response to a query, as in conventional logic programming. Instead of Prolog, answer set programming uses software systems capable of computing answer sets. Four such systems were demonstrated at the Workshop on Logic- Based AI held in June of 1999 in Washington, DC: dlv1, smodels,2, DeReS3 and ccalc4.
Preparation and properties of in-situ prepared filamentary Nb 3 Sn-Cu superconducting wire

Several years ago we began a project to make superconducting wire by directionally solidifying Cu-Nb binary alloys so as to give an aligned array of Nb dendrites in a copper matrix. These composites were to be drawn to wire, coated with tin and heat treated to produce aligned Nb3Sn filaments in a bronze matrix. Initial studies, however, showed that directional freezing was not required to produce alignment of the Nb dendrites; the wire drawing process itself produced excellent alignment of the initially random array of Nb dendrites produced by conventional casting techniques. This method of fabricating Nb-Sn-Cu wire, which has been developed independently by Bevk et al.1 at Harvard and by Roberge and Foner et al.2 at the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute and MIT, has come to be called the in-situ technique for preparing Cu-Nb-Sn superconductor wire. In this paper we present a brief review of our results at the Ames Laboratory on the development of this in-situ process.
On generalized rolling of golf balls considering an offset center of mass and rolling resistance: a study of putting

This paper seeks to address the implications on putting a golf ball with an off-center mass by analyzing the effect of unbalanced mass of ball on its impact and subsequent rolling. We present the general formulation of a rigid golf ball rolling with slip that is able to transition to rolling friction on an arbitrary surface. Particular attention is given to the effects of the offset center of mass on the golf ball’s path. An experimental setup based on a USGA Stimpmeter is used to calibrate the position of contact point as the ball rolls on the green. The trajectories of the ball due to the mass imbalance were studied by numerically solving the equations of motion during putting. Theoretical predictions show that a mass imbalance has little effect on the launch conditions of the ball. However, on a level green a mass offset center of 0.2 % of the ball’s radius can impact the path of the ball with the consequences of missing the hole in a 5.8 m putt. Changing golf ball trajectories with mass offset center has implications on the development of balls and putting.
Establishment of the adventive centipede Rhysida longipes longipes (Newport, 1845; Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae: Otostigminae) in South Florida

Summary We recorded 2 new collection localities of the nonnative centipede Rhysida longipes longipes (Scolopendromorpha: Scolopendridae: Otostigminae) and documented for the first time that a breeding population is established in South Florida, USA. Specimens of several size classes were collected in a large property on Islamorada, Upper Matecumbe Key, Florida, USA. Further work is necessary to assess the extent of its range and its impact on the local ecosystem.
Small Cell Bladder Cancer: Biology and Management

Small cell bladder cancer (SCBC) is a rare and aggressive form of bladder cancer. It exhibits similar biological behavior to small cell lung carcinoma. Untreated, it is associated with a very poor prognosis. Appropriate oncologic surgery remains the mainstay of treatment of this disease but is not curative alone in the majority of the cases. Adding systemic therapy to the treatment regimen has been shown to improve survival. The most common chemotherapy regimens used in published series include a platinum complex plus etoposide, although doxorubicin-based regimens and standard urothelial cancer regimens also have been associated with response. Despite robust chemotherapy responses, metastatic disease is associated with relapse and a median overall survival of 18 months or less. Better understanding of the molecular alterations driving SCBC may facilitate the development of new therapeutic strategies and improved outcomes.
Δr beyond one loop

Abstract We study the effect of two-loop contributions on the radiative corrections to the muon lifetime in the standard electroweak model. O( αα s ) contributions are fully included. We also incorporate all dominant O( α 2 ) corrections and identify those logarithms which can be resummed. We present an explicit expression for Δr which fully exploits our present knowledge of contributions beyond one loop. The phenomenological implications are presented in terms of the m t − M w relation. The known higher-order effects are found to be equivalent to variations in the W-boson mass of order 100 MeV i.e. the anticipated experimental error, and to variations in the Higgs-boson mass over the range 50 GeV−1 TeV, i.e. the range bracketed by the current experimental limit and the unitary bound.
Krüppel-like factor 5 is essential for proliferation and survival of mouse intestinal epithelial stem cells.

Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) is a pro-proliferative transcription factor that is expressed in dividing epithelial cells of the intestinal crypt. Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 5 (Lgr5) has been identified as a stem cell marker in both small intestinal and colonic epithelial cells. To determine whether KLF5 regulates proliferation of intestinal stem cells, we investigated the effects of Klf5 deletion specifically from the intestinal stem cells in adult mice. Mice with inducible intestinal stem cell-specific deletion of Klf5 (Lgr5-Klf5(fl/fl)) were injected with tamoxifen for 5 consecutive days to induce Lgr5-driven Cre expression. Intestinal and colonic tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry at various time points up to 112days following start of tamoxifen treatment. Klf5 is co-localized in the crypt-based columnar (CBC) cells that express Lgr5. By 11days following the start of tamoxifen treatment, Lgr5-positive crypts from which Klf5 was deleted exhibited a loss of proliferation that was accompanied by an increase in apoptosis. Beginning at 14days following the start of tamoxifen treatment, both Klf5 expression and proliferation were re-established in the transit-amplifying epithelial cells but not in the Lgr5-positive CBC cells. By 112days post-treatment, up to 90% of the Lgr5-positive cells from which Klf5 was deleted were lost from the intestinal crypts. These results indicate a critical role for KLF5 in the survival and maintenance of intestinal stem cells.
Categories of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal dependency of host species

Brassica nigra and selected species of Leucaena and Sesbania were used as indicator hosts in a greenhouse experiment designed to establish distinct categories of mycorrhizal dependence. The plants were grown in an oxisol with different concentrations of established soil solution P in the presence or absence of the vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungus Glomus aggregatum. The extent to which the plant species depended on the fungus for dry matter production diminished with increased concentrations of soil solution P, but the magnitude of this decrease varied from species to species. Five distinct mycorrhizal categories are proposed based on the differences observed, ranging from non-dependent to very highly dependent. The critical soil solution P concentrations that were useful for separating host species into distinct VAM-dependency groups were 0.02 and 0.2 mg/l. Species differing in their mycorrhizal dependency differed with respect to the soil solution P concentration required for the expression of maximum VAM effectiveness, the degree to which increasing concentrations of P depressed VAM infection and the pattern of immobile nutrient accumulation.
MEASURING TOTAL UNCERTAINTY IN DEMPSTER-SHAFER THEORY: A NOVEL APPROACH

A novel approach to measuring uncertainty and uncertainty-based information in Dempster-Shafer theory is proposed (independently also proposed by Maeda et al. [1993]). It is shown that the proposed measure of total uncertainty in Dempster-Shafer theory is both additive and subadditive, has a desired range, and collapses correctly to either the Shannon entropy or the Hartley measure of uncertainty for special probability assignment functions. The paper is restricted, for the sake of simplicity, to finite sets.
Referral for medically unexplained somatic complaints: The role of histrionic traits

Abstract The judgment of physicians about histrionic traits in patients referred by them for psychiatric evaluation of medically unexplained somatic complaints was assessed. Such traits were attributed to many of the 100 patients studied, but, interestingly, the characterization of patients as histrionic did not entail the opinion that they were malingering, had factitious illnesses, or were misappropriating the benefits of the sick role. Histrionic traits as rated by referring physicians did not correlate with psychiatrists’ diagnoses of somatoform disorders, nor with the patient's sex, age, or race.
Improving resolution and depth-of-field of light field cameras using a hybrid imaging system

Current light field (LF) cameras provide low spatial resolution and limited depth-of-field (DOF) control when compared to traditional digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. We show that a hybrid imaging system consisting of a standard LF camera and a high-resolution standard camera enables (a) achieve high-resolution digital refocusing, (b) better DOF control than LF cameras, and (c) render graceful high-resolution viewpoint variations, all of which were previously unachievable. We propose a simple patch-based algorithm to super-resolve the low-resolution views of the light field using the high-resolution patches captured using a high-resolution SLR camera. The algorithm does not require the LF camera and the DSLR to be co-located or for any calibration information regarding the two imaging systems. We build an example prototype using a Lytro camera (380×380 pixel spatial resolution) and a 18 megapixel (MP) Canon DSLR camera to generate a light field with 11 MP resolution (9× super-resolution) and about 1 over 9 th of the DOF of the Lytro camera. We show several experimental results on challenging scenes containing occlusions, specularities and complex non-lambertian materials, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach.
Negligible polarization aberrations of antireflection-coated paraxial optical systems

We show that antireflection-coated (ARC) optical systems with numerical apertures < 1 exhibit negligible polarization aberrations of the fourth and sixth order for the retardance and di-attenuation, respectively. Results for ARC high-index optics are presented as examples.
Rituximab (chimeric anti-CD20 antibody) for posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder after solid organ transplantation in adults: long-term experience from a single center.

Background. Occurrence ofposttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after transplantation is known. Drastic reduction or withdrawal of immunosuppression with anti-viral therapy for Ebstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the primary treatment for all PTLD. Many PTLD are B cell in origin have CD20 antigen on the cell surface. Rituximab is a chimeric anti CD20 antibody, which has been used to treat PTLD with variable success. This study aims to report long-term experience with rituximab for PTLD from a single center. Methods. Seventeen patients (13 male, 4 female, mean age 51.2 years) received rituximab to treat PTLD. Five patients received rituximab with drastic reduction in immunosuppression (primary). Nine patients received rituximab after failure of primary therapy (rescue) and three patients received it after resolution of PTLD (prophylactic). Mean follow-up period was 60 months. Results. Overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survivals were 64.7%, 47.1% and 35.3%, respectively. In the primary group, three patients had complete and one had partial response; however, only two (40%) patients are currently alive. In the rescue group, none of the patients had a complete response, four patients had partial response, and only two (22%) patients are currently alive. In the prophylactic group, two patients died at 28 and 41 months due to recurrence and graft failure, respectively. Conclusion. Sixty percent (3 of 5) of patients who received rituximab as primary therapy had complete resolution, and 44% (4 of 9) of patients who received it as rescue therapy had partial response. Overall 5-year patient survival was a disappointing 35%.
A robust boundary detection algorithm based on connectivity only for 3D wireless sensor networks

In this work we develop a distributed boundary detection algorithm, dubbed Coconut, for 3D wireless sensor networks. It first constructs a tetrahedral structure to delineate the approximate geometry of the 3D sensor network, producing a set of “sealed” triangular boundary surfaces for separating non-boundary nodes and boundary node candidates. The former are hollowed out immediately while the latter are further refined to yield the final boundary nodes and fine-grained boundary surfaces. The proposed Coconut algorithm offers several salient features. First, it requires connectivity information only, with no need for localization or distance measurement. Second, it does not rely on particular communication models, but only assumes a constant maximum transmission range, which is generally known in practical wireless sensor networks. Third, it is robust to sensor distribution, effectively identifying boundaries in both uniformly and non-uniformly distributed sensor networks. We prove the correctness of the algorithm and quantitatively demonstrate its effectiveness via simulations under various network models.
Comparison of two mental health counselor training programs.

Two groups of psychiatric attendants were trained using an integrated didactic-experiential approach (N=14) and a traditional training approach (N=14). Both training groups demonstrated significantly greater change in interpersonal skill than the control group (N=14), whereas the integrated group showed greater positive change than the traditional group. Only the traditional group demonstrated significant change in on-the-job behaviors, and that was on “attitude toward supervision.” Race, age, education, and experience were not related to positive change in interpersonal skill. It was concluded that the integrated training approach is most effective when concerned with specific counselor skills. Demographic variables may not be relevant in selection nor related to growth in mental health counselor training.
The Effect of Scleral Buckling on Ocular Rigidity

In a study of enucleated human eyes, the authors investigated the effect of scleral buckling on the ocular pressure-volume relationship. Intraocular pressure was recorded continuously during intravitreal infusion of saline solution before and after the application of encircling silicone elements. Scleral buckling produced a marked reduction in ocular rigidity, with reversibility of the effect on removal of the buckling elements. Similar results were obtained during incremental intravitreal air injection. The authors propose that the greater extensibility of silicone compared with sclera and the induced alterations in ocular shape are the primary factors responsible for the observed change in ocular rigidity. The clinical implications of these findings for intravitreal gas injection are discussed.
Use of ultrasonic aerosols with ventilatory assistors.

(1968). Use of Ultrasonic Aerosols with Ventilatory Assistors. Journal of Asthma Research: Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 335-354.
THE HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF BUCINDOLOL IN CHILDREN WITH CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE (CHF)

The investigational drug Bucindolol has intrinsic sympathomimetic activity and direct vasodilating actions in animal models and adult humans with CHF and/or hypertension. Five children (2 1/2 - 21 mos; 4.0 - 10.4 kg) with ventricular septal defect or endocardial cushion defect and CHF had baseline pulmonary to systemic flow ratios (Qp/Qs) ≥ 3.0 at cardiac catheterization. After informed consent, each received a .05mg/kg, 5 min. infusion of Bucindolol. Hemodynamic measurements showed significant increases in pulmonary resistance/ systemic resistance (Rp/Rs), and Rp (Wood units); significant decreases, in indexed pulmonary flow (Qp), left to right shunt (LR), and (Qp/Qs) in 100% of the children; but no significant change in pulmonary mean pressure (PA), aortic mean pressure (AO), Qs, Rs or indices of ventricular function. CHF improved transiently in all children and most dramatically in the ones with more severe CHF. The pre and post drug means () and mean % changes (% Δ) from pre drug values were:
Performance of Prefix Delegation-Based Route Optimization Schemes: Intra Mobile Network Case

Among the route optimization schemes in NEtwork MObility (NEMO), the prefix delegation-based schemes perform better than other schemes. Since the prefix delegation-based schemes are designed for communication between a mobile network and a wired network, they lack evaluation for the case of intra mobile network communication involving MIPv6 incapable hosts in a mobile network. We evaluate prefix delegation-based schemes to reveal their inefficiencies for the case where both the communicating hosts are mobile and MIPv6 incapable, propose extensions, and compare them. Since both the communicating hosts are mobile, handoff latency in extended schemes are large resulting in significant performance loss when the speed of the mobile network is high. Results reveal that the effect of speed of the mobile network dominates the performance in such cases. We conclude that for slow moving mobile networks, extended schemes are preferable.
Teaching economic pluralism using the Hegelian dialectic principle

This paper proposes a Hegelian dialectic method as a teaching strategy to not only teach pluralism but also to compare and contrast it with the neoclassical economics. The Hegelian dialectic derives meaningful theories (or viewpoints) from opposing ideas and concepts, summarised by the triad ‘thesis-antithesis-synthesis’. Students can also learn how opposing viewpoints culminate in a consensus view among economists (termed as synthesis in Hegelian dialectic). This paper provides several techniques to adopt the dialectic in economic pedagogy including: how economic theories evolve; the historical perspective or the current context of an economic theory; which economic theories have become obsolete; what factors nullify an economic theory, and how can we interpret the links across multiple economic viewpoints as similarities or contradictions. This paper also provides suggested assignments for using the Hegelian dialectic framework within a pluralist framework.
Site-specific mutants of carbonic anhydrase for fluorescence energy-transfer-based metal-ion biosensing

In order to gain wavelength and analyte flexibility, we have recently altered the transduction approach of our fluorescence-based biosensor. Briefly, binding of metal ions such as zinc to the active site of carbonic anhydrase is transduced by metal-dependent binding of a colored inhibitor to a fluorescent derivative of the enzyme; in the absense of metal the inhibitor does not bind and the label fluorescence is unquenched, but at higher metal concentrations the inhibitor binds, energy transfer occurs with moderate efficiency and the fluorescent label exhibits reduced intensity and lifetime. Inasmush as Forster energy transfer is distance dependent the position of the fluorescent label on the surface of the enzyme has some impact on the performance of the sensor. We designed, produced, and expressed site-selective mutants of carbonic anhydrase which could be unambiguously derivatized with suitable fluorescent labels, and which gave much improved responses to zinc ion compared with randomly derivatized wild type enzyme.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A systematical analysis of in vivo contact forces on virtual catheter tip/tissue surface contact during cardiac mapping and intervention.

INTRODUCTION While catheter tip/tissue contact has been shown to be an important determinant of ablative lesions in in vitro studies, the impact of contact on the outcomes of mapping and ablation in the intact heart has not been evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve dogs underwent atrial ablation guided by the Senesitrade mark robotic catheter remote control system. After intracardiac ultrasound (ICE) validation of contact force measured by an in-line mechanical sensor, the relationship between contact force and individual lesion formation was established during irrigated-tipped ablation (flow 17 mL/sec) at 15 watts for 30 seconds. Minimal contact by ICE correlated with force of 4.7 +/- 5.8 grams, consistent contact 9.9 +/- 8.6 grams and tissue tenting produced 25.0 +/- 14.0 grams. Conversely, catheter tip/tissue contact by ICE was predicted by contact force. A contact force of 10-20 and > or =20 grams generated full-thickness, larger volume ablative lesions than that created with <10 grams (98 +/- 69 and 89 +/- 70 mm(3) vs 40 +/- 42 mm(3), P < 0.05). Moderate (10 grams) and marked contact (15-20 grams) application produced 1.5 X greater electroanatomic map volumes that were seen with minimal contact (5 grams) (26 +/- 3 cm(3) vs 33 +/- 6, 39 +/- 3 cm(3), P < 0.05). The electroanatomic map/CT merge process was also more distorted when mapping was generated at moderate to marked contact force. CONCLUSION This study shows that mapping and ablation using a robotic sheath guidance system are critically dependent on generated force. These findings suggest that ablative lesion size is optimized by the application of 10-20 grams of contact force, although mapping requires lower-force application to avoid image distortions.
Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in Cancer Chemotherapy: Research Problems and Issues

A critical review of the literature assessing the antiemetic efficacy of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy showed considerable inconsistency in results. The equivocal nature of these results partly reflects the difficulty of doing research on antiemetic therapies, but also can be attributed to differences in the adequacy and nature of the research designs, procedures, and assessment instruments that have been used. Several factors were also identified that are seldom studied but may be important in determining whether THC will be effective: patient variables, such as chemotherapy regimen and age; pharmacologic variables, such as drug tolerance, dose, schedule, toxicity, route of administration, and drug interactions; and environmental variables associated with administration setting. The need to differentiate pharmacologically induced from conditioned nausea and vomiting was also pointed out. We believe that THC does have antiemetic efficacy, but the lack of controlled research does not allow precise knowledge of its true effectiveness and toxicity. Well-controlled trials are needed to help answer some of these questions.
A survey of parental views regarding their child's hearing loss: a pilot study.

Objective Assess parental perceptions of their child’s sensorineural hearing loss care. Methods Families of pediatric patients diagnosed with a sensorineural hearing loss from 2000 to 2004 were sent a survey asking about their experiences with their child’s hearing loss. Results One hundred eight of 389 families surveyed were studied. Thirteen percent did not know the results of the newborn screening. Twenty-two percent of the primary care physicians were not involved in the child’s hearing evaluation. Forty percent of the patients underwent 4 or more audiologic tests before a diagnosis. The most common reason for delayed diagnosis was difficulty in obtaining an appointment with an audiologist. Sixty-two percent of families had difficulties obtaining hearing aids, and 58% noted difficulties obtaining cochlear implants. Conclusions Families reported multiple obstacles to obtain timely diagnosis and treatment. Otolaryngologists may need to be more involved in the evaluation and treatment of these patients. EBM rating: C-4
AI in medicine: overview and challenges

Through the rise of evidence-base medicine, and the enormous challenges it poses, artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM) and medical informatics have a new and important role to play. It may well be that in 25 years time, the question will be not “What has AIM ever achieved?”, but rather “How could we have ever got here without it?”. (3 pages)
Isolation of Hem3 mutants from Candida albicans by sequential gene disruption

Molecular methods for directed mutagenesis in Candida albicans have relied on a combination of gene disruption by transformation to inactivate one allele and UV-induced mitotic recombination or point mutation to produce lesions in the second allele. An alternate method which uses two sequential gene disruptions was developed and used to construct a C. albicans mutant defective in a gene essential for synthesizing tetrapyrrole (uroporphyrinogen I synthase). The Candida gene was cloned from a random library by complementation of the hem3 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The complementing region was limited to a approximately 2.0 kb fragment by subcloning and a Bg/II site was determined to be within an essential region. Linear fragments containing either the Candida URA3 or LEU2 gene inserted into the Bg/II site were used to disrupt both alleles of a leu2, ura3 mutant by sequential transformation. Ura+, Leu+ heme-requiring strains were recovered and identified as hem3 mutants by Southern hybridization, transformation to heme independence by the cloned gene, and enzyme assays.
Computer vision-based mathematics learning enhancement for children with visual impairments

Children with visual impairments face disproportionate challenges in learning mathematics. In this paper, we explore how to apply computer vision techniques to enhance mathematics learning by fusion of multisensory information for children with visually impairments. The multisensory information includes visual and audio information. Our research focuses on the mathematics education for children with visual impairments in early ages (Kindergarten — Grade 3) by using arithmetic racks. A computer vision-based algorithm is developed to detect the numbers and positions of arithmetic rack beads and the detection results are then provided to students with visual impairments as speech guidance. Preliminary results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method for detecting the number, color, position, and moving directions of the arithmetic rack beads under different situations.
Effect of adolescence on the serum growth hormone response to hypoglycemia

1. Parker, M. L., Hammond, J. M., and Daughaday, W. H.: The arginine provocative test: An aid in the diagnosis of hyposomatotropism, J. Clin. Endocr. 27: 1129, 1967. 2. Raiti, S., Davis, W. T., and Blizzard, R. M.: A comparison of the effects of insulin hypoglycemia and arginine infusion in release of human growth hormone, Lancet 2: 1182, 1967. 3. Root, A. W., Saenz-Rodriguez, (3., Bongiovanni, A. M., and Eberlein, W. R.: The effect of arginine infusion on plasma growth hormone and insulin in children, J. PEDmT. 2: 187, 1969. 4. Frantz, A. G., and Rabkin, M. T.: Effects of estrogen and sex difference on secretion of human growth hormone, J. Clin. Endocr. 25: 1470, t965. 5. Merimee, T. J., Burgess, J. A., and Rabinowitz, D.: Sex determined variation in serum insulin and growth hormone response to amino acid stimulation, J. Clin. Endocr. 26: 791, 1966. 6. Bacon, G. E., Lowrey, G. H., and Knoller, M.: Comparison of arginine and diethylstilbestrol as a means of provoking growth hormone secretion, J. PEDIAT. 75: 385, 1969. 7. Martin, L. G., Clark, J. W., and Connor, T. B.: Growth hormone secretion enhanced by androgens, J. Clin. Endocr. 28: 425, 1968. 8. Herbert, V., Lau, K. S., Gottlieb, C. W., and Bleicher, S. J.: Coated charcoal immunoassay of insulin, J. Clin. Endocr. 25: 1375, 1965.
DIVORCE THERAPY OUTCOME RESEARCH: A SUBSTANTIVE AND METHODOLOGICAL REVIEW

Empirical studies related to divorce therapy are reviewed both substantively and methodologically. There is strong evidence for the superiority of mediation to traditional adversary methods for custody and visitation disputes. Conciliation counseling appears to increase the number of reconciliations in the short-term. Other conclusions must remain very tentative. Overall, the methodologies of the 22 studies are weak; however, there are wide variations in quality. Investigations of divorce mediation utilized the best designs and studies of separation techniques the worst. What we know and what we need to know about divorce therapy is answered critically and suggestions are made for future research and practice.
Programming with Concurrency: Threads, Actors, and Coroutines

We describe an elective upper-division undergraduate / graduate course that focuses on programming with concurrency and puts into practice topics from the PDC curriculum. We introduce three approaches to concurrent programming: threads (using Java), Actors (using Scala) and Co routines (using Python) for both shared memory and message passing applications. We also address synchronization issues such as race conditions, conditional synchronization, deadlock and fairness. We use a pseudo code notation to support language-independent evaluation of students' comprehension of concurrency concepts. Students engage in intensive lab sessions to implement solutions to classical problems in concurrency. We present data analyses that we hope will provide insight and inform the pedagogy associated with concurrent programming.
Rapid Determination of Aldehydes in Air Analyses

Abstract A simple analytical method for aldehyde determinations in ambient air is described. The method involved trapping the aldehydes as their DNPH derivatives in acetonitrile solution and then direct injection and analysis of the resulting solution on a reversed phase HPLC column with simultaneous detection at 254 and 360 nm. Several comparison studies are described.
Genetics and histology of powdery mildew resistance in apple

Eight scab-resistant cultivars and selections along with eight commercial apple cultivars were evaluated for powdery mildew resistance in greenhouse and nursery tests. ‘Dayton’, ‘Liberty’, Delicious’ and ‘Tolman Sweet’ were rated moderately resistant to infection in both greenhouse and nursery tests. Segregation of seedlings among 14 progenies for mildew reaction indicated that mildew resistance is polygenically controlled in this material with additive gene effects. Recovery of mildew resistant seedlings from crosses involving a scab-resistant parent(s) suggested that this material can be useful in developing scab- and mildew-resistant apple cultivars. Histological investigations were conducted to describe mildew symptoms of infected leaves.
Matrix vesicles in newly synthesizing bone observed after ultracryotomy and ultramicroincineration.

Matrix vesicles were observed in femurs of 8-day-old chick embryos prepared by ultracryotomy. Some of the sections were subjected to ultramicroincineration. The unfixed tissues never came into contact with solutions, and thereby artifacts due to dissolution, redistribution, or rearrangement of the mineral constituents were avoided. In the osteoid, electron dense objects with the size and appearance of matrix vesicles were seen, although limiting membranes were not visible. After ultramicroincineration the vesicles were observed to contain small crystals and a less dense amorphous mineral material which may be the precursor of bone mineral. In addition, a ring of ash enclosed the crystalline and amorphous mineral and appeared to occupy the position of the vesicle membrane as seen in conventionally prepared material.
Cognitive decline and cardiometabolic risk among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults in the San Luis Valley Health and Aging Study

Cardiometabolic risk factors, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, central obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes are linked to cognitive impairment. The Hispanic population appears to be differentially affected by both cardiometabolic risk factors and cognitive impairment. We sought to determine whether ethnic differences in cognitive impairment in long-resident southwestern US elders was explained by the presence of cardiometabolic risk factors, and to explore patterns of cognitive decline over time. We performed a secondary analysis of data collected on 378 Hispanic and 409 non-Hispanic white adult participants in a longitudinal study of community-dwelling elderly in southern Colorado. Measures of cardiometabolic risk included waist circumference, blood pressure, diagnosis of diabetes, and random blood glucose. Cognitive measures included the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the behavioral dyscontrol scale (a measure of executive cognitive function), at baseline and after an average of 22 months. Subjects were also administered the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults 1-Year Activity Recall. At baseline, Hispanic elders had a greater number of cardiometabolic risk factors and lower MMSE and behavioral dyscontrol scale scores than non-Hispanic whites. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with a greater likelihood of decline in general cognitive function, but not executive cognitive function, after adjusting for age and education. This differential decline was not explained by either individual or total number of baseline cardiometabolic risk factors, depression, or physical activity. A borderline increased risk of decline in general cognitive function was seen in sedentary individuals (P = 0.05).
A new indigogenic method for the light and electron microscopic demonstration of 5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterases.

The demonstration of 5′-nucleotide phosphodiesterase at both the light and electron microscopic levels has been made possible with the use of a mixture of 5′-(5-iodo-3-indolyl)-5-fluorodeoxyuridine phosphodiester and 5′-(5-nitro-3-indolyl)-5-fluorodeoxyuridine phosphodiester as synthetic substrates. This mixture resulted in a stacking indigo dye with good electron density. Post-osmication of the indigo dye further improves the electron density of the deposits. For electron microscopy, glutaraldehyde-fixed tissue was used. The fixation decreases the cytoplasmic activity, but preserves essentially the necessary distributtion. The distribution of this phosphodiesterase is different from that of the acid and alkaline monophosphoesterase. Its activity is mainly on the Golgi membrane. In regenerated liver and hepatoma, activity can also be seen associated with the nuclear envelope.
Simultaneously Exploiting Spectral Similarity and Spatial Distribution for Patterned Minefield Detection

In this paper we investigate how shape/spectral similarity of the mine signature and the minefield like spatial distribution can be exploited simultaneously to improve the performance for patterned minefield detection. The minefield decision is based on the detected targets obtained by an anomaly detector, such as the RX algorithm in the image of a given field segment. Spectral, shape or texture features at the target locations are used to model the likelihood of the targets to be potential mines. The spatial characteristic of the patterned minefield is captured by the expected distribution of nearest neighbor distances of the detected mine locations. The false alarms in the minefield are assumed to constitute a Poisson point process. The overall minefield detection problem for a given segment is formulated as a Markov marked point process (MMPP). Minefield decision is formulated under binary hypothesis testing using maximum log-likelihood ratio. A quadratic complexity algorithm is developed and used to maximize the log-likelihood ratio. A procedure based on expectation maximization is evaluated for estimating unknown parameters like mine-level probability of detection and mine-to-mine separation. The patterned minefield detection performance under this MMPP formulation is compared to baseline algorithms using simulated data.
Quantifying nutrient removal processes within a constructed wetland designed to treat urban stormwater runoff

Abstract Mesocosm enrichment experiments were used to quantify nutrient removal rates for various ecological components within a constructed wetland designed to treat urban stormwater runoff. Mesocosms isolated emergent macrophytes ( Pontedaria sp.), floating macrophytes ( Lemna sp.), sediments, and plankton. Experiments were performed by enriching concentrations of nitrate (NO 3 − ), ammonium (NH 4 + ), and phosphate (PO 4 3− ) to levels between 0.5 and 1.5 mg 1 −1 , and then following changes in the concentrations over time. Plant mesocosms produced the highest removal efficiencies avaraging 67, 87 and 62% per day for NO 3 − , NH 4 + , and PO 4 3− respectively. However, removal efficiencies for sediment mesocosms averaged 52, 59, and 49% per day respectively indicating that much of the removal processes may have occurred at the substrate surface. In all mesocosm treatments, PO 4 3− was removed at a much greater rate than needed to meet biological demands, and nutrients were removed at nearly the 2:1 N:P mass ratio in which they were added. Removal rates in mesocosm experiments were compared to rates calculated by mass balance for a storm which generated 12 days of flow through the marsh. Mesocosm results agreed closely with mass balance calculations for NO 3 − and PO 4 3− but did not agree with NH 4 + calculations. NH 4 + concentrations in the stormflow were too low and removal rates for NH 4 + may have been affected by internal production within the marsh.
Negative result: treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis with gamma globulin: a double-blind controlled study.

Because agammaglobulinemic patients show a markedly increased incidence of a rheumatoid-like arthritis, which improves after γ globulin treatment, the clinical and serological changes resulting from repeated injections of pooled human γ globulin given to adult patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been evaluated in a controlled, double-blind study. No significant beneficial effects on laboratory or clinical parameters were observed. However, 2 of the 10 patients treated developed precipitating antibody to a β globulin component of the γ globulin preparation given.