cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thoracic Duct Ligation for Persistent Chylothorax After Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery

Background There is considerable literature on incidence and medical management of postsurgical chylothorax in children but little is known about outcomes of thoracic duct ligation (TDL) for patients refractory to medical therapy. Methods A retrospective review of patients undergoing TDL after cardiothoracic surgery (1992 through 2007) was done. Data on demographics including cardiac morphology, characteristics of chylous drainage, medical management, and post-TDL course were collected. When available, imaging studies of the upper body venous drainage vessels were examined. Results Twenty patients (median age, 0.65 years; range, 0.03 to 11 years; weight, 7.0 kg; range, 2.6 to 30 kg) had a diagnosis of chylothorax made 8.5 days (range, 2 to 118 days) after initial operation. Median duration of pre-TDL medical management was 17.5 days (range, 7 to 69 days). Median drainage for 5 days preceding TDL was 34.5 mL · kg −1 · d −1 (range, 15 to 135 mL · kg −1 · d −1 ) with maximal output of 65 mL · kg −1 · d −1 (range, 30 to 200 mL · kg −1 · d −1 ). After TDL, there was a decrease in median drainage to 13 mL · kg −1 · d −1 (range, 4 to 160 mL · kg −1 · d −1 ; p = 0.003). Chest tubes were removed 8.5 days (range, 4 to 34 days) after TDL. There were 4 deaths (none attributed to TDL), 2 treatment failures (post-TDL chest tube drainage > 2 mL · kg −1 · d −1 > 14 days), and 2 recurrences (after initial chylothorax resolution and hospital discharge). Three patients had documented upper body venous thrombosis. Univariate analysis demonstrated thrombosis of upper body venous vessels ( p = 0.02) and prolonged post-TDL chest tube drainage ( p = 0.01) were risk factors for death, treatment failure, or chylothorax recurrence. Conclusions Thoracic duct ligation leads to a major reduction in chest tube drainage and prompt tube removal in most pediatric patients and should be considered early in refractory postoperative chylothorax. Patients with upper body venous thrombosis associated with chylothorax are at a high risk for failure of TDL and mortality.
Social Signaling and the Organization of Small-Scale Society: The Case of Contact-Era New Guinea

Small-scale society furnishes the bread and butter of archeological research. Yet our understanding of what these communities did and how they achieved their purpose is still rudimentary. Using the ethnography of contact-era New Guinea, this paper presents a “social signaling” model of small-scale social systems that archeologists may find useful for contextualizing and interpreting the material record of these societies. It proposes that the organization of small-scale society was oriented, among other goals, towards biological and social reproduction, subsistence optimization, and military defense. To advance these multiple collective interests, however, these communities had to deal with three problems: an optimality problem, a conflict-of-interest problem, and a free-rider problem. The optimality problem was solved with a modular (or segmented) social structure, the conflict-of-interest problem by a process of social signaling, and these two solutions together operated to resolve the free-rider problems they created. In addition to explaining the structure and function of small-scale societies, the model provides a unified framework that can account for the ceremonial behaviors, core cultural conceptions, and leadership forms that these societies generated.
An Integrated Health Monitoring Technique Using Structural Impedance Sensors

This paper presents an integrated methodology to detect and locate structural damage. Two different damage detection schemes are combined in this methodology, which involves utilizing the electromechanical coupling property of piezoelectric materials and tracking the changes in the frequency response function data, respectively. Physical changes in the structure cause changes in mechanical impedance. Due to the electromechanical coupling in piezoelectric materials, this change in structural mechanical impedance causes a change in the electrical impedance of the piezoelectric sensor. Hence, by monitoring the electrical impedance one can qualitatively determine when structural damage has occurred or is imminent. Based on the fact that damage produces local dynamic changes, this technique utilizes a high frequency structural excitation (typically greater than 30 kHz) through the surface-bonded piezoelectric sensor/actuators. As a second step, a newly developed model-based technique, using a wave propagation ...
Light in the sea: The optical world of elasmobranchs

The evolution of elasmobranchs, which dates to at least Devonian time, reveals the early development of many of the characteristics present in living forms, including well-developed eyes. Although elasmobranchs occurred in both fresh and marine waters, modern species are common in most marine environments and rare in freshwater habitats. Consideration of visual adaptation in elasmobranchs, therefore, for the most part requires information of photic conditions in the sea. The classical studies of submarine light, e.g., attenuation due to scattering and absorption and its effect on the underwater spectrum, are reviewed. Most of these studies emphasize the static properties of underwater light and ignore changes in the time domain. They serve as a basis nevertheless to explain how the high absorption and the scattering of light by water molecules and included particles cause objects to become optically degraded over short distances. As a result, target detection is only useful over intermediate optical paths—meters rather than km. Elasmobranchs inhabit such different photic conditions that no single species can be considered representative. Thus, many forms possess a tapetum to enhance sensitivity at low light levels, while species living at depth have blue-shifted visual pigments. Most species, however, inhabit the upper photic regions of the sea where solar light during daylight is above photopic thresholds. Many of these species possess cones, presumably to enhance daytime vision. Consequently, emphasis is on light in the surface waters and the ecological problems of “seeing” targets in what is best described as a “dynamic light field”.
Internal Nucleation of Highly Undercooled Magnesium Metasilicate Melts

Crystallization and vitrification in undercooled, fine magnesium silicate droplets, with compositions ranging from 34.5 ≤ wt% MgO ≤ 39.9, were examined following containerless drop tube processing. From an initial phase assemblage of a mixture of the metasilicate (MgSiO3) polymorphs orthoenstatite and clinoenstatite, three morphological powder types were observed following processing: unmelted shards, glass spheres, and melted/recrystallized spheres. The primary phase in the powders processed at a maximum temperature of ∼1650°C is the high-temperature metasilicate polymorph protoenstatite, with metastable forsterite (Mg2SiO4) also appearing. The melted/recrystallized spheres have the uniform, submicrometer texture of a glass ceramic, decisively different from the surface crystallization textures normally seen for melts/glasses of these compositions. Transmission electron microscopy results indicate that the glass-ceramic texture occurs because the process technique allows a liquid-phase immiscibility to precede crystallization. The phases and textures developed during containerless solidification processing of these metsilicate compositions are analyzed thermodynamically; the minimum amount of undercooling required for amorphous phase separation is evaluated using the metastable extensions of the forsterite + liquid and the silica-rich, twoliquid miscibility phase boundaries. The application of metastable phase diagram analysis is demonstrated as an effective guide for identifying potential compositions for development of novel glass-ceramics.
Effects of an ongoing epidemic on the annual influenza vaccination rate and vaccination timing among the Medicare elderly: 2000-2005.

Objectives. We assessed short-term responsiveness of influenza vaccine demand to variation in timing and severity of influenza epidemics since 2000. We tested the hypothesis that weekly influenza epidemic activity is associated with annual and daily influenza vaccine receipt.Methods. We conducted cross-sectional survival analyses from the 2000–2001 to 2004–2005 influenza seasons among community-dwelling elderly using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (unweighted n = 2280–2822 per season; weighted n = 7.7–9.7 million per season). The outcome variable was daily vaccine receipt. Covariates included the biweekly changes of epidemic and vaccine supply at 9 census-region levels.Results. In all 5 seasons, biweekly epidemic change was positively associated with overall annual vaccination (e.g., 2.7% increase in 2003–2004 season) as well as earlier vaccination timing (P < .01). For example, unvaccinated individuals were 5%–29% more likely to receive vaccination after a 100% biweekly epidemic increase.Conclus...
Ultrastructural localization of μ-opioid receptors in the superficial layers of the rat cervical spinal cord: Extrasynaptic localization and proximity to Leu5-enkephalin

Many of the analgesic effects of opiate drugs and of endogenous opioid ligands, such as Leu5-enkephalin (LE) are thought to be mediated in part by mu-opioid receptors (MOR) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. To establish the cellular sites for the spinally mediated analgesic effects of MOR activation and the potential anatomical substrates for interactions with LE, we examined the ultrastructural localization of MOR and LE immunoreactivities in the adult rat cervical spinal cord (C3-C5). Anti-MOR sera recognizing the carboxyl terminal domain of MOR was localized using immunoperoxidase and immunogold-silver methods. mu-opioid receptor-like immunoreactivity (MOR-LI) was observed mainly in the superficial layers of the dorsal horn. Electron microscopy of this region revealed that small unmyelinated axons and axon terminals constituted 48% (91/189) and 15% (28/189), respectively, while dendrites comprised 36% (68/189) of the total population of neuronal profiles containing the MOR. MOR-LI was localized mainly along extrasynaptic portions of the plasma membrane in both axons and dendrites. In sections dually labeled for MOR and LE, 21% (14/68) of the dendrites containing MOR-LI closely apposed or received synaptic contact from axon terminals exhibiting LE reaction product. The results provide the first ultrastructural evidence that within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, LE, as well as exogenous opiates may alter both axonal release of neurotransmitters and postsynaptic responsiveness of target neurons to afferent input through activation of extrasynaptic MOR.
Cyclic and Linear Polyamides from Polycondensations of Hexamethylenediamine and m-Xylylenediamine with Adipic, Isophthalic, and Terephthalic Acids

Cyclic and linear oligoamides were extracted with methanol in 0.1−0.9% yield from condensation polymers of hexamethylenediamine or m-xylylenediamine with mixtures of adipic, isophthalic, and terephthalic acids. The parent polymers and methanol extracts were analyzed using mass spectrometry, and the extracts, in which the smaller molecules were concentrated by a factor of about 200, were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Small cyclic oligoamides dominated all of the extract spectra. Cyclic monomers were observed with adipic acid but not with the aromatic acids. Cyclic dimers and trimers predominated and yields of higher cyclics decreased rapidly with increasing ring size, especially in the extracts. The degree of incorporation of the acids into small cyclics was adipic > isophthalic > terephthalic. NMR spectra of extracts from all polymers containing terephthalic and/or isophthalic acid units showed linear oligomers with benzoyl end groups, which presumably arose from thermal decarb...
Differential gene induction by genetic and ligand-mediated activation of the Sonic hedgehog pathway in neural stem cells

Sonic hedgehog (Shh), a secreted morphogen and mitogen, is essential for nervous system development and neural stem cell (NSC) self-renewal. As the intracellular signal transduction of Shh in NSCs is largely unknown, we sought to characterize pathway targets using ligand stimulation and genetic models of activation. NSCs haploinsufficient for Patched (Ptc), a receptor repressive to Shh signaling, showed enhanced proliferation of a magnitude similar to Shh-treated wild-type (Wt) NSCs. Analysis of the Gli zinc-finger transcription factors, primary mediators of Shh activity, demonstrated differential induction between models of pathway activation. Gli1 was significantly induced in Wt NSCs exposed to Shh, whereas Gli2 was elevated and Gli1 expression did not change in Ptc(+/-) NSCs. Other Shh targets (Nmyc, Id factors) were induced under both conditions of pathway activation. Interestingly, Shh-treated Ptc(+/-) NSCs induced expression of Gli1 but failed to increase proliferation, suggesting that the NSCs may have reached a physiologic plateau in proliferative capacity. Thus, our data demonstrate that Ptc(+/-) mice have an expanded progenitor cell niche in vivo and that NSCs maintain a cell-intrinsic increase in basal proliferation in vitro that is sustained by a Gli transduction signature distinct from that of exogenous Shh stimulation. Additionally, Ptc(+/-) NSCs maintain tight control over mitosis and do not further augment proliferation in the presence of mitogenic stimulation.
Schema advisor for hybrid relational-XML DBMS

In response to the widespread use of the XML format for document representation and message exchange, major database vendors support XML in terms of persistence, querying and indexing. Specifically, the recently released IBM DB2 9 (for Linux, Unix and Windows) is a hybrid data server with optimized management of both XML and relational data. With the new option of storing and querying XML in a relational DBMS, data architects face the the decision of what portion of their data to persist as XML and what portion as relational data. This problem has not been addressed yet and represents a serious need in the industry. Hence, this paper describes ReXSA, a schema advisor tool that is being prototyped for IBM DB2 9. ReXSA proposes candidate database schemas given an information model of the enterprise data. It has the advantage of considering qualitative properties of the information model such as reuse, evolution and performance profiles for deciding how to persist the data. Finally, we show the viability and practicality of ReXSA by applying it to custom and real usecases.
Spatial Autocovariances of Scattering Parameters Measured in a Lossy Reverberation Chamber

We derive a statistical model for the spatial autocovariance of two-port scattering parameters measured in a high-loss reverberation chamber for single-mode antennas. The theoretical model accounts for first-order antenna-antenna and antenna- environment interactions arising from scattering off the measurement antennas. The model is shown to provide a good description of the empirical spatial autocovariances calculated from measurements of scattering parameters in a reverberation chamber for different loading configurations. This provides new insight into the complex antenna-antenna and antenna-environment interactions that occur in reverberation chamber measurements. Additional applications include reducing the correlation between reverberation chamber measurements obtained with position stirring and measuring the orientation-averaged total scattering cross section of arbitrary structures.
A coupled piezoelectric-electromagnetic energy harvesting technique for achieving increased power output through damping matching

Vibration energy harvesting is being pursued as a means to power wireless sensors and ultra-low power autonomous devices. From a design standpoint, matching the electrical damping induced by the energy harvesting mechanism to the mechanical damping in the system is necessary for maximum efficiency. In this work two independent energy harvesting techniques are coupled to provide higher electrical damping within the system. Here the coupled energy harvesting device consists of a primary piezoelectric energy harvesting device to which an electromagnetic component is added to better match the total electrical damping to the mechanical damping in the system. The first coupled device has a resonance frequency of 21.6 Hz and generates a peak power output of ~332 µW, compared to 257 and 244 µW obtained from the optimized, stand-alone piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy harvesting devices, respectively, resulting in a 30% increase in power output. A theoretical model has been developed which closely agrees with the experimental results. A second coupled device, which utilizes the d33 piezoelectric mode, shows a 65% increase in power output in comparison to the corresponding stand-alone, single harvesting mode devices. This work illustrates the design considerations and limitations that one must consider to enhance device performance through the coupling of multiple harvesting mechanisms within a single energy harvesting device.
De la palabra a la acción: Oradores, editores, abogados y conspiradores en el virreinato del Perú, 1780-1808

This article analyzes the transformation of men of letters into political actors in the Viceroyalty of Peru in the years 1780-1808. It aims to contribute to the discussion on the rise of liberalism in the Spanish world. A key aspect in this process that has been insufficiently studied in the historiography on this topic was the emergence of new political actors during the first liberal era of the Cortes de Cadiz (1810-1814). This was not a sudden phenomenon, but the consequence of a long process of Bourbon reforms, during which the crown promoted the rise of a new kind of orators, writers, and lawyers. They were expected to reform the administration and modernize traditions. What the crown did not foresee was that these same individuals could rise to express their individual voices in public, criticize different forms of government, and imagine new social orders that would bring them to power.
X-ray focusing using microchannel plates

We present measurements of the X-ray focusing properties of square-pore microchannel plates (MCP's). Square-pore MCP's contain large numbers of closely packed optical surfaces, as required for grazing incidence X-ray optics. The surface of individual MCP channels has been measured and found to have high microroughness transverse to the channel axis and low microroughness parallel to the axis. The high frequency transverse roughness, on length scales greater than 400 nm, has a rms value of 5.9 nm and a Gaussian autocorrelation function with correlation length of 1.41 micron. We find that the geometric misalignments of the surfaces of different channels limit the angular resolution obtainable with current samples of MCP's to 7.1 arcmin.
High-speed decoding of BCH codes (Corresp.)

A general algorithm is derived for the calculation of the error location polynomial in decoding a Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenguem (BCH) code. A shorter decoding time is required by the algorithm for low-weight errors because only a subset of the syndrome equations are to be satisfied. The application of the general algorithm to Berlekamp's algorithm is also presented.
Noise produced by fluid inhomogeneities

In an actual engine system, one mechanism for production of hot spots is the burning of various fluid elements at various different mixture ratios. Variable mixture ratio means variable temperature, and this is the effect that has been studied insofar as a noise source is concerned. However, variable mixture ratio also implies variable molecular weight and heat capacity. The paper investigates whether either of these last two variations may be responsible for a significant noise source. The analysis is made within the context of one-dimensional unsteady flow as in the work of Candel (1972). A mixture of thermally perfect gases is assumed as the working fluid, and the fluid composition consists of species 1 and a small and variable mole fraction of species 2 which has different molecular weight and specific heats as compared with species 1. In the absence of changes in the ratio of specific heat (gamma), the entropy variations due to temperature and molecular weight variations are equivalent as a sound source. The portion of sound called 'gamma prime' noise is discussed.
Experimental measure of metal–alkynyl electronic structure interactions by photoelectron spectroscopy: (η5-C5H5)Ru(CO)2CCMe and [(η5-C5H5)Ru(CO)2]2(μ-CC)

Abstract The gas-phase He I and He II photoelectron spectra of the propynylruthenium molecule CpRu(CO)2C CMe (Cp = η5-C5H5) and the ethynediyldiruthenium molecule [CpRu(CO)2]2(μ-C C) are compared with the spectrum of CpRu(CO)2Cl to experimentally determine electronic structure interactions of the alkynyl ligands with the metal. The spectra indicate that the interaction between the filled metal-dπ and filled alkynyl-π orbitals dominates the metal-alkynyl π electronic structure, mirroring previously characterized CpFe(CO)2 alkynyls. All valence ionizations of the Ru molecules are stabilized with respect to similar Fe compounds, contrary to the common expectation of lower ionization energies with atomic substitution down a column of the periodic table. Ab initio electronic structure calculations suggest that this stabilization traces to the greater inherent electronic relaxation energy associated with removal of Fe 3d electrons compared to removal of Ru 4d electrons. Destabilization of the first two ionization bands of the diruthenium molecule are a result of filled–filled interactions between alkynyl π-bonds with the symmetric combination of metal–metal-dπ orbitals, showing electronic communication between the metals through the alkynyl bridge. From the photoelectron spectrum, this communication was calculated to have a minimum electron-transfer integral of 0.56 eV. The stabilization of the antisymmetric combination of the metal–metal-dπ orbitals gives a direct and unique experimental measure of the interaction with the alkynyl π∗ orbitals. The stabilization caused by the alkynyl π∗ orbitals was found to be approximately one-third of the destabilization caused by the filled–filled interaction with the alkynyl π-bonds and about one-fourth to one-third the stabilization provided by back-bonding to a carbonyl ligand.
Genetics of inflammatory bowel disease.

Summary:Genetic influence in the susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is suggested by racial, ethnic, and familial aggregation of disease. Increased concordance for IBD in monozygotic compared with dizygotic twins suggests that genetic rather than environmental factors are primarily re
Engineering futures: Female students, careers, and work/life balance

The purpose of this research project was to examine the content of engineering students imagined futures. We asked 347 students from a large undergraduate engineering program to list ten salient events they imagined in their future, as well as to list the ages at which they wanted to realize those milestones. We also surveyed them about their learning strategies and motivation for engineering coursework. We developed a coding procedure to examine the types of events participants in the sample reported, and utilized a number of statistical techniques to examine the relationship between event type and classroom motivation and learning strategies, as well as to compare differences in event type between males and females. Our correlational results suggested that students who listed more professional engineering events were more likely to self-report adaptive learning strategies and motivation for their coursework. Further exploration of the data uncovered that women were more focused on short term academic events than males, and that their long term vision of the future was split between domestic events and professional events, which may have decreased how far their events extend into the future.
Viscosity of eutectic calcia-alumina melts

Abstract Viscosities are estimated for a 46.5wt.%CaO-53.5wt.%Al 2 O 3 composition melt. The Hagen-Poiseuille law is employed to extract viscosity information from two types of inviscid melt-spinning experiments. Calculated viscosities range from 0.31 to 3.2 poise over a temperature range of 1370–1510 °C. Results are compared to literature values for a melt of similar composition.
CMAS: a rich media annotation system for medical imaging

We have developed the CMAS system (Collaborative Medical Annotation System) so that medical professionals will be able to easily annotate digital medical records that contain medical imaging or procedure videos. The CMAS system enables a non-technical person to annotate a medical image or video with their recorded presence. The CMAS system displays medical images via a projector onto a screen; when a doctor (or patient) physically walks in front of this screen with the medical image and gives his/her opinion while gesturing at the image, the CMAS system intuitively captures this interaction by creating a video annotation with HP's Active Shadows technology. The CMAS system automatically transforms physical interactions, ranging from a laser pointer spot to a doctor's physical presence, into video annotation that then can be overlaid on top of the medical image or seamlessly inserted into the procedure video. Annotated in such a manner, the medical record retains the historical development of the diagnostic medical opinion, explained through presence of doctors and their respective annotations. The CMAS system structures the annotation of digital medical records such that image/video annotations from multiple sources, at different times, and from different locations can be maintained within a historical context and be consistently referenced among multiple annotations.
A three-dimensional Macroporous Cu/SnO2 composite anode sheet prepared via a novel method

Abstract A three-dimensional macroporous Cu/SnO2 composite anode sheet for lithium ion batteries was prepared via a novel method that is based on selective reduction of metal oxides at appropriate temperatures. SnO2 particles were imbedded on the Cu particles within the three-dimensionally interconnected Cu substrate, and the whole composite sheet was used directly as an electrode without adding extra conductive carbons and binders. Compared with the SnO2-based electrode prepared via the conventional tape-casting method on Cu foil, the porous Cu/SnO2 composite electrode shows significantly improved battery performance. This methodology produces limited wastes and is also adaptable to many other materials. It is a promising approach to make macroporous electrode for Li-ion batteries.
Making Inferences: Comprehension of Physical Causality, Intentionality, and Emotions in Discourse by High-Functioning Older Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Autism

Studies investigating inferential reasoning in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have focused on the ability to make socially-related inferences or inferences more generally. Important variables for intervention planning such as whether inferences depend on physical experiences or the nature of social information have received less consideration. A measure of bridging inferences of physical causation, mental states, and emotional states was administered to older children, adolescents, and adults with and without ASD. The ASD group had more difficulty making inferences, particularly related to emotional understanding. Results suggest that individuals with ASD may not have the stored experiential knowledge that specific inferences depend upon or have difficulties accessing relevant experiences due to linguistic limitations. Further research is needed to tease these elements apart.
Google critique: An application of depoliticization theory

Abstract This paper is a critique of Google as a democratic technology. The purpose of this effort is to contribute to the discussion of Google's political and ethical essence by providing a case of applied discourse via a technology framework. The theory applied in this critique is depoliticization. The definitions of depoliticization, democracy, citizenship, and political judgment are given, along with a summary of the theory and credit to a protagonist in relation to emerging information and communication technologies. The argument is made that Google, as an object, means, and setting, is depoliticizing, thereby negatively affecting democracy.
Timing of parturition and postpartum mating in norway rats: Interaction of an interval timer and a circadian gate

Two temporal variables have been implicated in the timing of postpartum heat in Norway rats: time of day and time since parturition. The nature of the interaction between these variables is not clearly understood. We extend previous observations on this problem to freely behaving animals continuously videotaped during parturition and postpartum mating in a seminatural habitat. The timing of postpartum mating is best described by a model in which an interval timer is coupled to a circadian gating mechanism. Interactions between circadian and interval timing mechanisms may be widespread in the neuroendocrine control of behavior.
The role of goal categories in person impression

Abstract After being primed by family terms, or by socially neutral terms, female subjects were provided with characteristics of several women. The characteristics described a target woman in a mother/wife role or in a career woman role and were related to goals, or to means-to-goals typical for these roles. In two studies it appeared that charccteristics with goals, as opposed to means-to-goals information resulted in a better memory for the input (Study 1) and in more elaborated and confident impressions (Study 2). This finding was strongest when there was a congruence between the priming and the characteristics, i.e., when family priming was followed by the family relevant characteristics. The data supported the hypothesis that mental representations structuring the formation of impressions in natural contexts have an action-oriented character, with actor's goal categories as the dominant elements.
Using collaborative queries to improve retrieval for difficult topics

We describe a preliminary analysis of queries created by 81 users for 4 topics from the TREC Robust Track. Our goal was to explore the potential benefits of using queries created by multiple users on retrieval performance for difficult topics. We first examine the overlap in users' queries and the overlap in results with respect to different queries for the same topic. We then explore the potential benefits of combining users' queries in various ways. Our results provide some evidence that having access to multiple users' queries can improve retrieval for individual searchers and for difficult topics.
Angular Aberrations in Sector Shaped Electromagnetic Lenses for Focusing Beams of Charged Particles

The general expression for the second-order angular aberration of sector shaped electromagnetic lenses consisting of superimposed uniform magnetic and radial electric fields used for the plane focusing of diverging beams of charged particles is derived. The result is applied to the special cases of pure magnetic and pure electric field lenses. The ion optics of a mass spectrometer employing sector electric and magnetic lenses in tandem and which has first-order velocity focusing and second-order angular focusing is obtained.
Nitroglycerin is superior to diltiazem as a coronary bypass conduit vasodilator

Abstract Background: Recent reports of improved radial artery patency have been attributed, in part, to routine use of diltiazem to prevent vasospasm. However, diltiazem is costly, and its use may be associated with negative inotropic and chronotropic side effects. This study compares the vasodilatory properties of diltiazem to those of nitroglycerin. Methods: In vitro, with the use of organ chambers, the vasodilatory properties of diltiazem and nitroglycerin were compared in matched segments of radial artery, internal thoracic artery, and saphenous vein that were harvested from the same patients (n = 11). The vasodilatory response of the radial artery to intravenous diltiazem or nitroglycerin was compared in vivo (n = 10) with the use of ultrasonographic measurements of radial artery diameter. Results: The maximum relaxation of radial artery (100% ± 4%), internal thoracic artery (96% ± 4%), and saphenous vein (100% ± 3%) to nitroglycerin were significantly greater than the response to diltiazem (33% ± 6%, 22% ± 7%, and 34% ± 5%, respectively; P P = .046), whereas diltiazem (1 μmol/L) did not (median effective concentration, 3.7 ± 0.8 nmol/L; P = .64). In vivo, nitroglycerin increased radial artery diameter 22% ± 3%, which was significantly greater than diltiazem (3% ± 0.5%; P = .001). Conclusion: Nitroglycerin is a superior conduit vasodilator and is more effective in preventing graft spasm than diltiazem. Nitroglycerin should be strongly considered as the drug of choice to prevent conduit spasm after coronary bypass grafting. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:906-11)
Rapid red cell transfusion by Apheresis

Packed red cells (RBC) are customarily infused slowly to allow time for re-equilibration of intravascular volume, but they may be given rapidly for convenience during hemodialysis or partial RBC exchange when blood volume can be adjusted extracorporeally. We describe an apheresis procedure for rapid transfusion of RBC to patients with chronic anemia in which an equivalent volume of recipient plasma is withdrawn as donor RBC are infused. Fifteen such procedures, transfusing 3 to 5 RBC units each, have been performed on nine patients (4 of them outpatients) with either COBE Spectra or COBE 2997. Mean +/- SD procedure duration was 1.79 +/- .44 hr; patient hemoglobin rose from 7.3 +/- 1.5 to 12.0 +/- 1.5 g/dl. Comparison to conventional transfusion was possible for nine procedures on six patients in which rapid transfusion required .52 +/- .12 vs. 2.70 +/- .37 hr per unit (P < .001) and raised hemoglobin by 1.22 +/- .30 vs .88 +/- .34 g/dl per unit (P < .02). Pink plasma noted during one procedure was attributable to infusion of an older AS-1 unit with extensive storage hemolysis. Rapid transfusion was subjectively well tolerated. Immediate post-procedure systolic blood pressures did not differ significantly from baseline, although one hypertensive patient had headache followed by increased blood pressure 4 hours after a procedure. We conclude that rapid transfusion of RBC is a technically feasible and more time efficient means for RBC transfusion. It is particularly attractive in the outpatient setting, and could also prevent fluid overload associated with RBC transfusion in some volume-sensitive patients.
Flexible Ureteroscopy and Laser Lithotripsy for Multiple Unilateral Intrarenal Stones

Abstract Background External shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL) have been the standard of care for the treatment of intrarenal calculi. Objective We sought to determine the safety and efficacy of flexible ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy for the treatment of multiple intrarenal calculi and further stratify the efficacy by stone burden less than and greater than 20mm. Design, setting, and participants Patients with multiple unilateral renal calculi treated between 2000 and 2006 at a single tertiary academic center were retrospectively evaluated. Intervention All patients underwent retrograde flexible ureteroscopy and holmium laser lithotripsy. Measurements Stone-free status was determined by ureteroscopy 15 d after the last procedure and was defined as the absence of stones in the kidney or residual fragments Results and Limitations Fifty-one patients were identified for a total of 161 intrarenal calculi with a mean stone size per patient of 6.6±3mm (range: 2–15). The mean number of stones per patient was 3.1±1 (range: 2–6). The mean number of primary procedures was 1.4±0.6 (range: 1–3). The overall stone-free rates after one and two procedures were 64.7% and 92.2%, respectively. The stone-free rates for patients with a stone burden greater than and less than 20mm were 85.1% and 100%, respectively. The overall complication rate was 13.6%; 97.6% of cases were performed as outpatient procedures. There are some limitations to this study, however: This is a retrospective review from a single institution, and our results are based on a relatively small sample size. Conclusions For select patients with multiple intrarenal calculi, flexible ureteroscopy with holmium laser lithotripsy may represent an alternative therapy to ESWL or PNL, with acceptable efficacy and low morbidity.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis: A Review and Update

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) remains a significant complication of diabetes in both the United States and around the world. Diabetic ketoacidosis remains a significant complication of diabetes in both the United States and worldwide with its associated high rates of hospital admissions. Therefore, it becomes vital that the healthcare professional be able to manage the hyperglycemic crises associated with diabetes. Moreover, with increasing healthcare costs and a changing healthcare system, prevention of diabetic ketoacidosis remains essential. Though management of diabetic ketoacidosis has followed a set algorithm for many years, there are exciting management alternatives on the horizon such as subcutaneous insulin administration for uncomplicated DKA patients. By understanding DKA, including its pathogenesis, presentation, treatment, and prevention, admissions may be decreased and length of stay shortened.
Efficient filtering with sketches in the ferret toolkit

Ferret is a toolkit for building content-based similarity search systems for feature-rich data types such as audio, video, and digital photos.The key component of this toolkit is a content-based similarity search engine for generic, multi-feature object representations. This paper describes the filtering mechanism used in the Ferret toolkit and experimental results with several datasets. The filtering mechanism uses approximation algorithms to generate a candidate set, and then ranks the objects in the candidate set with a more sophisticated multi-feature distance measure. The paper compared two filtering methods: using segment feature vectors and sketches constructed from segment feature vectors. Our experimental results show that filtering can substantially speedup the search process and reduce memory requirement while maintaining good search quality. To help systems designers choose the filtering parameters, we have developed a rank-based analytical model for the filtering algorithm using sketches. Our experiments show that the model gives conservative and good prediction for different datasets.
A new metastable phase in dilute, hot-rolled Mg–Nd alloys

Abstract The addition of rare earth (RE) elements to Mg alloys can result in weaker hot deformation and recrystallization textures than those present in conventional Mg alloys. Recent studies of hot-rolled Mg–Nd binary alloys suggest that the texture weakening is influenced by the presence of second-phase particles. In this follow-up study, these particles are characterized morphologically, chemically, and crystallographically using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The particles were observed to have a faceted morphology, particularly in the richer concentrations investigated, a composition of approximately 25 at.% Nd (a stoichiometry of Mg3Nd) and an ordered cubic crystal structure (m3m point group) with a lattice parameter of approximately a ≈ 10.9 A, which is distinct from that of the equilibrium Mg3Nd phase.
Power signal processing: a new perspective for power analysis and optimization

To address the productivity bottlenecks in power analysis and optimization of modern systems, we propose to treat power as a signal and leverage the rich set of signal processing techniques. We first investigate the power signal properties of digital systems and analyze their limitations. We then study signal processing techniques to detect temporal and structural correlations of power signals. Finally, we employ these techniques to accelerate the simulation of an architecture-level power simulator. Our experiments with the SPEC2000 benchmark suite show that it is possible to accelerate power simulation by 100X without introducing significant errors at various resolution levels.
Sample support requirements for nonlinear adaptive beamforming

In theory, nonlinear adaptive beamforming techniques which form an extended virtual array from a sparsely populated physical array offer significantly enhanced adaptive degrees of freedom towards mitigating environmental interference as opposed to conventional linear beamformers. A neglected practical issue however, central to the implementation of nonlinear beamformers in radar, is an accurate determination of the data support necessary for computing the adaptive weights and the adapted array output. This paper investigates the data support requirements for a new nonlinear beamformer operating on the streaming output of a multichannel array. The array exists within a quasi-stationary or slowly varying environment where more interference sources are present than array elements.
Effect of a soluble ionic polymer on the separation of anions by capillary electrophoresis

A silica capillary for CE analysis of anions can be conditioned with NaOH, rinsed with water, coated with a cationic polymer, and equilibrated with the background electrolyte in only 2 min for each of the four steps. The coated surface has a positive charge that gives a substantial anodic electroosmotic flow (EOF) over the range of pH 2.5-12.0. The migration times of sample anions and a neutral marker (used for EOF calculations) are generally reproducible to an RSD of 1% or better, both for successive runs on a single capillary and from capillary to capillary. It was shown that the type of buffer used affects the EOF of a coated capillary. A concentration of 100 mM or higher sodium chloride minimizes differences in EOF with different buffers and also gives sharper peaks for sample anions.
Organochlorine compounds in bed sediment and fish tissue in the South Platte River Basin, USA, 1992-1993

Bed-sediment and fish-tissue samples were collected in the South Platte River Basin to determine the occurrence and distribution of organochlorine compounds in the basin. During August–November 1992 and August 1993, bed sediment (23 sites) and fish tissue (subset of 19 sites) were sampled and analyzed for 32 organochlorine compounds in bed sediment and 27 compounds in fish tissue. More types of organochlorine compounds were detected in fish tissue than in bed sediment. Total DDT, p,p′-DDE, o,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, total PCB, Dacthal®, dieldrin, cis-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, and p,p′-DDT were detected in fish tissue at >25% of the sites; p,p′-DDE, total DDT, cis-chlordane, and trans-chlordane were detected in bed sediment at >25% of the sites. Organochlorine concentrations in bed sediment and fish tissue were related to land-use settings. Few organochlorine compounds were detected at minimally impacted sites located in rangeland, forest, and built-up land-use settings. Chlordane-related compounds and p,p′-methoxychlor in bed sediment and fish tissue, endrin in fish tissue, and endosulfan I in bed sediment were associated with urban and mixed (urban and agricultural) sites. Dacthal® in bed sediment and fish tissue was associated with agricultural sites. The compounds HCB, γ-HCH, PCA, and toxaphene were detected only at mixed land-use sites. Although DDT and DDT-metabolites, dieldrin, and total PCB were detected in urban, mixed, and agricultural land-use settings, highest mean concentrations were detected at mixed land-use sites. Mixed land-use sites had the greatest number of organochlorine compounds detected in fish tissue, whereas urban and mixed sites had the greatest number of organochlorine compounds detected in bed sediment. Measuring concentrations of organochlorine compounds in bed sediment and fish tissue at the same site offers a more complete picture of the persistence of organochlorine compounds in the environment and their relation to land-use settings.
Gold Nanoclusters Entrapped in the α-Cages of Y Zeolites: Structural Characterization by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Au(CH3)2(C5H7O2) was used as a precursor to synthesize mononuclear gold complexes in faujasites, NaY zeolite, and dealuminated Y zeolite. Treatment of these supported complexes in flowing helium as the temperature was increased led to the gradual reduction of the gold and formation of gold nanoclusters in each zeolite, which were characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. After treatment at the highest temperature, 573 K, the average diameters of the gold clusters were approximately 10 and 8 A in NaY zeolite and dealuminated Y zeolite, respectively; these clusters are smaller than the diameters of the α-cages of the zeolite. The results indicate that the supported clusters were trapped within these cages and that the cages limited their sizes; in contrast, clusters formed similarly on the surfaces of metal oxides are significantly larger than those formed in the zeolites.
A change management toolkit originated from China

Among all management toolkits originated from China, I Ching may be the least known one to the Western world, due to its polar opposite to conventional Western management philosophy and methodology. Based on analysing the working mechanism and its functionality in providing an unbounded ‘result-process-advice’ set for dealing with uncertainty, this paper focuses on the linkage of the I Ching idea and modern management philosophy and tactics. It examines the differences and similarities of the two ways in areas such as theory, method, perspective on change, solution formulation and tactics deployment. It argues that the both toolkits are useful in dealing with changes. While going with the Western routine, having some ideas outside the causal link enables managers to better prepare for uncertainty. While going with the I Ching routine, having a causal link to fill the vagueness of different unrelated situations will make more sense.
Firm-Specific Risk and Equity Market Development

We examine the increase in firm-specific risk in the U.S. stock market which has been documented by prior research. We show that the observed increase is due solely to new listings by riskier companies. In addition, our results explain why prior researchers have found that growth opportunities, profit margin, firm size, and industry composition (among other factors) are related to increases in firm-specific risk. The new listing effect is not driven by small companies becoming riskier but instead by a riskier sub-sample of the economy becoming publicly traded. These results are consistent with prior research that documents time trends in financial market development.
Surface disposal of produced waters in western and southwestern Pennsylvania: potential for accumulation of alkali-earth elements in sediments

Abstract Waters co-produced with hydrocarbons in the Appalachian Basin are of notably poor quality (concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS) and total radium up to and exceeding 300,000 mg/L and 10,000 pCi/L, respectively). Since 2008, a rapid increase in Marcellus Shale gas production has led to a commensurate rise in associated wastewater while generation of produced water from conventional oil and gas activities has continued. In this study, we assess whether disposal practices from treatment of produced waters from both shale gas and conventional operations in Pennsylvania could result in the accumulation of associated alkali earth elements. The results from our 5 study sites indicate that there was no increase in concentrations of total Ra (Ra-226) and extractable Ba, Ca, Na, or Sr in fluvial sediments downstream of the discharge outfalls (p > 0.05) of publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) and centralized waste treatment facilities (CWTs). However, the use of road spreading of brines from conventional oil and gas wells for deicing resulted in accumulation of Ra-226 (1.2 ×), and extractable Sr (3.0 ×), Ca (5.3 ×), and Na (6.2 ×) in soil and sediment proximal to roads (p