cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Individual differences in readers' sentence- and text-level representations

Abstract Poor reading comprehension is often associated with a failure to make appropriate inferences during reading. Do less skilled readers fail to make inferences because they fail to construct accurate propositional representations? We conducted two experiments to investigate individual differences in readers’ sentence- and text-level representations. In Experiment 1, we found no differences in the two groups’ ability to perform a task that is sensitive to the underlying propositional structure of sentences. However, in Experiment 2, we found large differences in the extent to which skilled and less-skilled readers integrated ideas from different parts of a text. We suggest that an important processing bottleneck among less skilled college-aged readers occurs at the discourse level.
Static program analysis of embedded executable assembly code

We consider the problem of automatically checking if coding standards have been followed in the development of embedded applications. The problem arises from practical considerations because DSP chip manufacturers (in our case Texas Instruments) want various third party software developers to adhere to a certain coding standard to facilitate system integration during application development. Checking for compliance with coding standards, in general, is undecidable. Moreover, only machine code of the system components is available since for proprietary reasons vendors of various components do not want to share their source code. In this paper, we describe an approach based on static analysis of embedded assembly code to check for compliance with such coding standards. This static analysis rests on an abstract interpretation framework. We illustrate our approach by showing how we statically analyze the presence of hard-coded pointer variables in embedded assembly code. Hard coded pointer variables are those that are assigned a fixed memory address by the programmer instead of being assigned a value via proper operations in the source language (e.g., malloc/calloc/realloc and & operator in C). Our analyzer takes object code as input, disassembles it, builds the flow-graph, and statically analyzes the flow-graph for the presence of dereferenced pointers that are hard coded. The analyzer is currently being extended to check for compliance with other rules adopted by TI as part of its coding standards.
Patient, procedural, and hardware factors associated with pacemaker lead failures in pediatrics and congenital heart disease

Abstract Objectives To examine outcomes of children with pacemakers over a 22-year period and identify risk factors for lead failure. Background Small patient size, structural cardiac abnormalities, and growth may complicate pediatric pacemaker management. Better knowledge of risk factors for lead failure in these patients may help improve future outcomes. Methods All pacemaker patients followed at one pediatric center 1980–2002 were included. Lead failures were identified retrospectively as leads repaired, replaced, or abandoned due to fracture, insulation break, dislodgement, or abnormalities in pacing or sensing. Risk factors were identified using logistic regression and Cox analyses. Results A total of 1007 leads were implanted in 497 patients during the study period (5175 lead-years). Median age at implant was 9 years (0–55); 64% of patients had structural congenital heart disease. Median follow-up time was 6.2 years (0–22). Lead failure occurred in 155 leads (15%), and 115 patients (23%), with 28% of patients experiencing multiple failures. Significant independent correlates of lead failure included age P = .005), while patients with congenital heart defects experienced more exit block. Epicardial leads were more likely to fail due to fracture or exit block, while transvenous leads failed more due to insulation breaks or dislodgements. Conclusions Pediatric pacing patients have a high incidence lead failures. These occur most commonly in younger patients, structural congenital heart disease, and those with epicardial lead systems. Approaches to pacing system implantation and follow-up in these patients need to be individualized, with special attention to minimizing risk of lead failures. Our findings suggest that expanded utilization of transvenous systems in smaller patients seems justified when anatomy permits.
FDA's conduct, review, and evaluation of inspections of clinical investigators.

This review of the Food and Drug Administration's Bioresearch Monitoring Program focuses on the inspection of clinical investigators who study investigational drugs. The differences between routine, “for-cause,” and bioequivalency/bioavailability inspections are examined, with emphasis on the responsibilities of the clinical investigator, reasons for conducting the inspections, and problems found. Important aspects of the inspection report, such as protocol adherence, records maintenance, informed consent, institutional review board approval, and drug accountability, are outlined. The disqualification and consent agreement processes for investigators with serious problems are explained. FDA policies on third-party notification and remote data entry are noted.
Use of extracts versus whole-cell bacterial suspensions in the identification of Staphylococcus aureus beta-lactamase variants.

We previously have shown that extracts of S. aureus isolates which produce the recognized serotypes of staphylococcal beta-lactamase (A, B, C, D) differ in the rates at which they hydrolyze selected cephalosporins, exhibiting substrate profiles which are distinctive for each serotype. In an effort to simplify the methods employed in identifying the different staphylococcal beta-lactamases, we evaluated whether distinctive substrate profiles could be obtained by using whole-cell suspensions of 115 beta-lactamase-producing isolates of S. aureus. Compared with extracts from the same strains, the whole-cell bacterial suspensions not only were simpler to prepare but enabled beta-lactamase typing of a higher proportion of the evaluated strains (86 versus 97%, respectively). Furthermore, the use of whole-cell bacterial suspensions enabled the simultaneous quantitation of the beta-lactamase activity exhibited by each strain. Additionally, by comparing the quantitative activity of beta-lactamase-induced and -uninduced preparations of the same strain, induction ratios (i.e., induced/uninduced activity) could be derived, yielding information regarding the regulation of beta-lactamase production by each strain. We believe that the utilization of whole-cell methods, such as those employed in this study, will facilitate the investigation of qualitative and quantitative differences in beta-lactamase production among clinical and reference isolates of S. aureus.
Attentional Locus and Ground Dominance in Control of Speed during Low Altitude Flight

During simulated low-altitude flight, participants' control of speed is based on the optical flow rate projected by the ground, even when changes in altitude make this information unreliable and other sources of speed information, such as the flow rate of a cloud layer above the flight path, could help to provide more valid information (Wotring, 2008). This study examined whether this ground bias in perceiving speed could be overcome by using a secondary visual search task to manipulate the attentional focus away from the ground. A task requiring participants to visually scan for potentially-colliding planes either above or below the horizon was coupled with a speed maintenance task similar to the task used by Bennett, Flach, McEwen & Russell (2006) and Wotring, Dyre, & Behre (2008). We found that altitude disturbances induced inappropriate speed control in a similar manner independent of whether the secondary task required the attentional focus to be directed above or below the horizon. These results sug...
Reliability of Central Venous Pressure as a Measure of Changes in Left Sided Intracardiac Pressures

Intracardiac pressures were simultaneously recorded in all cardiac chambers in anesthetized intact dogs during periods of volume overload produced by infusion of a blood saline mixture. The right and left intracardiac pressures increased simultaneously during the interval of infusion with the left side greater than the right side. The administration of a positive myocardial inotropic drug resulted in a corresponding right and left sided decrease in intracardiac pressures. The mean pressure increase in the left atrium was reliably predicted from simultaneous changes in the right atrial pressure. The pressure change in the right atrium when 2 mm are added to adjust for differences in zero reference and then multiplied by two was approximately equivalent to concurrent changes in left atrial pressure.
Acute excitotoxic injury induces expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and its receptor, CCR2, in neonatal rat brain.

Abstract Chemokines are a family of structurally related cytokines that activate and recruit leukocytes into areas of inflammation. The “CC” chemokine, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 may regulate the microglia/monocyte response to acute brain injury. Recent studies have documented increased expression of MCP-1 in diverse acute and chronic experimental brain injury models; in contrast, there is little information regarding expression of the MCP-1 receptor, CCR2, in the brain. In the neonatal rat brain, acute excitotoxic injury elicits a rapid and intense microglial response. To determine if MCP-1 could be a regulator of this response, we evaluated the impact of excitotoxic injury on MCP-1 and CCR2 expression in the neonatal rat brain. We used a reproducible model of focal excitotoxic brain injury elicited by intrahippocampal injection of NMDA (10 nmol) in 7-day-old rats, to examine injury-induced alterations in MCP-1 and CCR2 expression. RT-PCR assays demonstrated rapid stimulation of both MCP-1 and CCR2 mRNA expression. MCP-1 protein content, measured by ELISA in tissue extracts, increased >30-fold in lesioned tissue 8–12 h after lesioning. CCR2 protein was also detectable in tissue extracts. Double-immunofluorescent labeling enabled localization of CCR2 both to activated microglia/monocytes in the corpus callosum adjacent to the lesioned hippocampus and subsequently in microglia/monocytes infiltrating the pyramidal cell layer of the lesioned hippocampus. These results demonstrate that in the neonatal brain, acute excitotoxic injury stimulates expression of both MCP-1 and its receptor, CCR2, and suggests that MCP-1 regulates the microglial/monocyte response to acute brain injury.
Teaching Office-Based Couples Counseling Skills: Enhancing Residents Professional and Personal Relationship Skills

Effective communication skills are essential for: 1) developing therapeutic physician-patient relationships; 2) negotiating within healthcare teams; and 3) maintaining meaningful personal relationships. This article describes a behavioral science seminar designed to teach residents the fundamentals of couple dynamics and familiarize them with a variety of tools for enhancing communication skills. The seminar consists of a didactic portion, a review of learning materials and instructional DVD, and group discussion. Learning objectives include: a) recognizing the developmental stages of relationships; b) identifying potential communication barriers; and c) use of communication skills tools in three contexts including patient care, healthcare teams, and personal relationships. The seminar is conducted for third-year residents on an annual basis; concepts and materials are reinforced throughout all 3 years of training.
Marihuana and Crime: A Survey Report

(1972). Marihuana and Crime: A Survey Report. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 5, The Politics of Uppers and Downers, pp. 183-191.
Nab proteins are essential for peripheral nervous system myelination

Mutations that disrupt Egr2 transcriptional activity cause severe demyelinating peripheral neuropathies. Here we provide evidence that Nab1 and Nab2 proteins are critical transcriptional modulators of Egr2 in myelinating Schwann cells. Like Egr2, these proteins are essential for Schwann cell differentiation into the myelinating state. Mice lacking both Nab1 and Nab2 show severe congenital hypomyelination of peripheral nerves, with Schwann cell development arresting at the promyelinating stage, despite elevated Egr2 expression. As observed for Egr2, Nab proteins are necessary for Schwann cells to exit the cell cycle, downregulate suppressed cAMP-inducible protein (SCIP) expression and upregulate expression of critical myelination genes. The mRNA expression signature of Schwann cells deficient in both Nab1 and Nab2 is highly similar to that of Egr2-deficient Schwann cells, further indicating that the Egr2/Nab protein complex is a key regulator of the Schwann cell myelination program and that disruption of this transcriptional complex is likely to result in Schwann cell dysfunction in patients with Egr2 mutations.
Spatially coherent beam formation and mode locking of an array of solid state lasers

A study is reported on the spatially coherent beam formation from an array of four Nd-glass lasers and on mode locking their longitudinal modes. The results indicate a nearly 16 times increase in radiance. For mode locking, only a single modulator is required. A spatial filter in the optical cavity performs the spatially coherent beam formation and the precision synchronization of the mode-locked pulses at the output mirror of the optical cavity.
Hybrid radiofrequency and cryoablation device: preliminary results in an animal model.

PURPOSE To determine whether the simultaneous application of combined bipolar radiofrequency (RF) ablation and cryoablation in a hybrid system produces larger ablation zones than RF or cryoablation alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS Multiple 15-minute ablations were performed in ex vivo bovine liver ( n = 167) with a hybrid applicator system with RF ablation alone (0.3–0.7 A), cryoablation alone (3,500 psi, two freeze/thaw cycles), and combined RF/cryoablation (0.4–0.7 A, 1,000–3,500 psi) with use of a novel applicator consisting of two 2.5-cm active bipolar RF poles located on the same 18-gauge needle separated by two embedded cryoablation nozzles. Resultant coagulation diameters were compared with use of analysis of variance for more than three groups or Student t tests for two groups. Confirmation of the optimal parameters of combination RF/cryoablation was performed by reassessing a range of argon pressure (1,000–3,500 psi) and RF current (0.4–0.7 A) in in vivo porcine liver ( n = 36). Arrays of two to four RF/cryoablation applicators were also assessed in ex vivo ( n = 54) and in vivo ( n = 12) liver. RESULTS In ex vivo liver, simultaneous RF/cryoablation (0.6 A, 3,000 psi) produced 3.6 cm ± 0.4 of short-axis coagulation. This was significantly larger than that achieved with optimal RF alone or cryoablation alone (1.5 cm ± 0.3 and 1.6 cm ± 0.3, respectively; F=95; P r 2 of 0.68. For in vivo liver, optimal combination RF/cryoablation achieved 3.3 cm P P CONCLUSION Simultaneous combination RF and cryoablation with use of a novel applicator design yielded significantly larger zones of coagulation than either modality alone. The large ablation diameters achieved warrant further investigation of the device.
Pharmacokinetic Changes in Critical Illness

Physiologic alterations in critically ill patients can significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of drugs used in the critically ill patient population. Understanding these pharmacokinetic changes is essential relative to optimizing drug therapy. This article outlines the major differences seen in the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of drugs in critically ill patients. Important strategies for drug therapy dosing and monitoring in these patients are also addressed.
Sunspot equilibria (rational bubbles) in a model of money-in-the-utility-function

Abstract Sunspot equilibria are constructed in Brock's (1975) model of money-in-the-utility-function. Serial correlations of real balances and the nominal interest rate in these equilibria can be either positive or negative. The example here suggests that local sunspots are more likely to exist when the agent's discount rate is small and that serial correlations in local sunspots, when they exist, are inversely related to the rate of money growth. It is also shown that stationary sunspots may exist even when equilibrium cycles do not.
Analysis of automotive body assembly system configurations for quality and productivity

Traditional assembly systems for automotive bodies have been designed using serial configurations. Advancements in controls and other technologies allow implementation of alternative system configurations, such as parallel and hybrid configurations. These configurations offer improvements in productivity, but their performance with regard to quality, particularly dimensional variation, is not well understood. We show that trade-offs exist between quality and productivity for various configurations. The traditional serial assembly line offers the worst performance for both productivity and quality. Important factors that impact these measures are identified. Guidelines are developed to aid the selection of a system configuration that is appropriate for total system performance.
Effect of Overspray Treatments on the Processing Efficiency of a 50/50 Flax/Cotton Blend

Limited studies exist related to the short-staple spinning of flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum and Gossyp- ium barbadense) blends. The purpose of this study was to determine if various surface chemical treat- ments, including water, salt solution, and a suspen- sion of polymer encapsulated silica nanoparticles applied via rotor spraying techniques were either detrimental or beneficial to spinning. Results indi- cate that neither yarn processing efficiency nor yarn quality appears to be significantly influenced by any of the spray applications in the case of 100% cotton. However, in the case of the flax blend yarns studied, processing efficiencies were impacted with fewer ends-down in the case of the nanoparticle solution in conjunction with signifi- cant yarn quality improvements. In addition, the application of a potassium malate salt solution also appears to significantly impact the amount of foreign matter present in the sliver, possibly due to anti-static effects. The beneficial effects produced are such that the application of chemical over- sprays appears to be a viable option for textile mills wanting to spin flax more efficiently. Results also indicate that chemical overspraying can be benefi- cial to yarn properties, but additional research is needed for the optimization of this practice.
Comparative effects of beta-adrenergic blocking drugs on experimental ventricular fibrillation threshold

Abstract Recent clinical studies suggest that certain betaadrenergic blocking drugs, such as timolol, may reduce sudden death in patients with ischemic heart disease, but the mechanism has not been established. To assess and compare antifibrillatory effects of beta-blocking drugs as a potential mechanism of sudden death prevention, the ventricular fibrillation (VF) threshold was measured in anesthetized, open-chest dogs before and after 3 minutes of coronary ischemia during intravenous administration of saline solution or 3-fold serial increments (0.003 to 1.0 mg/kg) of 5 beta-blocking drugs with various accessory properties. Ventricular fibrillation occurred in control studies after delivery of a current train of 11.7 ± 7.6 mA in the nonischemic state and 7.0 ± 7.4 mA during ischemia (n = 46). All 5 betablocking drugs but not saline solution caused substantial (average 6-fold) increases (p
PPM-chain - de novo peptide identification program comparable in performance to Sequest

Recently, we introduced probability profile method (PPM), which utilizes neutral-loss neighborhoods around each peak in MS/MS spectrum to "label" it: to assign a probability that the peak in question belongs to one of the specific categories (such as b- or y-ion peaks). Here we present the PPM-chain program - a PPM-based tool for de novo protein tag identification. De novo peptide identification involves finding a connected sequence of ion peaks separated by amino acid mass intervals, corresponding to a tag - partial peptide of the source protein. In the existing approaches the number of the possible connected sequences may run into hundreds of thousands, and it increases exponentially with the desired length of the tag. PPM can be used to locate high probability islands, containing very pure sets of b- and y-ion peaks, thereby reducing computational complexity and sharply increasing precision of tagging. In addition, the obtained tags can be reliably ranked using PPM-derived probabilities assigned to the connected peaks. The value of peptide tags was demonstrated on a large database of /spl sim/20,000 spectra. With the additional flanking mass constraints PPM-chain shows precision and coverage similar to the field industrial-power standard - Sequest program, while providing a set of novel unique capabilities and significantly outperforming Sequest in speed.
Squeezed states in the context of Langevin equations and non-positive-definite diffusion coefficients

We consider a vector c-number Langevin equation describing a single mode of the radiation field under the influence of a quadratic nonlinear interaction. The nonlinearity of the interaction is found to give rise to a nonzero diffusion matrix, which may be non-positive-definite. Using this diffusion matrix, we derive and solve an equation for the variance matrix of the system. An analysis of the solution then yields information about the production and properties of squeezing. In particular, we find that pulsed pumping of the medium, as compared with continuous pumping, can significantly enhance the maximum level of squeezing. Finally, we delineate the role of the non-positive-definite diffusion matrix through a discussion of the physical source of squeezing.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Propionic and Methylmalonic Acidaemia by Stable Isotope Dilution Analysis of Amniotic Fluid

Stable isotope dilution gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis of methylcitric acid in amniotic fluid for the rapid and accurate prenatal diagnosis of propionic acidaemia (McKusick 23200) and methylmalonic acidaemia (McKusick 25100) was first described in 1980 (Naylor et al., 1980). This was soon followed by similar methods for the determination of methylmalonic acid in amniotic fluid for prenatal diagnosis of methylmalonic acidaemia (Trefz et al.,1981; Zinn et al., 1982; Sweetman et al.,1982). We describe here our results for the prenatal diagnosis of 102 pregnancies at risk for either propionic acidaemia or methylmalonic acidaemia.
Growth characteristics of children with ectodermal dysplasia syndromes.

Objective. Clinical observations suggested that growth abnormalities may be present in children with ectodermal dysplasia (ED) syndromes. This study characterizes the longitudinal pattern of growth in a cohort of children with the ED syndromes. We hypothesized that (1) linear and ponderal growth abnormalities are present in children with ED from infancy through adolescence, and (2) linear and ponderal growth abnormalities differ among the clinical variants of these disorders. Methods. We studied 138 children who had ED and were registered with the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias, 74% of whom had clinical features consistent with the hypohidrotic EDs (HEDs). Height (or length) and weight measurements were obtained by standardized techniques and from review of available medical records. We converted these measurements to weight-for-height (children younger than 5 years and z scores. We applied linear regression, 1-sample t tests, and analysis of variance to detect linear and ponderal growth abnormalities in children with ED compared with a reference population. Results. Mean weight-for-age, weight-for-height, and BMI-for-age z scores but not height-for-age z score, were significantly lower in children with the ED syndromes than in the reference population. Mean weight-for-age and weight-for-height z scores but not BMI-for-age or height-for-age z scores increased significantly with increasing age. The mean height-for-age z score of children with the ED syndromes other than the HEDs was significantly lower than that of children with the HEDs. Conclusions. Growth abnormalities, measured as weight deficits, were present at an early age in children with the ED syndromes and persisted through adolescence. Height deficits were seen only in children with ED syndromes other than HEDs. Clinicians should evaluate carefully children with ED syndromes for growth abnormalities.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ROOT GROWTH OF FLAX (LINUM USITATISSIMUM) AND SOIL WATER POTENTIAL

Summary Flax plants were grown in vertical cylinders of soil contained in polyethylene tubing. Root growth was estimated from the number of roots crossing vertical and horizontal lines on the tube surface. After the plants were 29 days old, some of the soil cylinders received no more water, and root growth and soil water content in each 10 cm layer of soil were determined at 2-day intervals. When a graph of root growth against soil water potential is plotted, points from each 10 cm layer fall approximately on the same concave curve. A marked reduction in root growth first occurred at — 7 bars total water potential. At — 15 bars, root growth was 20% or less of the rate before drying, but some root growth occurred in soil drier than — 20 bars. The results suggest that root growth in each layer was not influenced by water potential elsewhere in the plant.
Cost-benefit analysis to address runaway health care expenditures through lifestyle modification recommendations

The cost of health care in the United States has been increasing at an annual rate of 9.8%, faster than the cost of living, since 1970. This is due to many factors, the most significant being preventable and manageable chronic conditions and diseases, known as comorbidities. These comorbidities are associated with individuals who classify as being overweight or obese, representing 68% of the United States population. This creates a strain on the health care system and the economy. Decreasing the number of overweight or obese individuals is necessary to reduce the prevalence of weight-related comorbidities. This can be accomplished through establishing and maintaining the proper energy balance between caloric intake and physical activity. The government leads many efforts to educate individuals on the importance of incorporating nutrition and physical activity. Since limited budgets for encouraging participation exist, a need exists for a system designed to assist policy makers in determining which age cohorts, or groups, given a level of adherence to recommendations, would result in the most benefit to stakeholders. An analysis was conducted to determine which 10-year age cohort(s) should be targeted for health promotion in efforts to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obese individuals. Each age cohort's participation and predicted weight loss was simulated using a validated weight prediction model. Weight loss resulted from partial cohort adherence to nutritional and physical activity recommendations. Design Alternatives were evaluated on effectiveness, determined by weight loss The analysis showed that if 30, 60, or 90 percent of a given cohort adhered to government recommendations, the 60-year age cohorts' outcome would result in the greatest benefit for the smallest cost. The remaining alternatives were ranked based on their cost benefit. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to determine if the results were sensitive to changes of the importance of the benefit measures. The results demonstrated that the 60-year age cohort was the best alternative in all cases.
Temporary skeletal anchorage devices: The case for miniscrews

5 According to Newton's Third Law, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Orthodontists must acknowledge this law every time they try to move teeth. Simply stated, every desired tooth movement has the potential to simultaneously create an undesired tooth movement. Orthodontic anchorage is defined as the resistance to such undesired tooth movement and can be achieved by more or less predictable methods. For space closure, 3 anchorage situations are traditionally defined by the ratio of incisor retraction to molar protraction. Maximum anchorage describes space closure mostly by incisor retraction and, to a lesser degree, by molar protraction (ratio of 2:1). Moderate anchorage comes with equal parts of incisor retraction and molar protraction (ratio of 1:1), whereas minimal anchorage allows spaces to close mostly by molar protraction and less by incisor retraction (ratio of 1:2). Traditionally, this type of anchorage control relies heavily on other appliances that add to the anchorage segment, such as compliance-dependent headgear or the noncompliance-dependent Nance appliance or, for instance, on elastic wear, which again depends on compliance. Although headgear incorporates skeletal structures into the anchorage segment (eg, high-pull headgear uses the occipital bone), elastics incorporate only other teeth into the anchorage segment, and this carries the potential for further side effects in the opposing dental arch. The philosophy behind skeletal anchorage is that if the reactive forces can be absorbed by skeletal structures, tooth movement can be limited to the desired therapeutic movements, and the undesirable reactive side effects can be prevented entirely. Such a situation can nowadays be created by temporarily implanting small devices into the patient's jawbone and using
Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy for Ventricular Arrhythmias: Current Perspectives

Pharmacologic therapy for ventricular arrhythmias has undergone a remarkable change recently. Recognition of the importance of underlying structural heart disease on prognostic implications of ventricular arrhythmias has resulted in the refinement of the clinical classification of these arrhythmias. With refinement of techniques of risk stratification, it is now possible to identify patients ventricular arrhythmias at high risk for sudden death. Retrospective analyses of prior antiarrhythmic drug trials and new data from prospective randomized trials are now available and can more directly define the risks and benefits of antiarrhythmic therapy. Prevention of sudden death, reduction in total mortality, or improvement in symptoms remain the only benefits of antiarrhythmic drugs. With inclusion of total mortality as the major endpoint for assessment of pharmacologic interventions in high-risk patients, the potential for excess mortality due to antiarrhythmic agents is now recognized. The pharmacologic diversity of newly released antiarrhythmic agents and others under development has resulted in a re-evaluation of the traditional classification of these drugs. Multiple ongoing clinical trials will define the risks and benefits of antiarrhythmic therapy and other nonpharmacologic interventions in patients with ventricular arrhythmias.
Participant characteristics and buprenorphine dose.

Background: Clinical parameters for determining buprenorphine dose have not been adequately examined in treatment outcome research. Objectives: This study is a secondary analysis of data collected in a recently completed comparison of buprenorphine taper schedules conducted as part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Clinical Trials Network to assess whether participant baseline characteristics are associated with buprenorphine dose. Methods: After 3 weeks of flexible dosing, 516 participants were categorized by dose provided in the final dosing week (9.3% received a final week dose of 8 mg buprenorphine, 27.3% received 16 mg, and 63.4% received 24 mg). Results: Findings show that final week dose groups differed in baseline demographic and drug use characteristics including education, heroin use, route of drug administration, withdrawal symptoms, and craving. These groups also differed in opioid use during the four dosing weeks, with the lowest use in the 8 mg group and highest use in the 24 mg grou...
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy and Apnea (MBPA) A Survey of Apnea Programs

The authors sent questionnaires to 127 apnea monitoring programs asking whether they had treated patients whose apnea appeared to have been induced by a parent (Munchausen syndrome by proxy-apnea, or MBPA). Fifty-one programs (40%) reported 54 cases of this kind from among their 20,090 monitored patients (0.27%). The authors obtained further information on 32 of these patients, 83% of whom presented with infantile apnea before the third month of life. Although medical problems were documented, including apnea, the clinical condition of these infants was inconsistent with the multiple life-threatening episodes typically reported by parents. Twenty-one of the infants reportedly received cardiopulmonary resuscitation at home, 15 had ambulance calls to the home, and 24 were rehospitalized. Child Protective Service agencies were consulted for 12 patients, 5 of whom were placed in foster homes. Three index infants and five siblings are known to be dead, and one additional infant is severely brain damaged from abuse.
View-Invariant Action Recognition Using Rank Constraint

We propose a new method for view-invariant action recognition based on the rank constraint on the family of planar homographies associated with triplets of body points. We represent action as a sequence of poses and we use the fact that the family of homographies associated with two identical poses would have rank 4 to gauge similarity of the pose between two subjects, observed by different perspective cameras and from different viewpoints. Extensive experimental results show that our method can accurately identify action from video sequences when they are observed from totally different viewpoints with different camera parameters.
Age and Its Association with Low Insulin and High Amyloid-β Peptides in Blood

Age is the major risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), and modifying age-related factors may help to delay the onset of the disease. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between age and the metabolic factors related to the risk of developing AD. The concentrations of insulin, amylin, and amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in plasma were measured. We further measured the activity of serum Aβ degradation by using fluorescein- and biotin-labeled Aβ40. Apolipoprotein E4 allele (ApoE4) and cognitive impairment were characterized. Subjects were divided into three age groups: 60-70, 70-80, and ≥80 years old. We found that the older the subjects, the lower the concentration of insulin (p = 0.001) and the higher the concentration of Aβ1-40 (p = 0.004) in plasma. However, age was not associated with the concentration of another pancreatic peptide, amylin, and only marginally with Aβ1-42. These relationships remained in the absence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, and regardless of the presence of ApoE4 and cognitive impairment. Both age and ApoE4 were inversely associated with, while insulin was positively associated with, the activities of Aβ degradation in serum. Our study suggested that low concentration of insulin and high concentration of Aβ40 are aging factors related to the risk of AD.
Antenatal ultrasound for fetal anomalies: importance of perinatal autopsy.

Sixty-one instances of congenital anomalies identified prenatally by ultrasound were reviewed to determine whether autopsy provided important additional information. An important finding was defined as one which would affect: 1) genetic counseling; 2) diagnosis of a syndrome; 3) determination of etiology or pathogenetic mechanism of the anomaly; or 4) interpretation of severity of the anomalies. In 28 cases (46%), post-mortem examination provided such information. All of these infants had multiple anomalies; correlations with oligohydramnios and poor fetal outcome were noted. Autopsy provided no additional meaningful information in 30 cases (49%), the majority (77%) of whom had isolated anomalies. In 3 cases (5%), due to tissue autolysis, autopsy provided less information than the previous ultrasound. Although most fetal anomalies are readily diagnosed by ultrasound, we found that postmortem examination is still necessary: 1) to confirm a prenatal diagnosis; 2) to delineate multiple anomalies; 3) when the...
Mothering the Fatherland: A Protestant Sisterhood Repents for the Holocaust, by George Faithful, New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, xvii + 270 pp., ISBN 978 019 936346 9, US$74.00 (cloth)

In Mothering the Fatherland: A Protestant Sisterhood Repents for the Holocaust, George Faithful provides us with an insightful study of the Ecumenical Sisterhood of Mary (now the Evangelical Sister...
Cardiac Arrhythmias and Transcatheter Ablation

The normal heartbeat is initiated by specialized cardiac cells (so-called pacemaker cells) located in the right atrium adjacent to its junction with the superior vena cava. These cells make up a specialized, albeit somewhat diffuse, region of the right atrium called the sinus node.
A reduced SAND method for nonlinear design problems in mechanics

An SQP-based reduced Hessian method for simultaneous analysis and design (SAND) in mechanics is presented and compared with conventional nested methods. It is shown that it is possible to decompose the SAND formulation in such a way as to preserve its advantages while avoiding its shortcomings. The resulting reduced SAND method is of the same size as conventional nested methods but it is computationally more efficient. The presentation here builds on previous research on SAND methods generalizing the formulation to cases with both equality and inequality constraints. The new version of the reduced SAND method is tested in the context of weight minimization of 3D truss structures with geometrically nonlinear behavior. (Author)
REVISING A CLASSIC BUTTERFLY MIMICRY SCENARIO: DEMONSTRATION OF MÜLLERIAN MIMICRY BETWEEN FLORIDA VICEROYS (LIMENITIS ARCHIPPUS FLORIDENSIS) AND QUEENS (DANAUS GILIPPUS BERENICE).

Batesian and Mullerian mimicry relationships differ greatly in terms of selective pressures affecting the participants; hence, accurately characterizing a mimetic interaction is a crucial prerequisite to understanding the selective milieux of model, mimic, and predator. Florida viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus floridensis) are conventionally characterized as palatable Batesian mimics of distasteful Florida queens (Danaus gilippus berenice). However, recent experiments indicate that both butterflies are moderately distasteful, suggesting they may be Mullerian comimics. To directly test whether the butterflies exemplify Mullerian mimicry, I performed two reciprocal experiments using red-winged blackbird predators. In Experiment 1, each of eight birds was exposed to a series of eight queens as "models," then offered four choice trials involving a viceroy (the putative "mimic") versus a novel alternative butterfly. If mimicry was effective, viceroys should be attacked less than alternatives. I also compared the birds' reactions to solo viceroy "mimics" offered before and after queen models, hypothesizing that attack rate on the viceroy would decrease after birds had been exposed to queen models. In Experiment 2, 12 birds were tested with viceroys as models and queens as putative mimics. The experiments revealed that (1) viceroys and queens offered as models were both moderately unpalatable (only 16% entirely eaten), (2) some birds apparently developed conditioned aversions to viceroy or queen models after only eight exposures, (3) in the subsequent choice trials, viceroy and queen "mimics" were attacked significantly less than alternatives, and (4) solo postmodel mimics were attacked significantly less than solo premodel mimics. Therefore, under these experimental conditions, sampled Florida viceroys and queens are comimics and exemplify Mullerian, not Batesian, mimicry. This compels a reassessment of selective forces affecting the butterflies and their predators, and sets the stage for a broader empirical investigation of the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of mimicry.
Seroepidemiological Investigation on Tsutsugamushi Disease of People and Livestock in Different Regions of Anhui Province

Objective To explore the prevalence situation and the characteristics of distribution of Tsutsugamushi disease in population and livestock in the hills and Huaibei plain of Anhui province,and to provide a scientific basis for its prevention and treatment.Methods 613 serum samples of people in rural area and 150 serum sample of livestock were collected in GuangDe,MingGuang and HuaiYuan county from April to May of 2009.Indirect fluorescence assay(IFA) was used to detect the Rickettsia Tsutsugamushi Antibody level.Meanwhile,in accordance with different geographical region,different age and different sex,the antibody level of the serum samples were made a comparison.Results Among those 613 human serum samples,the antibody-positive sera were 241,the positive rate reached 39.31%,and there were significant differences in antibody levels of human serum samples in different regions,age and sex groups.Among 150 serum samples of livestock,the antibody-positive sera were 71,the positive rate reached 47.33%,and there was significant difference in the antibody levels of serum samples of livestock in different regions.Conclusion Some rural areas in Anhui province were the endemic areas of Tsutsugamushi disease.In recent years,its outbreaks have occurred in the hills and Huaibei Plain,so it is necessary to strengthen prevention and control for the disexse.
Research and Simulation of Terrorist Attack Risk Prediction Based on Big Data Analysis

A risk prediction method of terrorist attack is presented based on big data analysis. A data analysis model of comprehensive evaluation for major terrorist attack risk is established,the implied information in the historical data is studied by using big data analysis model to the terrorist attacks,and the future terrorist attacks are predicted by using the obtained results. Recursive calculation of multi- step time sequence is applied to the prediction process,every step will predict the uncertainty as a factor to give full consideration to the input of the next prediction iteration,and the prediction accuracy is improved. The simulation result proves that theproposed method has high precision and efficiency.
Characteristics of head injuries-data from the Jiangsu Injury Surveillance System, 2006-2014

OBJECTIVE: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of head injuries through data gathered from the Jiangsu Injury Surveillance System. METHODS: Data on head injury that occurred during 2006-2014 were collected from the Jiangsu injury surveillance system and analyzed by SPSS 19.0 software. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2014, data on 133 172 cases of head injuries were collected which accounting for 26.2% (133 172/509 175) of all the injury cases. Among them, males were 2.18 times higher than the females. The top five leading causes of head injuries were falls 24.6% (32 796/133 172), blunt force injuries 24.4% (32 446/133 172), motor car accident injuries 20.3% (26 993/133 172), knife or sharp force injuries 10.7% (14 183/133 172) and non-motor car accident injuries 6.7% (8 919/133 172). Main locations that head injuries occured would involve roads/streets 32.5% (43 262/133 172), working places 22.2% (29 526/133 172), at home 20.5% (27 925/133 172) and public residences 10.8% (14 367/133 172). Recreation activates 37.9% (50 479/133 172), driving 26.1% (34 749/133 172), paid jobs 24.8% (33 034/133 172) were the three major activities related to head injuries. Severity of injuries would depend on the situations on site. As for minor injuries, bruise accounted for 63.5% (67 929/106 912). Brain trauma 21.5% (5 119/23 803) and fracture 14.9% (3 554/23 803) appeared an increasing trend. Severe injuries would include brain trauma 74.6% (1 833/2 457). 78.8% (104 940/133 172) of the patients with head injuries would go home after receiving treatment the hospital, with fetality only as 0.1% (134/133 172). CONCLUSION: Data from the Jiangsu surveillance program showed that Head injury appeared the highest proportion among all the body injuries that called for special attention. Language: zh
Vasculitic Neuropathies and Neuropathies of Connective Tissue Diseases

The primary connective tissue diseases (also called collagen vascular diseases) are likely autoimmune with poorly understood mechanisms. This chapter reviews the non-autonomic neuropathies associated with the primary vasculitic and other connective tissue diseases. Connective tissue diseases rarely accompanied by neuropathy are not discussed (e.g., mixed connective tissue disease, relapsing polychondritis, the spondyloarthritides, dermatomyositis, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, and Behcet’s disease).
Mentoring Graduate Students

The mentoring relationship between faculty and graduate students is unique and mutually beneficial. In some circumstances, graduate students may be working as they take graduate classes and their careers may be a source for collaborative research projects. By establishing mentoring partnerships with graduate students, faculty stay close to the “trenches” in their fields and have a practical understanding of the realities that their students face in their careers. Students who are mentored by faculty gain expertise in their field as they learn current research and study the theories that inform their practice. Students who work as research assistants and teaching associates at the university level learn from their mentors as they observe their mentors’ work and pattern their practice after their mentors. As such, the role of the faculty mentor is critical when working with graduate students because they are shaping the future of the profession. This chapter will describe how graduate students are mentored through scholarly projects and internships before turning toward a description of the unique needs of mentoring graduate students who are women and those from minoritized racial and ethnic groups.
Latino Families' Experiences With Autism Services: Disparities, Capabilities, and Occupational Justice.

This article examines six cases of publicly funded Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for Latino children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to contribute to thinking about occupational justice. In this ethnographic study of six Latino families of children with ASD in Los Angeles County, all families were offered ABA for their children, but five families experienced occupational challenges leading them to insist on modifications of ABA or to opt out of the service. We consider in each case (a) how the families’ experiences can be understood occupationally, (b) how ABA affected the functionings and capabilities of the children and their families, and (c) how the parents’ accounts relate to occupational justice. Applying the capabilities approach can help operationalize the concept of occupational justice as a tool to evaluate social policy across cases.
Retinal Image Quality Classification Using Saliency Maps and CNNs

Retinal image quality assessment (IQA) algorithms use different hand crafted features without considering the important role of the human visual system (HVS). We solve the IQA problem using the principles behind the working of the HVS. Unsupervised information from local saliency maps and supervised information from trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are combined to make a final decision on image quality. A novel algorithm is proposed that calculates saliency values for every image pixel at multiple scales to capture global and local image information. This extracts generalized image information in an unsupervised manner while CNNs provide a principled approach to feature learning without the need to define hand-crafted features. The individual classification decisions are fused by weighting them according to their confidence scores. Experimental results on real datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed algorithm over competing methods.