cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CONTEMPORARY EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BLADDER EXSTROPHY IN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT Purpose: Although bladder exstrophy is much discussed in the urology literature, there are few population based epidemiological data available for this rare condition. The purpose of this study was to use a large nationwide database to collect contemporary data on the incidence and demographics of bladder exstrophy. Materials and Methods: The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample is a 20% sample of nonfederal United States hospitals containing data on 5 million to 7 million inpatient stays per year. The sample was limited to newborns, and International Classification of Disease-9 codes were used to identify cases of bladder exstrophy. We then determined nationally weighted incidence through time, and performed multivariate analyses to identify factors associated with exstrophy. Results: We identified 205 patients with exstrophy among 9,452,110 newborns. The overall weighted incidence of exstrophy was 2.15 per 100,000 live births. The male-to-female ratio was almost even (OR 0.989, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.12). White infants were significantly more likely to present with exstrophy than nonwhites (incidence 2.63 vs 1.54 per 100,000, p Conclusions: Bladder exstrophy is rare, occurs in equal numbers of live male and female newborns, and is associated with certain co-morbid conditions. Incidence appears to be stable through time. Nonwhite race, uninsured status, high or low SES and Western geographic region are associated with lower exstrophy incidence.
Development of emission factors for the control of lead and other metals during bridge construction work

This study was conducted to develop emission rates and emission factors for lead and other metals during abrasive blasting and power tooling operations. Emission factors are useful in controlling process emissions since it allows for the extrapolation of emissions from one process to another related process. Area samples were collected inside the bridge containments and emission rates were calculated. Emission factors were determined using mass balance models. Power tooling resulted in lower emission rates and emission factors than abrasive blasting. Emission factors determined in this study are necessary to effectively design a general ventilation system or choose appropriate respiratory protection.
Application of the quantum mechanics and free energy perturbation methods to study molecular processes

The molecular dynamics free energy perturbation method was applied to study the solvation effect on the tautomeric equilibria in water solution as well as association of the nucleic acid base pairs in water solution and in vacuo. Tautomerization energies in vacuo calculated by the ab initio SCF-HF method differed from experiment by 1–2 kcal/mol, even if geometry optimization was performed and MP2 correlation energy calculated at 6-31G* basis set was added.
High-fidelity patient simulation in nursing education: an integrative review.

Abstract An integrative review was undertaken to analyze studies published since 1998 on the use of high-fidelity patient simulation (HFPS) in undergraduate nursing education. This review found that HFPS benefits nursing students in terms of knowledge, value, realism, and learner satisfaction; findings were mixed in the areas of student confidence, knowledge transfer, and stress. Further research in these and other areas will determine whether its increased use is warranted.
Robustness-based design optimization under data uncertainty

This paper proposes formulations and algorithms for design optimization under both aleatory (i.e., natural or physical variability) and epistemic uncertainty (i.e., imprecise probabilistic information), from the perspective of system robustness. The proposed formulations deal with epistemic uncertainty arising from both sparse and interval data without any assumption about the probability distributions of the random variables. A decoupled approach is proposed in this paper to un-nest the robustness-based design from the analysis of non-design epistemic variables to achieve computational efficiency. The proposed methods are illustrated for the upper stage design problem of a two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) vehicle, where the information on the random design inputs are only available as sparse point data and/or interval data. As collecting more data reduces uncertainty but increases cost, the effect of sample size on the optimality and robustness of the solution is also studied. A method is developed to determine the optimal sample size for sparse point data that leads to the solutions of the design problem that are least sensitive to variations in the input random variables.
Managing Perianal Crohn’s Disease

Perianal Crohn’s Disease (CD) is a significant cause of morbidity in CD patients. Accurate identification of perianal involvement requires advanced imaging techniques in addition to physical exam. Treatment of the disease is aimed at improving both the perianal and intestinal manifestations. Proper treatment depends upon the severity of the disease and combines current medical and surgical therapies to maximize response. The ability to improve perianal disease has grown significantly since the introduction of anti-TNF agents which are now a mainstay of treatment along with antibiotics and immunomodulators. New experimental therapies are limited by lack of research to support their use.
A problem in cascaded inference: Determining the inferential impact of confirming and conflicting reports from several unreliable sources☆

Abstract The occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event D has inferential significance. We query n sources or sensors who make individual reports about the occurrence or nonoccurrence of D. Their reports are either mutually confirming or there is some pattern of conflict among them. In this paper we develop expressions termed adjusted likelihood ratios which prescribe the inferential or diagnostic impact of the joint confirming or conflicting reports from the n sources. These expressions combine information about the inferential impact of D (and its complement D ) with information about the reliability of each source. We only consider the case in which the reporting behavior of any subset of the sources is not itself an inferentially significant event. Appropriate independence and conditional independence assumptions are necessary. Our formulations of adjusted likelihood ratio are applicable to a variety of medical, legal, military, and other inferential tasks.
Significance of the clinical presentation in ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation

Abstract We examined the hypothesis that clinical presentation in patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF) predicts clinical, electrophysiologic (EP) findings and long-term outcome. We included in the study 121 consecutive patients seen in our EP laboratory with documented and inducible sustained VT/VF. Patients were categorized into three groups according to their clinical presentation: (1) cardiac arrest (CA)-53 patients; (2) syncope (S)-20 patients; (3) palpitations/dizziness (P)-48 patients. There were no significant differences in age, sex, or prevalence of underlying heart disease between groups. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was significantly lower for patients with CA (mean ± S.D.; 31 ± 14%) or S (20 ± 11%) when compared with P (39 ± 15%) ( p p p p p
Marijuana and behavioral contingencies

Twenty-four adult male research volunteers, in groups of three subjects each, lived in a residential laboratory for up to 18 days. All contact with the experimenters was through a networked computer system, and subject behavior was continuously monitored and recorded. During the first part of each day, subjects remained in private rooms doing planned work activities, and during the remainder of each day they were allowed to socialize. One or two cigarettes containing active marijuana (1.8-2.7% Δ9-THC) or placebo were smoked during both the private work period and the period of access to social activities. Following the determination of baseline distributions of activities, contingency conditions requiring subjects to engage in a low-probability activity (instrumental activity) in order to earn time that could be spent engaging in a high-probability activity (contingent activity) were then introduced. Baseline and contingency conditions were studied under periods of placebo and active marijuana administration. Under placebo conditions, introduction of the contingency resulted in increases in instrumental activity and decreases in contingent activity under both placebo and active marijuana conditions. The response to combining marijuana administration with contingencies varied across private work and social access conditions. During work periods, active marijuana administration increased instrumental activity to a larger extent than was observed under placebo conditions. The decreases in contingent activity were similar to those seen under placebo conditions. During social periods, active marijuana administration increased instrumental activity to a smaller extent than observed under placebo conditions. The decreases in high-probability contingent activity were similar across drug conditions. Smoking active marijuana was thus observed to produce increments in instrumental activity under motivational involving contingencies for “work activities” while producing instrumental decrements under motivational conditions involving recreational contingencies.
What works, and why it is important: A response to logan and gaes

Claims that “nothing works” to reform convicts have led to costly prison overcrowding, charge bargaining, and assertions that punishment should be the sole “duty” of prisons. Yet such claims are reached by pooling disparate studies atheoretically, and ignoring pertinent findings. Evidence shows that punishment can be a component of reformation, and that recidivism is reduced by sentencing and correctional practices which differ greatly for offenders who vary as to their embeddedness in crime. Penalties that reduce recidivism are cost-effective, and can impose just deserts; hence promoting their use is a duty of courts, corrections, and legislatures.
Substance P contributes to rapidly adapting receptor responses to pulmonary venous congestion in rabbits.

1. This study tested the hypothesis that substance P stimulates rapidly adapting receptors (RARs), contributes to the increase in RAR activity produced by mild pulmonary congestion, and evokes an augmented response from RARs when combined with near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 2. RAR activity, peak tracheal pressure, arterial blood pressure and left atrial pressure were measured in paralysed, anaesthetized and ventilated rabbits. Substance P was given i.v. in one-half log incremental doses to a maximum of 3 micrograms kg-1. Mild pulmonary congestion was produced by inflating a balloon in the left atrium to increase left atrial pressure by 5 mmHg. Near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion were produced by increasing left atrial pressure by 2 mmHg. 3. Substance P produced dose-dependent increases in RAR activity. The highest dose given increased the activity from 1.3 +/- 0.5 to 11.0 +/- 3.1 impulses bin-1. Increases in left atrial pressure of 5 mmHg increased RAR activity from 3.8 +/- 1.4 to 14.7 +/- 3.9 impulses bin-1. Blockade of NK1 receptors with CP 96345 significantly attenuated RAR responses to substance P and to mild pulmonary congestion. 4. Doses of substance P, which alone had no effect, stimulated the RARs when delivered during near-threshold levels of pulmonary congestion. 5. The findings suggest that substance P augments the stimulatory effect of mild pulmonary congestion on RAR activity, most probably by enhancing hydraulically induced microvascular leak.
Acoustic radiation force and optical spectroscopy for assessing tumor vessel normalization during anti-angiogenic therapy

Molecular oxygen is the best known mediator of radiation damage during radiation therapy. This paper investigates techniques for enhancing tumor oxygenation by use of anti-angiogenic therapy for better radiosensitivity. A noninvasive monitoring technique, Acoustic radiation force (ARF)-induced optical spectroscopy, was proposed in this paper to track tumor oxygen changes during anti-angiogenic therapy. Male NCR-NUM nude mice bearing human U87 glioblastoma (ATCC) xenografts on the right hind limb were used for the study. An anti-angiogenic regimen using the drug AZD2171 (AsraZeneca) was found capable of improving tissue oxygenation during the first week of drug treatment. The optical spectroscopy technique was shown to be able to track tumor oxygenation changes during anti-angiogenic therapy, as verified by direct pO2 measurement. By using anti-angiogenic therapy to improve tumor oxygenation prior to radiotherapy, tissue oxygenation may be altered in a way that favors radiation therapy.
Predicting Language Development in Children At Risk: The Effects of Quality and Frequency of Caregiver Reading

Reading to children has been advocated as a way to enhance language and literacy skills (A. G. Bus, M. H. van IJzendoorn, & A. D. Pellegrini, 1995). However, little is known about reading with children under age 3 (K. L. Fletcher & E. Reese, 2005), particularly in at-risk samples (A. van Kleeck, 2003). In the current study of 87 primary caregivers and their 24-month-old children enrolled in an early intervention program, we tested a theoretical model of the relations among 24-month-old children's language, caregivers' reported frequency of reading with children, and caregivers' reading strategies on children's language and attention using path models. Path models indicated that caregivers' use of expansions and questions with their 24-month-old children during reading was related to children's expressive language at 30 months. Caregivers' use of labeling, expansions, and questions was related to 24-month-old children's attention during reading. Although children's language skills at 24 months were associa...
COMPARISON OF TREE SPECIES SENSITIVITY TO HIGH AND LOW EXTREME HYDROCLIMATIC EVENTS

We present here a six-species comparison of tree-ring growth response to extremes (below the 30th and above the 70th percentile) in temperature, precipitation, and corresponding streamflow. The species compared are Pinus edulis (PIED), Pseudotsuga menziesii (PSME), Pinus ponderosa (PIPO), Pinus flexilis (PIFL), Pinus aristata (PIAR), and Picea engelmannii (PCEN). Sensitivity was determined using contingency scores obtained by comparing tree-ring growth at different lags with hydroclimatic observations from the Upper Colorado River Basin in the southwestern United States. The scores were computed using dual scaling methods in which the higher scores are assigned to stronger relationships between tree-ring growth and severe hydroclimatic occurrences. At lag 0, PIED and PSME present the greatest sensitivity to severe streamflow events. For precipitation and temperature the most sensitive species at lag 0 are PIED and PIPO. PIAR and PCEN show no significant relationship with extreme hydroclimatic events. PIFL...
Testicular Steroid Secretion in Response to GnRH-Mediated LH and FSH Release in Bulls

SUMMARY Assay of frequently collected blood samples in four mature Hereford bulls indicated the existence of a tonic mechanism for the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), i.e., their episodic release was not observed. Increased plasma concentrations of LH and FSH, however, were obtained in response to an intravenous injection of 500 vg of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). These gonadotropins showed similar secretory profiles after GnRH, but the relative magnitude of the LH response (30-fold) was considerably greater than that of the FSH response (sevenfold). Concentrations of testosterone in jugular and spermatic vein blood were increased sevenfold after the administration of GnRH; whereas, concentrations of estrogen increased only twofold. Both steroids reached maximum concentrations 3 hr after GnRH (approximately 1 hr after the LH and FSH peak) then returned to preinjection levels. Estrogen profiles showed considerable between animal variation as compared to the testosterone secretory profiles.
Co-Registration of Interleaved MEG and ULF MRI Using a 7 Channel Low- $T_{\rm c}$ SQUID System

In this paper we report the first co-registered, interleaved measurements of ultra-low field (ULF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Interleaved measurements are interesting for the ultimate aim of combining MEG and functional MRI at ULF. The measurement system consisted of 7 channels with second-order gradiometers coupled to low transition-temperature superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). The ULF MRI was acquired at a measurement field of 94 μT after a pre-polarization in a 30 mT field. Our results show that the two modalities can be performed with interleaved measurements. However, due to transients from the walls of the magnetically shielded room a waiting time of more than 3 s had to be introduced between the MRI protocol and the auditory stimulus for the MEG.
Evolution: are the monkeys' typewriters rigged?

Evolution is presumed to proceed by random mutations, which increase an individual’s fitness. Increased fitness produces a higher survival rate for those individuals within populations and drives the variants to fixation over large timescales to produce new species. We recently identified positively selected sites in mitochondrial complex I in numerous, diverse taxa. In one taxon, a simple sequence repeat (SSR) encompassed the positively selected sites. We hypothesized a model in which: (i) slip-strand mis-pairing during replication due to the SSR increases the mutation rate at these sites, and (ii) a functional constraint at the protein level maintains the SSR and therefore a higher mutation rate at this site over large time scales to drive evolution. We tested this model by identifying SSRs in a mitochondrial-encoded protein in species from our previous work and determined that nearly all of the positively selected sites encompass an SSR. Furthermore, we show that our proposed model accounts for most of the mutations at neutral sites but it is probably the predominant mechanism at positively selected sites. This suggests that evolution does not proceed by simple random processes but is guided by physical properties of the DNA itself and functional constraint of the proteins encoded by the DNA.
Progress in the Recent Discovery and Development of Promising Anticancer and Anti-HIV Agents from Natural Products in the United States†

As the 21 s t century begins, consumers in all countries are accepting natural medicines to improve quality of life, maintain health, and treat chronic and age-related diseases. Accordingly, scientists worldwide are increasingly interested in the discovery and development of new drugs from plant, marine, and other sources. Natural resources have become more attractive as potential sources of new medicines, especially to treat cancer and AIDS. Recent progress in these areas will be discussed with emphasis on the discovery and development of clinically useful compounds as well as candidates for clinical trials. Contributions in these areas from the authors' laboratory will also be included.
On non-expansive mappings of Banach spaces

Let f : X → X be a mapping of the metric space X into itself. We call f non-expansive if
Incremental query evaluation for support vector machines

Support vector machines (SVMs) have been widely used in multimedia retrieval to learn a concept in order to find the best matches. In such a SVM active learning environment, the system first processes k sampling queries and top-k uncertain queries to select the candidate data items for training. The user's top-k relevant queries are then evaluated to compute the answer. This approach has shown to be effective. However, it suffers from the scalability problem associated with larger database sizes. To address this limitation, we propose an incremental query evaluation technique for these three types of queries. Based on the observation that most queries are not revised dramatically during the iterative evaluation, the proposed technique reuses the results of previous queries to reduce the computation cost. Furthermore, this technique takes advantage of a tuned index structure to efficiently prune irrelevant data. As a result, only a small portion of the data set needs to be accessed for query processing. This index structure also provides an inexpensive means to process the set of candidates to evaluate the final query result. This technique can work with different kernel functions and kernel parameters. Our experimental results indicate that the proposed technique significantly reduces the overall computation cost, and offers a promising solution to the scalability issue.
News in the Interstices: The niches of mobile media in space and time

The recent growth of mobile channels has provided steadily increasing opportunities for individuals to access news and other mass-mediated content. Media ecological perspectives argue that the introduction of such new technologies can shift the existing biases in prevailing social systems. According to one ecological perspective, the theory of the niche, when new media technologies are successfully introduced into a domain, displacement may occur unless some alteration is made to the resource base. Interstices are conceptualized as the gaps in the routines of media users between scheduled activities. Through the use of a diary method, participants logged access to news using a variety of communication technologies, including mobile channels. Results indicated that traditional media occupied traditional niches with little evidence of displacement, while mobile channels occupied a new niche: access in the interstices.
Functional analysis of three topoisomerases that regulate DNA supercoiling levels in Chlamydia

Chlamydia is a medically important bacterium that infects eukaryotic cells. Temporal expression of chlamydial genes during the intracellular infection is proposed to be regulated by changes in DNA supercoiling levels. To understand how chlamydial supercoiling levels are regulated, we purified and analyzed three putative Chlamydia trachomatis topoisomerases. As predicted by sequence homology, CT189/190 are the two subunits of DNA gyrase, whereas CT643 is a topoisomerase I. CT660/661 have been predicted to form a second DNA gyrase, but the reconstitute holoenzyme decatenated and relaxed DNA, indicating that the proteins are subunits of topoisomerase IV. Promoter analysis showed that each topoisomerase is transcribed from its own operon by the major chlamydial RNA polymerase. Surprisingly, all three topoisomerase promoters had higher activity from a more supercoiled DNA template. This supercoiling-responsivesness is consistent with negative feedback control of topoisomerase I and topoisomerase IV expression, which is typical of other bacteria. However, activation of the chlamydial gyrase promoter by increased supercoiling is unorthodox compared with the relaxation-induced transcription of gyrase in other bacteria. We present a model in which supercoiling levels during the intracellular chlamydial developmental cycle are regulated by unusual positive feedback control of the gyrase promoter and the temporal expression of three topoisomerases.
ROSA26Flpo deleter mice promote efficient inversion of conditional gene traps in vivo

Gene trap mutagenesis in embryonic stem cells is an important tool to help elucidate gene function in current mouse mutagenesis efforts. Vector systems based on inversion of the gene trap module have recently been devised to allow for conditional mutagenesis. However, additional efforts are needed to improve this technology including improving the efficiency of site-specific recombinases required to manipulate these conditional vectors in vivo. Here we describe a mouse line carrying the codon-optimized FLP recombinase Flpo at the ROSA26 locus that functions at higher efficiency than a similar Flpe line in mediating the DNA inversion of a conditional gene trap cassette in vivo.
Disparate Serum Thioridazine Concentrations: Liquid Chromatography versus Radioreceptor Assay

: A radioceceptor and a liquid chromatographic assay quantitating serum thioridazine and its active metabolites yielded widely disparate results. The difference between the results of the two assays was relatively random. Contrary to earlier suggestions the radioreceptor assay may not be suitable for the measurement of all neuroleptics particularly when a common reference, such as chlorpromazine, is used.
Mapping Sites of Potential Proximity between the Dihydropyridine Receptor and RyR1 in Muscle Using a Cyan Fluorescent Protein-Yellow Fluorescent Protein Tandem as a Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Probe *

Excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle involves conformational coupling between the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) and the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) at junctions between the plasma membrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum. In an attempt to find which regions of these proteins are in close proximity to one another, we have constructed a tandem of cyan and yellow fluorescent proteins (CFP and YFP, respectively) linked by a 23-residue spacer, and measured the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) of the tandem either in free solution or after attachment to sites of the α1S and β1a subunits of the DHPR. For all of the sites examined, attachment of the CFP-YFP tandem did not impair function of the DHPR as a Ca2+ channel or voltage sensor for excitation-contraction coupling. The free tandem displayed a 27.5% FRET efficiency, which decreased significantly after attachment to the DHPR subunits. At several sites examined for both α1S (N-terminal, proximal II-III loop of a two fragment construct) and β1a (C-terminal), the FRET efficiency was similar after expression in either dysgenic (α1S-null) or dyspedic (RyR1-null) myotubes. However, compared with dysgenic myotubes, the FRET efficiency in dyspedic myotubes increased from 9.9 to 16.7% for CFP-YFP attached to the N-terminal of β1a, and from 9.5 to 16.8% for CFP-YFP at the C-terminal of α1S. Thus, the tandem reporter suggests that the C terminus of α1S and the N terminus of β1a may be in close proximity to the ryanodine receptor.
Photonic crystal biosensors

Photonic crystals have been used to produce a general-purpose disposable plastic biosensor platform for performing many types of biochemical and cellular assays without the use of fluorescent labels for applications in pharmaceutical research.
Factors Affecting the pH-Sensitivity of the Heat Stability of Milk from Individual Cows

Summary The heat stability of milk passes through a maximum and a minimum as the pH is increased from 6.4 to 7.0. The position of the maximum was displaced slightly towards the acid side with addition of phosphate, and slightly towards the alkaline side with addition of calcium, but the maximum heat stability attainable was only slightly affected by small additions (up to 3m M /liter) of these ions. The occurrence of the maximum and minimum in the pH-heat stability reaction was dependent upon the presence of β -lactoglobulin. The maximum heat stability of calcium-caseinate-phosphate complex resuspended in ultrafiltrate from milk increased, and the minimum decreased, with increasing addition of β -lactoglobulin from 0.1 to 0.6mg. N/ml. However, it could not be concluded that β -lactoglobulin was the only factor influencing the pH-heat stability response in normal milks. It is suggested that the denatured β -lactoglobulin-casein (or K-casein) complex is the pH-sensitive component.
Adolescents' Transition to First Intercourse, Religiosity, and Attitudes about Sex

Using two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health this study examines two sets of relationships between attitudes religiosity and first sex among adolescents. First I estimate the effects of religiosity and attitudes about sex on the likelihood of engaging in first sex. Then I estimate the effect of having sex on subsequent religiosity and attitudes. The findings are consistent with past research that finds attitudes are a significant predictor of sexual activity. The effect of religiosity on first sex is mediated by attitudes about sex. Regarding reciprocal effects having sex for the first time has a significant effect on later attitudes but not religiosity. This study highlights the importance of going beyond traditional recursive models that consider only one side of a causal relationship. (authors)
Soliton-based Sensor/Actuator for Delamination and Weak Bond Detection in Laminated Composites

We design, fabricate, and test a new type of sensor/actuator device that uses stress wave solitons to detect the areas of delaminations and potentially weak adhesive bonds in laminated composites. In this technique, by injecting high energy solitons to a specific inspection area and measuring reflected waves simultaneously, we identify delaminations and characterize the quality of adhesive bonding interfaces in a fast and efficient manner. We also simulate the interaction between solitons and delaminations/weak bonds with the finite element method to understand the effect of composite damages on the scattering behavior of solitons. This proposed sensor technology can open a new way in conducting composite structures inspection, contributing to enhancing maintenance and inspection accuracy and efficiency.
A Review of “Doing Exercise Psychology”

Doing Exercise Psychology delivers on its promise to offer something new to the extant resources for practitioners (and practitioners in training). Diverse topics are explored by 28 scholars, clini...
Research issues in the study of very low birthweight and preterm delivery among African-American women

Very low birthweight and preterm delivery explain two thirds of the excess deaths experienced by African-American infants. Although comprehensive, good quality services for all African-American women will help to reduce the twofold higher rate of infant mortality experienced by African-American infants compared with white infants, the infant mortality gap will not be closed until prevention research is conducted that incorporates the social, cultural, and political context of life for African-American women; the environmental stressors and the physiologic responses associated with stress; and the protective mechanisms available in the community for responding to stress. Discrimination may be an important stressor that influences a woman's susceptibility to a poor pregnancy outcome. Strategies already exist in the community to cope with discrimination and other environmental stressors. To capture the effects of discrimination and other environmental factors and the protective factors important for prevention, the research approach must involve African-American women and their communities as collaborators in the research. Such collaboration will help to avoid problems with scientific racism.
Abstract 88: Racial Differences in the Use of Helicopters for Emergent Transfer of Stroke Patients

Background: Emergency inter-hospital transfer by helicopter provides clinical benefit by shortening transport time to tertiary facilities while providing specialized medical care. Racial differences in the use of helicopters for interhospital transfers have not been investigated. Objective: Investigate racial differences in the use of helicopters for elderly Medicare patients presenting to emergency departments (ED) for stroke. Methods: We used claims from 2010-2011 for Medicare patients with a previous diagnoses of atrial fibrillation to identify inter-hospital transfers, defined by an ED visit on the same day as admission for stroke. Patient demographics, rural residence, and comorbidity were determined from claims incurred during the 12 months prior to the stroke admission. Transfer distance was calculated using ED and admitting hospital zipcodes. Statistical analyses compared rates of helicopter use unadjusted and adjusted for patient demographics, stroke type, comorbidity, and geographic area. Result...
Determinants of operative mortality for patients undergoing aortic valve replacement. Discriminant analysis of 1,479 operations.

The influence of 35 preoperative and intraoperative characteristics on operative mortality risk after 1,479 isolated aortic valve replacement procedures (1967 to 1981) was investigated utilizing univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Mean age at operation was 58 ± 13 years; 72% of patients were men. Physiology was classified as aortic stenosis (58%), regurgitation (30%), or both (9%). The overall operative mortality rate was 7% ± 1%, but there were substantial differences in operative mortality rates among physiological subgroups (aortic regurgitation, 10% ± 2%; aortic stenosis, 6% ± 1%; stenosis/regurgitation, 5% ± 2%). Independent determinants of operative mortality rate in the entire group were advanced New York Heart Association functional class, renal dysfunction, physiological subgroup, atrial fibrillation, and older age. In the aortic regurgitation subgroup, functional class, atrial fibrillation, and operative year were independent predictors. In the aortic stenosis subgroup, the significant determinants were functional class, renal dysfunction, age, prosthetic valve dysfunction, and absence of angina. Concomitant coronary bypass grafting, previous operation, endocarditis, and ascending aortic replacement had no independent predictive effect on operative mortality rate. Thus, the early results of aortic valve replacement can be related to several specific variables describing the functional and physiological status of the patient. Operative mortality rate is not independently related to previous operation or concomitant operative procedures. Specific differences in risk factors exist among the various physiological subgroups, probably reflecting the pathophysiology of the different hemodynamic lesions. This information should provide for a more rational approach to aortic valve replacement, at least in terms of early risk/benefit deliberations.
Peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen during pregnancy.

SummaryPeripheral blood lymphocytes from women in late gestation were cultured in an allogeneic reference plasma and autologous plasma. Lymphocytes cultured with autologous plasma exhibited markedly low response to both pokeweed mitogen (PWM, a B- and T-cell stimulant) and phytohemagglutinin (PHA, a predominant T-cell stimulant). When cultured with the reference plasma, lymphocytes from pregnant women showed a markedly impaired response to PWM whereas their responses to PHA was essentially the same as that of age-matched clinically well nonpregnant control women. The findings may suggest B-lymphocyte alterations during pregnancy in addition to plasma lymphocyte inhibitors. Dissociation of plasma inhibitory effects on lymphocyte responses to PHA and PWM was also noted.This study was supported by the Otho S. A. Sprague Memorial Institute and by a grant from G. D. Searle & Co.The author is indebted to Dr. Paul Urnes, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, for his vital c...
A General Exponential Integral Formula

The authors' Poisson probability method for detecting stochastic randomness in three-dimensional space has resulted in the formal calculation of a useful class of exponential integrals.
Chemometric analysis of FDPM data: Using training sets instead of diffusion theory

Partial least squares (PLS) analysis can extract absorption, reduced-scattering, and concentration information from frequency-domain photon migration (FDPM) data of turbid samples. Boundary effects are modeled without using diffusion theory. Measurements have been performed in an infinite geometry and also through a 1-crn cuvette.
Development and validation of empirically derived frequency criteria for NSSI disorder using exploratory data mining

Research suggesting nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) may belong in a distinct diagnostic category has led to the inclusion of NSSI disorder in the DSM-5 section for future study. There has been limited research, however, examining the validity of Criterion A (the frequency criterion). The current study aimed to examine the validity of the frequency criterion of NSSI disorder through the use of an exploratory data mining method, structural equation modeling trees, as a way to determine a NSSI frequency that optimally discriminates pathological NSSI from normative behavior among undergraduate students (n = 3,559), 428 who engaged in NSSI in the previous year. The model included psychopathology symptomology found to be comorbid with NSSI and cognitive-affective deficits commonly associated with NSSI. Results demonstrated a first split between individuals with 0 and 1 act of NSSI in the past year, as was expected. Among individuals with 1 or more previous acts, the optimal split was between those with 5 and 6 NSSI acts in the past year. Results from the current study suggest that individuals with 6 acts of NSSI in past year, compared with those with 5 acts or less, may represent a more severe group of self-injurers. These individuals reported higher levels of related psychopathology symptomology and cognitive-affective deficits, in addition to decreased quality of life. Findings have potential implications for the proposed frequency criteria of NSSI disorder and how pathological NSSI is characterized. (PsycINFO Database Record
A Comic Source of Gravity's Rainbow

Among the cultural trivia which fascinate Thomas Pynchon are comic books. They appear from time to time in his works, whether generically, as in "the outer-space comics" and "marines-in-action comics" in "The Secret Integration" (Slow Learner, Little, Brown, 142, 161), or more specifically, like the "American Bugs Bunny comic book" read by an anonymous corporal in Gravity's Rainbow (Viking, 592). References to comic-book characters are scattered liberally and sometimes thickly in Gravity's Rainbow: three paragraphs on pages 751-52 invoke the names of Submariner, Plasticman, Superman, Jimmy [Olsen, Superman's side-kick], and the Daily Planet, the newspaper for which both Jimmy and Superman work (the latter disguised as Clark Kent).
Comparative analysis of the ontogeny of a sodium-dependent bile acid transporter in rat kidney and ileum

An apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) has recently been cloned and characterized in the rat ileum. Northern and Western blotting revealed both the ASBT mRNA and protein in rat kidney. The coding sequence of the kidney transcript was found to be identical to the previously cloned ileal ASBT. Indirect immunofluorescence studies localized the ASBT protein to the apical membrane of the renal proximal convoluted tubule. Kinetic analysis of sodium-dependent taurocholate uptake using membrane vesicles revealed a similar Michaelis-Menten constant value for taurocholate in the kidney and intestine. ASBT protein and function were present in the kidney but not the ileum from 7-day-old rats. On postnatal day 7, there was a sevenfold increase in ASBT steady-state mRNA levels in the kidney relative to the ileum, yet nuclear run-on assays revealed that the nascent transcription rates at this age were virtually the same. This suggests that the difference in the neonatal expression of the ASBT gene in the kidney and ileum may be in part due to differences in mRNA stability.
Accumulation of major organic osmolytes in rat renal inner medulla in dehydration.

Osmotically active organic solutes, osmolytes, exist at high concentrations in the renal inner medulla; however, their modulation during antidiuresis remains largely undefined. Renal osmolyte levels were measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and biochemical assays in perchloric acid extracts from normal and dehydrated (3 days) rats. Dehydration increased urine osmolality from 1,503 to 3,748 mosmol/kg and inner medullary urea content from 2,036 to 4,405 nmol/mg protein. In addition, inner medullary trimethylamines [glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) and betaine] and polyhydric alcohols (inositol and sorbitol) significantly increased by 95 and 78%, respectively. Ninhydrin-positive substances (amino acids), although abundant, were unchanged. Renal cortex also contained GPC, betaine, and inositol but only inositol increased with dehydration. Analysis of correlations among inner medullary osmolytes showed that only GPC was consistently elevated by dehydration and was not directly correlated with the ...
A new species of Protium Burm.f. with uncertain affinity from the Colombian Amazon. Studies in Neotropical Burseraceae XVII

Recently discovered additional material of a long-puzzling taxon from Amazonian Colombia finally makes its description possible. Based on macromorphology, Protium pristifolium appears to belong in the recently described sect. Papilloprotium because of its milky resin, lack of lateral pulvinuli, pubescent disk, villous petal adaxial surface, and bony pyrene with the funicular scar below the midpoint of the ventral surface, but preliminary molecular results are inconclusive.
ac Losses in Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10/Ag Tapes: What Are The Critical Currents to Be Used in Loss Calculations ?

Since Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10/Ag, [Bi2223/Ag], tapes have geometrically large aspect ratios, and have highly anisotropic properties along its crystallographic directions, it is not clear to what extent the ac loss theories, which are based on the critical-state model of an isotropic superconductor, are applicable to these conductors. We report on tests of these models against magnetically measured ac losses of a Bi2223/Ag tape, in magnetic environments similar to those in power devices. It is shown that the self-field critical currents are not appropriate for calculations of the losses in either parallel or perpendicular fields to the tape face. In addition, the use of the field- dependent critical currents, such as in Kim’s model, is important to understand the behavior of the losses in perpendicular applied fields.
American Catholics and Revival Religion 1850–1900

By studying the parish mission under the rubric of revivalism the author claims that revival religion enjoyed widespread popularity in the American Catholic community in the second half of the nineteenth century. This conservative tradition had a wider appeal and exerted a greater influence among the bulk of Catholics than the liberal progressive gospel of Americanization.The parish mission had its roots in Europe and was introduced to the U. S. by various religious orders, the Redemptorists and Jesuits in particular. By comparing the parish mission with Protestant revivals the term Catholic revivalism emerges as the most apt description for the religion fostered at the mission.To illustrate the meaning of revival religion among Catholics the author studies handbooks for Catholic revivals, sermons of mission preachers and newspaper accounts of the mission. In particular he concentrates on the sermons of Redemptorist and Paulist preachers. From these sources the article argues that Catholics were being nurtured in an evangelical piety that stressed individual conversion; the preachers proclaimed a theology of individualism that was rooted in the theme of repentance and pressed upon the people in an urgent, emotion-filled manner. The moral qualities of right behavior were also stressed and chief among these was the spirit of temperance. A notable difference from Protestant revivalism was the Catholic emphasis on the sacrament of penance in the personal experience of conversion. Catholic revivals encouraged a sacramental evangelicalism that emerged as a major motivating force in the religion of American Catholics in the nineteenth century.
Meaning-Less Differences: Exposing Fallacies and Flaws in “The Word Gap” Hypothesis That Conceal a Dangerous “Language Trap” for Low-Income American Families and Their Children

ABSTRACTThe present article compares and contrasts linguistic findings from longitudinal studies of low-income Americans derived from evidence of recorded family speech interactions. Hart and Risley (1995) employed research assistants who spent 1 hour per month observing language usage among families from different socioeconomic backgrounds in their homes for 2.5 years. Baugh (1983) spent 40 hours per week during seven consecutive summers between 1969 and 1976 as a participant observer in a low-income African American community, conducting tape recorded interviews with African American families in various social circumstances during the final 4 years, which always included recorded interviews within each family home. Comparison of the linguistic results derived from the alternative data collection procedures allow for a reinterpretation of Hart and Risley’s (1995, 2003) conclusions, casting doubt on their findings as well as their speculations about future linguistic prospects for Americans from diverse r...
Irreversible Thermodynamics of Glassy Polymers

In a previous paper1 we laid the physical foundations for the atomic and molecular interpretations of the “internal variables” in theories of irreversible thermodynamics. This we did using the concepts of “deformation kinetics” as a point of departure. The results were two-fold: (i) Non-linear equations of evolution of internal variables were established. (ii) Phenomenological parameters were given an atomic or molecular identity.
Perturbed moments and a longer mollifier for critical zeros of $$\zeta $$ ζ

Let A(s) be a general Dirichlet polynomial and $$\Phi $$ Φ be a smooth function supported in [1, 2] with mild bounds on its derivatives. New main terms for the integral $$I\left( \alpha ,\beta \right) =\int _{\mathbb {R}} \zeta \left( \frac{1}{2}+\alpha +it\right) \zeta \left( \frac{1}{2}+\beta +it\right) |A\left( \frac{1}{2}+it\right) |^2 \Phi \left( \frac{t}{T}\right) dt$$ I α , β = ∫ R ζ 1 2 + α + i t ζ 1 2 + β + i t | A 1 2 + i t | 2 Φ t T d t are given. For the error term, we show that the length of the Feng mollifier can be increased from $$\theta < \frac{17}{33}$$ θ < 17 33 to $$\theta < \frac{6}{11}$$ θ < 6 11 by decomposing the error into Type I and Type II sums and then studying the resulting sums of Kloosterman sums. As an application, we slightly increase the proportion of zeros of $$\zeta (s)$$ ζ ( s ) on the critical line.