cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Age on Quality of Life Outcome in Women Following a Tension-Free Vaginal Tape Procedure

ABSTRACTPurpose: Tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) has been introduced and demonstrated to be an effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Improved general health in the elderly population has led to a greater number of patients seeking surgical treatment for incontinence. We evaluated the impact of TVT on quality of life in elderly patients, defined as age 70 and older.Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 67 patients with genuine stress incontinence differentiated by age into 2 groups, namely 21 who were 70 years and older, and a control group of 46 younger than 70 years, with a validated questionnaire. We assessed quality of life changes following TVT for incontinence treatment.Results: At the most recent followup quality of life scores improved significantly in the 2 groups (p <0.05). Stress incontinence improved significantly in the 2 groups (p <0.05).Conclusions: TVT is effective in each group. It is a viable treatment option to improve quality of life in older women with stress...
Separation of orthophosphoric, phosphorous and hypophosphorous acids using single-column ion chromatography with conductivity detection

Dosage de concentrations de l'ordre du ppm en presence de composes polyorganophosphores, en utilisant l'acide succinique comme eluant
An improved version of the out-of-kilter method and a comparative study of computer codes

The primary objectives of this paper are: (1) to present an improved formulation of the out-of-kilter algorithm; (2) to give the results of an extensive computational comparison of a code based on this formulation with three widely-used out-of-kilter production codes; (3) to study the possible sensitivity of these programs to the type of problem being solved; and (4) to investigate the effect of advanced dual start procedures on overall solution time.
Development of foraging behaviour in the Eurasian dipper, Cinclus cinclus, from fledging until dispersal

. The acquisition of foraging behaviour patterns by young birds has not been thoroughly described. Furthermore, the study of the developmental and maturational processes underlying such acquisition is in its infancy, despite the consequences these processes might have for the survival, life-history patterns, and behaviour of both juveniles and adults. Acquisition of foraging behaviour by juvenile Eurasian dippers from fledging to dispersal was studied at a site in central Wales. Dippers are passerines associated with upland rivers and streams in which they forage for benthic macroinvertebrates and small fish. Juvenile foraging differed from that of adults on nearly every measure taken, and most differences persisted after independence. Juveniles foraged at different water speeds and depths than adults (e.g. juveniles did not dive) and, unlike adults, frequently dropped prey and stumbled while foraging. Even in foraging areas preferred by juveniles, capture rates of larger prey were low despite improvement with age. Juveniles specialized on simulid (blackfly) larvae, which are small, stationary and accessible. Handling times for larger prey were longer for juveniles than adults but profitability nevertheless increased with prey size at all ages. The high probability of dropping larger prey and the costs of energetically expensive foraging techniques may promote the observed juvenile strategy of foraging in slow, shallow water for small prey. Possible ecological and developmental variables that promote the juvenile strategy are discussed.
Factors that distort the heme structure in Heme-Nitric Oxide/OXygen-Binding (H-NOX) protein domains. A theoretical study.

DFT and dispersion-corrected DFT calculations were carried out to probe the factors that distort the heme structure in Heme-Nitric oxide/OXygen-binding (H-NOX) protein domains. Various model systems that include heme, heme + surrounding residues, and heme + surrounding residues + additional protein environment were examined; the latter system was calculated with a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) method. The computations were extended to a myoglobin (Mb) protein, in which the heme structure is quite planar, in contrast to that in H-NOX. The natural tendency of the heme is to be planar. The strong structural distortion in H-NOX is mainly brought about by the intermolecular interactions between the whole heme molecule (heme ring plus its peripheral substituents) and the surrounding residues, among which the polar residues (Tyr140, Pro115, Mse98) play major roles in distorting the heme structure. The two peripheral propionate substituents that are oriented on the same side of the heme plane can also make the molecule distort, but the distortion caused by this factor is not significant. In Mb, the surrounding residues considered are all nonpolar and do not cause a structural distortion. The different structural features of the heme macrocycle in the different proteins (H-NOX and Mb) are reproduced by the calculations. The dispersion correction is necessary, since it improves the calculated structures. The effects of the distortion on the binding affinity of the axial ligand to the heme were also examined.
Adrenocortical carcinoma in man; the effect of amphenone on individual ketosteroids.

Five patients with adrenocortical carcinoma were studied with respect to the production of various individual 17-ketosteroids during control periods and during treatment with amphenone (3,3-bis(p-aminophenyl)butanone-2). In all instances the drug caused a decrease in some or all of the steroid hormonemetabolites. A detailed discussion of each major component of the 17-ketosteroids leads to the conclusion that amphenone invariably lowers the production of hydrocortisone but exerts a variable influence upon other components of adrenal secretion. The results support the conclusion that the biosynthesis of adrenocortical hormones can be differentially altered, even in a neoplastic tissue.
Spatially correlated anomalous 40Ar/39Ar “age” variations in biotites about a lithologic contact near Simplon Pass, Switzerland: a mechanistic explanation for excess Ar

Forty-four biotite samples collected about a lithologic contact between pelite and amphibolite were analyzed for 40Ar/39Ar and demonstrate the importance of bulk Ar diffusivity and system geometry—factors not usually considered in the interpretation and collection of 40Ar/39Ar age data. The resulting 40Ar/39Ar apparent ages range from 11.30 ± 0.05 Ma to 17.90 ± 0.10 Ma. The ages (and excess argon contents) are spatially and lithologically correlated. The pelite samples all yield ages clustering around ∼12 Ma, the age expected for cooling through biotite closure (∼360°C) in this region of the Alps. Ages in the amphibolite biotites are older, showing a smooth trend between 15 Ma at the contact with the pelite to 18 Ma, 34 cm from the contact. This data shows that characterization of the Ar closure age for biotite in a given system should not rest on a single sample, as otherwise irresolvable differences in age between samples within the same outcrop can exist. A generalized mechanistic model for excess argon is presented. The presence (or absence) of excess Ar depends on an intrinsic system parameter, τT, the transmissive timescale, which is the characteristic time for 40Ar to escape through the local intergranular transporting medium (ITM) to some sink for argon. To prevent buildup of geochronologically significant excess 40Ar, τT must be very short relative to the true closure age of the mineral. A FORTRAN code including radiogenic Ar production, diffusive loss of Ar from biotite, and bulk Ar diffusion through the ITM has been developed. Application of numerical modeling suggests that the time-averaged effective bulk diffusivity, DeffAr, in the biotite-amphibolite rock during early retrograde cooling is 2.2 ± 1.0 × 10−8 m2/yr (assuming steady state conditions) - the first such measurement available. Numerical modeling also provides information about the transmissivity and geologic history specific to the field site, including a drop in DeffAr at 15.5 ± 1.0 Ma. The timing of this drop is related to coincident rheological changes and the onset of rapid exhumation of the nappe stack.
Tracer Gas Mapping of a Beverage Cart Wake in a Twin Aisle Aircraft Cabin

An experimental study is performed in a mockup Boeing 767 cabin section consisting of eleven rows with seven seats per row. Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ) tracer gas is injected at a constant flow rate at a location of interest until concentrations in the cabin reach steady state. Ventilation equipment and flow rates representative of an actual aircraft are used for all experiments. Seats in the mockup are occupied by thermal manikins to simulate passenger heat load. A motorized beverage cart traverses the length of the cabin aisle passing by the injection location. The concentrations of tracer gas displaced by the cart are measured at locations throughout the cabin. Comparing these measurements to baseline readings taken with no cart movement, a map of the degree to which contaminant transport is affected by the beverage cart is calculated. The cabin mockup is supplied by 100% outdoor air through actual Boeing supply ductwork and linear diffusers along the cabin length above the aisles. The CO2 level is measured in the inlet air, measurement locations in the cabin, and exhaust air using nondispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors. Measured results are reported for all (54) seat locations downstream of the cart traverse/injection location for an injection location near the rear of the cabin. Analogous measurements are also conducted examining the effect of variation in cart speed and modified injection location.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Time scales of erosion and deposition recorded in the residual south polar cap of Mars

Abstract The residual south polar cap (RSPC) of Mars has been subject to competing processes during recent Mars years of high resolution image coverage: continuing erosion of scarps while the maximum extent grows as well as shrinks (Piqueux, S., Christensen, P.R. [2008]. J. Geophys. Res. (Planets) 113, 2006; James, P.B., Thomas, P.C., Malin, M.C. [2010]. Icarus 208, 82–85). Additionally, the cap has a variety of morphologies and erosion (scarp retreat) rates (Thomas, P.C., James, P.B., Calvin, W.M., Haberle, R., Malin, M.C. [2009]. Icarus 203, 352–375). Do these different forms and competing processes indicate an aging and possibly disappearing cap, a growing cap, or a fluctuating cap, and is it possible to infer the timescales of the processes acting on the RSPC? Here we use the latest imaging data from Mars’ southern summer in Mars year 30 (Calendar year 2011) to evaluate erosion rates of forms in the RSPC over 6 Mars years, and to map more fully features whose sizes can be used to predict deposit ages. Data through Mars year 30 show that scarp retreat rates in the RSPC have remained approximately the same for at least 6 Mars years and that these rates of erosion also apply approximately over the past 21 Mars years. The thicker units appear to have undergone changes in the locations of new pit formation about 30–50 Mars years ago. The thinner units have some areas that are possibly 80 Mars years old, with some younger materials having accumulated more than a meter in thickness since Mars year 9. Formation of the thicker units probably required over 100 Mars years. The upper surfaces of most areas, especially the thicker units, show little change at the few-cm level over the last 2 Mars years. This observation suggests that current conditions are substantially different from those when the thicker units were deposited. A prime characteristic of the evolution of the RSPC is that some changes are progressive, such as those involving scarp retreat, while others, such as the geography of initiation of new pits or the areal coverage of ice, appear to be more episodic.
A computationally efficient approach to 3D point cloud reconstruction

This paper addresses improving the computational efficiency of the 3D point cloud reconstruction pipeline using uncalibrated image sequences. In existing pipelines, the bundle adjustment is carried out globally, which is quite time consuming since the computational complexity keeps growing as the number of image frames is increased. Furthermore, a searching and sorting algorithm needs to be used in order to store feature points and 3D locations. In order to reduce the computational complexity of the 3D point cloud reconstruction pipeline, a local refinement approach is introduced in this paper. The results obtained indicate that the introduced local refinement improves the computational efficiency as compared to the global bundle adjustment.
Classical Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes: A Comparative Genomics Perspective

We have curated a reference set of cancer-related genes and reanalyzed their sequences in the light of molecular information and resources that have become available since they were first cloned. Homology studies were carried out for human oncogenes and tumor suppressors, compared with the complete proteome of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, and partial proteomes of mouse and rat and the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Our results demonstrate that simple, semi-automated bioinformatics approaches to identifying putative functionally equivalent gene products in different organisms may often be misleading. An electronic supplement to this article1 provides an integrated view of our comparative genomics analysis as well as mapping data, physical cDNA resources and links to published literature and reviews, thus creating a “window” into the genomes of humans and other organisms for cancer biology.
Mathematical cosmography and the social ideology of British cartography, 1780–1820

The later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries constitute a period of profound significance for the history of modern Western cartography. New topographical surveys for the state, the burgeoning literacy of urban populations, and the increased demand for cartography resulting from agricultural improvements and the industrial revolution, combined with the introduction of lithography, allowed modern cartography's cultural image to be firmly established. From this period dates the widespread acceptance that cartography is an empirical, objective, and unproblematic science concerned only with the presentation of geographic information. Brian Harley referred to this cultural image as the illusion of cartographic mimesis; Denis Wood and John Fels call it the cartographic myth.' This paper explores the eighteenth-century definition of cartography as an intellectual activity, a definition which underlies the map's modern cultural image. I begin with the manner in which Enlightenment scholars positioned the map at the heart of 'mathematical cosmography', the broad conceptual fusion of astronomy, geography, and their point of contact, cartography.2 (I accordingly use 'mathematical cosmography' to refer to all mapmaking activities in their broadest intellectual construction.) Indeed, this positioning reflected the more general location of the map and the mapmaking process (singularly conceived) as tropes of knowledge and knowledge-production. I then turn to the case of Britain in the decades on either side of 1800 to show how this ideal intellectual construction of cartography depended on, and was shaped by, the system of state patronage within which mapmakers worked. Cartography's image as an intellectually coherent discipline was thus an illusion created by the period's social ideology.
Comparative efficacy of DMP 840 against mouse and human solid tumor models

Background DMP 840 is a compound from a class of bis-naphthalimide antitumor agents that recently completed Phase I clinical trials at three North American centers and is currently undergoing Phase II testing. Preclinically, it was shown to have curative activity against a variety of human tumor xenograft models.
Optical cells with partially reflecting windows as nonlinear absorbance amplifiers

An etalon, where the dielectric spacer is a weakly absorbing solution, forms a nonlinear absorbance amplifier. The observed net absorbance is equal to -log (10/sup -3A/4/(1 -R/sub w/)/(1 - 10/sup -A/2/R/sub w/)) where R/sub w/ is the reflectance of the windows and A is the absorbance of the same solution in a conventional cell. Reasonable agreement between theory and experiment is observed for a coherent source. For conventional sources, the observed amplification factor is much higher due to beam divergence, multipath effect, and multiple beam interference.
Specific expression of homoeobox-containing genes during induced differentiation of embryonal carcinoma cells.

Abstract A teratocarcinoma stem cell line, P19S1801A1, differentiates after induction with drugs (retinoic acid or dimethyl sulfoxide) in aggregate cultures as outgrowths in vitro . We have used this model of murine embryonic differentiation to show that several homoeobox-containing genes are newly activated while others remain active throughout. Transcripts of 1.5, 1.7, 1.8, 3.9, and 5.0 kb were detected using two different DNA probes. Some of these transcripts were stage-specific but not cell-type specific. Affinity-purified antibodies to a synthetic peptide also showed the appearance of nuclear antigen in the embryonal carcinoma stem cells and in differentiated cell types in heterogeneous patterns. This study illustrates the usefulness of teratocarcinoma model systems to analyze homoeobox gene activation during embryonic development and differentiation.
Basics and guidelines of complementary filters for small UAS navigation

Orientation estimation is very important for development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Kalman filters are widely used; however they assume linearity and Gaussian statistics. While these assumptions work well for high-quality, high-cost sensors, they do not work as well for low-cost, low-quality sensors. In these cases, complementary filters are used since no assumptions are made with regards to linearity and statistics. This paper gives a review of the different types of complementary filters being developed. Basic examples are shown with details about how they are derived and simulations that show how they work. Guidelines are then given about when complementary filters are best used for UAS navigation.
Load current representation of a D-C machine

FOR SOME TIME the interpole winding on d-c machines has been used to provide a signal for control circuits. The voltage drop across the interpole winding resistance can be used as a practical indication of large values of load current. However, for machine operation producing rapid changes in load current, the voltage across the interpole winding fails to remain proportional to load current. The purpose of this article is to present a system that will represent the load current for transient as well as for steady-state operation.
Dynamic Frequency Shifts in Photonic Structures

We develop a simple systems-theory approach to study the dynamic frequency shift occurring in linear photonic structures. This method can be applied to study a broad range of integrated photonic structures.
Corn stover removal impacts on micro-scale soil physical properties.

Crop residues are a potential source for biofuel production. Yet, impacts of removal of corn (Zea mays L.) stover and other residues as biofuel feedstocks on micro-scale soil properties affecting the behavior of the whole soil are not well understood. Data on both macro- and micro-scale soil properties under different scenarios of stover management are needed to define the threshold levels of stover removal. Previous studies on stover removal impacts on soil properties have primarily focused on macroscale properties and little or not on microscale properties. Thus, this study was designed to assess impacts of annual stover removal for 3 consecutive years at rates of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% on soil physical properties at the aggregate level under no-tillage (NT) continuous corn systems in a Rayne silt loam (RSL) (fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludult) with 10% slope, Celina silt loam (CSL) (fine, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Hapludalfs) with 2% slope, and Hoytville clay loam (HCL) (fine, illitic, mesic Mollic Epiaqualfs) with < 1% slope in Ohio. Aggregates were sensitive to stover removal particularly in the 0- to 10-cm soil depth. Stover removal reduced aggregate stability, tensile strength (TS), water retention (WR), and subcritical water repellency, while it increased water sorptivity but had no effect on pore-size distribution within an aggregate. The interaction of aggregate stability, strength, and subcritical water repellency with aggregate water potential was highly significantly, indicating that the magnitude of changes in aggregate structural properties due to stover removal depended on the variable antecedent soil water conditions. The aggregate stability and strength decreased while water repellency increased with increasing water potential. Impacts of stover removal on the clayey soils were equal to or higher than those on silt loam soils. Removal at rates ≥ 25% reduced the raindrop kinetic energy (KE) required to break aggregates by 13 times at HCL, while removal at rates ≥ 50% reduced the KE by 2 to 3 times at RSL and CSL for air-dry aggregates. The KE and TS decreased with increasing soil water potentials. The TS was reduced by 10% to 30% at all water potentials at RSL, by 20% to 35% between − 0.1 and − 1.5 MPa, and by 2.2 times at − 166 MPa at CSL, and by 2 to 3 times between − 1.5 and − 166 MPa at HCL under complete stover removal. Removal of stover at rates ≥ 50% reduced subcritical water repellency by 2 to 10 times in all soils. Overall, stover removal altered micro-scale soil properties, and complete stover removal had the most detrimental effects. Based on the data from previous studies on macroscale soil properties and this study, stover removal adversely affects both macro- and micro-scale soil properties.
Bicyclist detection in large scale naturalistic driving video

Monocular based bicyclist detection in naturalistic driving video is a very challenging problem due to the high variance of the bicyclist appearance and complex background of naturalistic driving environment. In this paper, we propose a two-stage multi-modal bicyclist detection scheme to efficiently detect bicyclists with varied poses for further behavior analysis. A new motion based region of interest (ROI) detection is first applied to the entire video to refine the region for sliding-window detection. Then an efficient integral feature based detector is applied to quickly filter out the negative windows. Finally, the remaining candidate windows are encoded and tested by three pre-learned pose-specific detectors. The experimental results on our TASI 110 car naturalistic driving dataset show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method. The proposed method outperforms the traditional
INTRODUCTION TO LOW-POWER VLSI DESIGN

The paper is a survey of the current status of research and practices in various disciplines of low-power VLSI developments. After briefly discussing the rationale of the contemporary focus on low-power design, it presents the metrics and techniques used to assess the merits of the various solutions proposed for improved energy efficiency. The requirements to be fulfilled by process technologies and device structures are reviewed as well as several promising circuit design styles and ad hoc design techniques. The impact of the design automation tools is analyzed with a special emphasis on physical design and logic synthesis. A review of various architectural trade-offs, including power management, parallelism and pipelining, synchronous versus asynchronous architectures and dataflow transformations are covered, followed by a brief discussion of the impact of the system definition, software and algorithms to the overall power efficiency. Emerging semiconductor technologies and device structures are discussed and the paper is concluded with the trends and research topics for the future.
Schools and Curricula for the 21st Century: Predictions, Visions, and Anticipations.

If the research on education for the 21st century were to be summed up in three words, they would be technology, technology, and technology. Almost without exception, information regarding education in the 21st century directly or indirectly involves technology in some way. How might technology affect education and schools in the next century?
Proton-proton bremsstrahlung at 158 MeV

Abstract The reaction p+p → p+p+ γ has been investigated for coplanar protons with symmetric angles of 30°, 32.5°, 35°, 37.5° and 40°. The cross sections integrated over all γ-ray angles are respectively 7.8, 10.1, 12.4, 13.3 and 23.8 μ b/sr 2 ± 20 %. For each proton angle, the angular distribution of the emitted γ-ray was inferred and was found to be almost uniform with a slight tendency to forward peaking.
N-TERMINAL FRAGMENT OF THE PROHORMONE BRAIN-TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE (NT-PROBNP) VS. BNP FOR PREDICTING ADVERSE OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH STABLE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: THE HEART AND SOUL STUDY

The B-type natriuretic peptides (brain natriuretic peptide [BNP] and its amino terminal pro-BNP [NT-proBNP]) are powerful predictors of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, their relative prognostic utility remains uncertain. We compared the
The need to feed: Homeostatic and hedonic control of eating

Feeding provides substrate for energy metabolism, which is vital to the survival of every living animal and therefore is subject to intense regulation by brain homeostatic and hedonic systems. Over the last decade, our understanding of the circuits and molecules involved in this process has changed dramatically, in large part due to the availability of animal models with genetic lesions. In this review, we examine the role played in homeostatic regulation of feeding by systemic mediators such as leptin and ghrelin, which act on brain systems utilizing neuropeptide Y, agouti-related peptide, melanocortins, orexins, and melanin concentrating hormone, among other mediators. We also examine the mechanisms for taste and reward systems that provide food with its intrinsically reinforcing properties and explore the links between the homeostatic and hedonic systems that ensure intake of adequate nutrition.
Concentration effects in chelation controlled reactions

Abstract The diastereo selcctivities of addition reactions of allyltrimethylsilane to an α-benzyloxyaldehyde were found to be relatively insensitive to the amount of added TiCl 4 , and to the absolute concentration of the 1:1 aldehyde/TiCl 4 , complex. In contrast, diastereoselectivities of similar additions to a structurally related β-benzyloxyaldehyde were highly dependent on these variables.
Classifying a Person as a Sexual Partner: The Impact of Contextual Factors

This study assessed the influence of five factors on respondents' judgments of whether two hypothetical actors, Tom and Lucy, would consider each other to be "sexual partners." The factors were: respondent's gender, actor's gender, type of act (vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse), frequency of act (once, several times), and actors' dating status (not dating, dated once, dated for three months). 223 undergraduates (mean age 22.2 - 2.2 years; 65% female) read 16 hypothetical heterosexual behavior scenarios featuring Tom and Lucy and judged whether Tom (Lucy) would consider Lucy (Tom) to be a "sexual partner." Respondents thought the actors would be more likely to consider each other sexual partners if they had engaged in vaginal or anal intercourse as opposed to oral sex; if they had more frequent sex; or if they were in a steady dating relationship. Researchers and health care professionals should take contextual/situational factors into account when they ask respondents about their sexual partners.
Habituation of the motion detectors of the crayfish optic nerve: their relationship to the visually evoked defense reflex.

Examination of sustaining units, dimming units, and motion detectors under stimulus conditions associated with defense reflex habituation revealed that only the motion detectors exhibit a response decrement with stimulus repetition. Motion detector habituation was specific to the retinal locus of the repetitive stimulus and thus can provide a basis for the spatially specific component of defense reflex habituation. When stimulated at low repetition rates (2--4 min) the motion detectors exhibited a time course of habituation and spontaneous recovery similar to that observed behaviorally. At high repetition rates (20/mm) the motion detectors exhibited a more rapid rate of habituation than was observed for the defense reflex. Simultaneous recordings of motion detector and cheliped levatory muscle activity revealed consistently significant and frequently substantial positive correlations. Both defense reflex and motion detector habituation were transiently reversed by treatment with the GABA antagonist, picrotoxin (1.8 2.8 mg kg body weight). The action of picrotoxin is likely to be mediated via mechanisms controlling the general level of arousal. It was concluded that the response variations of motion detectors subjected to repetitive stimuli contribute to the habituation of the visually evoked defense refle.
Modeling-based Design of Strategic Supply Chain Networks for Aircraft Manufacturing☆

Abstract The aerospace supply chain network has evolved and become more complex over the years. New methods are needed to design and analyze the system, and to establish the interactions between aircraft (product) design and supply chain (process) design. This paper aims to introduce a strategic multi-product, multi-period design model for the manufacturing of an aircraft wing-box with a planning horizon of the full program duration. The supply chain systems consist of a number of external suppliers, candidate manufacturing sites, and a number of customers at fixed locations. The design model is a mixed-integer linear programming optimization routine that minimizes the total time-discounted network cost. The model generates a system configuration that specifies the location and capacity of the manufacturing sites, the material flow, and the transportation routes within the network. The model is implemented using open-source tools, and has a comprehensive and flexible data structure to support the decision-making process during the early aircraft design stages.
Long-term outcome of infrainguinal bypass grafting in patients with serologically proven hypercoagulability

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the long-term outcome of infrainguinal bypass grafting in patients with congenital or acquired hypercoagulability is inferior to the results in patients without documented clotting disorders. Methods: The study was a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients from January 1994 to January 2001. Results: Five hundred eighty-two infrainguinal bypass grafts were created in 456 patients. Indication for surgery was limb-threatening ischemia in 84%; prosthetic conduits were implanted in 38%. Seventy-four grafts were created in 57 patients with one or more serologically proven hypercoagulable states, including heparin-induced platelet aggregation (n = 37), anticardiolipin antibodies (n = 11), lupus anticoagulant (n = 8), protein C or S deficiency (n = 7), antithrombin III deficiency (n = 3), and factor V Leiden mutation (n = 1). Patients with hypercoagulability were younger (63 ± 2 years versus 69 ± 1 years; P = .007), more likely to have undergone prior revascularization attempts (38% versus 21%; P = .003), and more likely to have chronic anticoagulation therapy after surgery (46% versus 25%; P = .001). After 5 years (median follow-up, 19 months), patients with hypercoagulability had poorer primary patency (28% ± 7% versus 35% ± 5%; P = .004), primary assisted patency (37% ± 7% versus 45% ± 6%; P = .0001), secondary patency (41% ± 7% versus 53% ± 6%; P = .0001), limb salvage (55% ± 8% versus 67% ± 6%; P = .009), and survival (61% ± 8% versus 74% ± 4%; P = .02) rates. Multivariate analysis identified only prosthetic conduit choice ( P = .0001), hypercoagulability ( P = .0003), and limb salvage indication ( P = .01) as independent predictors of graft failure. Conclusion: Patients with serologically proven hypercoagulability have inferior long-term patency, limb salvage, and survival rates after infrainguinal bypass. The high prevalence rate (13%) of diverse hypercoagulable states in this patient population supports serologic screening, especially in referral practices. (J Vasc Surg 2003;37:301-6.)
Radioactive decay of Tm167

Abstract Erbium oxide enriched in the mass number 167 was irradiated with 12-MeV deuterons and 6-MeV protons. An activity with a half-life of 9.58 days was produced and ascribed to Tm 167 . The spectrum consisted of Er K X-radiations and gamma rays of 57, 208 and 532 keV and the observed relative intensities were 100, 5.4, 56.6. and 3.18 respectively. None of the gamma rays was in coincidence with another. Transition probabilities and branching ratios are shown in a proposed energy level diagram.
Outcome after colles fracture: The relative responsiveness of three questionnaires and physical examination measures

Clinical evaluation of outcome after Colles fracture has not been standardized. To assess the relative responsiveness of various clinical and questionnaire measures for the assessment of outcome after Colles fracture, 21 patients were surveyed on the day fracture immobilization was discontinued and again 3 months after that date with the following measures: a short form general health survey (SF-36), the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale (AIMS2), the Brigham and Women's Hospital carpal tunnel questionnaire, pinch strength, grip strength, pressure sensibility, range of motion, and dexterity. Significant changes, all in the direction of improved health status, occurred in the following scales or measures: AIMS2 mobility, hand and finger function, arm function, household tasks, “arthritis” (fracture) pain, self-care, satisfaction, physical health, affect, and tension; Brigham function; SF-36 physical role and mental health; and grip, pinch, dexterity, and range of motion. The impairments that occur after Colles fracture are multidimensional and are only partially captured by traditional physical measures. Questionnaires such as the SF-36, AIMS2, and Brigham and Women's instruments provide a mechanism to capture the function and symptom dimensions objectively.
Holographic microrheology of polysaccharides from Streptococcus mutans biofilms

We use three-dimensional holographic particle tracking to perform microrheological measurements of model gelled media, including the polysaccharide pellicle of dental biofilms created by the common cariogenic oral pathogen Streptococcus mutans. Nanometer-resolution video-rate holographic tracking of embedded colloidal spheres provides accurate measurements of the gels’ complex viscoelastic moduli, including insights into these properties’ heterogeneity. When applied to polysaccharides of S. mutans biofilms, these techniques promise quantitative microscopic assays for candidate therapeutic agents against cariogenic dental biofilms.
A NEW SPECIES OF COMAROSTAPHYLIS (ERICACEAE, ARBUTEAE) FROM TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO

Comarostaphylis sharpii is described from the vicinity of Rancho del Cielo near Gomez Farias in the Sierra de Guatemala of southwestern Tamaulipas, Mexico. It occurs in a narrow zone of Humid Pine-Oak Forest at elevations between 1200 and 2100 m.
Peritransplant Use of Ultraviolet-B Irradiation (UV-B) Therapy Is Detrimental to Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Outcome

Abstract Whole-body UV-B phototherapy has been used for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of the skin and has systemic immunosuppressive and tolerogenic effects. We hypothesized that whole-body UV-B therapy would improve donor engraftment and decrease the incidence and severity of GVHD that is associated with decreased intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This study tested the feasibility of using UV-B phototherapy that was initiated before grafting and continued until engraftment to determine its effect on transplantation outcome. Eight patients (median age, 55.5 years; range, 32-65 years) with hematologic malignancies were included. Allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells were obtained from matched related (n = 5) or matched unrelated (n = 3) donors. Conditioning regimen was fludarabine 30 mg/m2 intravenously for 5 days, cyclophosphamide 1 g/m2/d intravenously for 2 days, and equine antithymocyte globulin 30 mg/kg/d for 2 days. GVHD prophylaxis included cyclosporine, methylprednisolone, and escalating doses of narrowband UV-B (311 nm) according to skin tolerance, 3 days a week, from 10 days before to 28 days after transplantation. The conditioning regimen and the UV-B therapy were well tolerated. Two patients received all 14 prescribed UV-B treatments (cumulative doses of 2000 and 3260 mJ/cm2, respectively) and 6 patients received 8 to 13 treatments with a cumulative dose range of 528-3465 mJ/cm2. There was a rapid decrease in epidermal CD1a+ cells by day of transplantation. Myeloid engraftment was rapid. One patient had secondary engraftment failure at 3 months and another had mixed chimerism at day 100. Seven of 8 patients developed severe acute GVHD (grade III, n=5; grade IV, n=2). Six had skin involvement, 5 had gastrointestinal involvement, and 1 had liver involvement. Four patients died (2 from sepsis, 1 from acute GVHD, and 1 from chronic GVHD). Four patients are alive (130-287 days), 3 with extensive chronic GVHD. We conclude that extended peritransplant UV-B therapy at the standard minimally erythemogenic dose is detrimental to the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. It is unclear how UV-B at this immunsuppressive dose might have altered skin and systemic cytokine and immune cell compositions in the host and increased GVHD- and treatment-related mortalities. Different UV-B dose and schedules should be further explored. However, although other phototherapeutic modalities may be effective against GVHD, extended UV-B therapy should not be used during early phases of decreased conditioning allogeneic transplantation.
Aerial Dispersal and Multiple-Scale Spread of Epidemic Disease

Disease spread has traditionally been described as a traveling wave of constant velocity. However, aerially dispersed pathogens capable of long-distance dispersal often have dispersal gradients with extended tails that could result in acceleration of the epidemic front. We evaluated empirical data with a simple model of disease spread that incorporates logistic growth in time with an inverse power function for dispersal. The scale invariance of the power law dispersal function implies its applicability at any spatial scale; indeed, the model successfully described epidemics ranging over six orders of magnitude, from experimental field plots to continental-scale epidemics of both plant and animal diseases. The distance traveled by epidemic fronts approximately doubled per unit time, velocity increased linearly with distance (slope ~½), and the exponent of the inverse power law was approximately 2. We found that it also may be possible to scale epidemics to account for initial outbreak focus size and the frequency of susceptible hosts. These relationships improve understanding of the geographic spread of emerging diseases, and facilitate the development of methods for predicting and preventing epidemics of plants, animals, and humans caused by pathogens that are capable of long-distance dispersal.
The components of charge in the electrical double layer

Abstract Methods of evaluating the components of charge at the mercury solution interface are described. Results obtained with aqueous potassium halide solutions by the electrocapillary method, Grahame's capacity method and by a method developed by one of us, are presented and discussed. It is shown that due to exacting experimental requirements the results of Grahame's thermodynamic method do not agree well with electrocapillary results especially with potassium chloride solutions and particularly in concentrated solutions. In contrast the results obtained with the aid of the nonthermodynamic model of the electrical double layer are in better agreement with electrocapillary results. Reasons previously advanced for the discrepancy between the electrocapillary results and Grahame's results are discussed and shown to be untenable.
A resonance model gives the response to membrane potential for an ion channel: II. Simplification of the calculation, and prediction of stochastic resonance.

In a previous communication (Green, 1998), the initial step in ion channel gating for voltage-gated channels was attributed to the tunneling of a proton between groups with similar p K values, under the influence of an electric field. This is in contrast to the standard thermally activated model, which leads to a “Boltzmann equation” for the gating current. In the paper that introduced the present model, the current–voltage curve was determined from a resonance effect, in which gating began when the local voltage crossed a threshold, causing a proton to tunnel to a new location. We have therefore investigated further the consequences of tunneling as the first step in gating; we find a method of improving the previous calculation. We also calculate a consequence of our model that has yet to be experimentally looked for, stochastic resonance. With gating a threshold process, one expects that such an effect should exist. Only a small effect is predicted by our calculation, but it may be detectable. If it is it would make possible the determination of important characteristics of the initiation of gating. For this reason it is worth determining the nature of the stochastic resonance to be expected. In addition, we have investigated further the possible ways of understanding our resonance model itself. The model assumes that not all channels have the same threshold, as local perturbations in the potential interfere. We therefore assume a Gaussian distribution of the thresholds, which is simpler than in the previous paper, in which a Gaussian gave inadequate results with the method used there. In this paper, we have reduced the number of parameters to two, and obtained the current–voltage curve, gating current, the response to a large sine wave (in the previous paper, the model was more complex), and stochastic resonance.
Initial Experience Using the 5MAX™ ACE Reperfusion Catheter in Intra-arterial Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Objectives The 5MAX ACE is a new large bore aspiration catheter available for vessel recanalization for treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We report our initial experience with its use. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy for AIS using the 5MAX ACE reperfusion catheter at our institution was performed. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics and procedural data were obtained from chart review. Successful recanlization was defined as achievement of Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score (TICI) 2b-3 and time to recanalization was defined as time from groin puncture to achievement of at least TICI 2b recanalization. Results The 5MAX ACE was used in 15 patients from July-October 2013. Direct aspiration was used as the primary technique in 10/15 (67%) patients. Out of these, aspiration alone was sufficient for recanalization in 3 (20%) patients. In the remaining 7 (47%) patients, additional devices were used. In 5/15 (33%) patients, combined aspiration/stentriever thrombectomy using Solitaire™ (3/5 patients) and Penumbra 3D Separator™ (2/5 patients) were used as the primary technique. Successful recanlization (TICI 2b-3) was achieved in 11/15 (73%) patients. Average time from groin puncture to successful recanalization was 46 +/- 30 minutes (range 14-98 minutes). There were no procedural complications. Conclusion The 5MAX ACE is a useful recanalization tool, either by direct aspiration or combined stentriever/aspiration. It may be most advantageous with large clots in the internal carotid artery. The potential for effective and faster recanalization using this device alone or in combination may be a good topic for future study.
Effects of Free Convection and Axial Conduction on Forced-Convection Heat Transfer Inside a Vertical Channel at Low Peclet Numbers

Analyse numerique de l'influence des effets simultanes de la convection naturelle et de la conduction thermique axiale sur le transfert de chaleur par convection forcee dans une conduite verticale pour de faibles valeurs du nombre de Peclet
Non-Rigid Image Registration under Non-Deterministic Deformation Bounds

Image registration aims to identify the mapping between corresponding locations in an anatomic structure. Most traditional approaches solve this problem by minimizing some error metric. However, they do not quantify the uncertainty behind their estimates and the feasibility of other solutions. In this work, it is assumed that two images of the same anatomic structure are related via a Lipschitz non-rigid deformation (the registration map). An approach for identifying point correspondences with zero false-negative rate and high precision is introduced under this assumption. This methodology is then extended to registration of regions in an image which is posed as a graph matching problem with geometric constraints. The outcome of this approach is a homeomorphism with uncertainty bounds characterizing its accuracy over the entire image domain. The method is tested by applying deformation maps to the LPBA40 dataset.
Creating an effective physical activity-based health promotion programme for adults with a brain injury.

Primary objective: To describe the processes involved with developing and implementing a physical activity-based health promotion programme for people with a brain injury, summarize previous health promotion research efforts and provide an actual example of a programme entitled P.A.C.E, a ‘Physical Activity Centred Education’ programme.Reasoning behind literature selection: Brain injury is a serious public health issue due to the incidence, complexity and high healthcare costs. Health promotion programmes that incorporate physical activity have been shown to improve the health of people with a disability. However, if programmes are to be successful they have to be appropriately designed, otherwise individuals will not adopt and maintain the desired health behaviours.Main outcomes and results: Readers will have an understanding of (1) how a theoretical framework drives programme development, (2) the strategies required to facilitate behaviour change, (3) how previous research supports the use of a physical...
The subunits of bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase: Demonstration of a single peptide chain

A complete amino acid analysis is presented for bovine glutamate dehydrogenase. Dinitrophenyl and phenylthiohydantoin end-group analysis suggests that this protein consists of polypeptide chains containing alanine as the only amino terminal residue. Threonine was identified as the C-terminal residue by hydrazino-lysis and carboxypeptidase digestion, and quantitative estimation showed close to one C-terminal residue per mole of protein weighing 52,000. These results, along with analysis of the tryptic and cyanogen bromide peptide patterns, support the view that glutamate dehydrogenase is composed of very similar or identical subunits.