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Aims: This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of iltamiocel investigational autologous muscle cell therapy in females with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Methods: Adult females were randomized 2:1 to iltamiocel (150 × 106 cells) or placebo and stratified by severity and prior SUI surgery. The primary objective was efficacy based on the frequency of stress incontinence episodes (SIE) recorded in a 3‐day diary at 12 months posttreatment. After 12 months, placebo participants could elect to receive open‐label iltamiocel. Efficacy and safety analyses were performed using all patients as treated populations. Results: The study enrolled 311 patients, 297 were randomized to either iltamiocel (n = 199) or placebo (n = 98). Of the 295 participants that completed 12 months blinded follow‐up, the proportion achieving the primary endpoint of ≥ 50% SIE reduction was not statistically different between treatment groups (52% vs. 53.6%; p = 0.798). A significantly greater proportion of iltamiocel participants in the prior SUI surgery stratum group achieved ≥ 75% SIE reduction compared with placebo, (40% vs. 16%; p = 0.037). Treatment response was maintained at 24 months in 78.4% and 64.9% of iltamiocel participants who achieved ≥ 50% and ≥ 75% SIE reduction, respectively, at Month 12. Adverse events related to the treatment were reported in 19 (9.5%) iltamiocel participants and 6 (6.1%) placebo participants. Conclusion: The study did not meet its primary endpoint however, iltamiocel cell therapy is safe and may be ideally suited to female patients who have undergone prior surgery for SUI. Additional study in this group of patients with high unmet medical needs is warranted. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01893138; EudraCT number: 2014‐002919‐41. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatomy is an essential component of clinical anesthesiology. The use of simulated patients and alternative materials, including embalmed human bodies, have become increasingly common during resident physician training due to the deemphasis on anatomical education during undergraduate medical training. In this report, the need for a more extensive review of relevant anatomy for the practice of anesthesiology was addressed by the design, evaluation, and dissemination of a human dissection course for procedural training of anesthesiology residents. The course utilized "freedom art" embalmed human bodies that allowed trainees to perform ultrasound‐based regional and neuraxial techniques followed by detailed dissections of critical anatomy. One hundred and four residents participated in workshops and small group discussions and were evaluated using pre‐ and post‐course assessments. A variety of clinical techniques were performed on the bodies, including regional blocks and neuraxial catheter placement. Insertion of peripheral/neuraxial catheters was successful, with dissections demonstrating the expected placement. Assessment scores improved following the course (pre‐course mean 52.7%, standard deviation (σ) 13.1%; post‐course mean 72.2%, σ 11.6%; t‐test p < 0.0001) and feedback highlighted the usefulness and clinical relevance of course content. The ability to correlate ultrasound imaging with subsequent dissections of the "blocked" area and visualization of dye staining was extremely relevant for spatial understanding of the anatomy relevant for the clinical practice of these techniques. This manuscript demonstrates successful implementation of a comprehensive course for anesthesiology resident physicians to address gaps in undergraduate anatomical education and suggests that broader adoption of dissection courses may be beneficial for training anesthesiologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Liver transplantation surgeries are challenging cases for anesthesiologists. While intra‐operative teaching is paramount, simulation has emerged as an educational tool to augment clinical training. A variety of simulation modalities have been described in the literature, but no study has aimed to assess the use of simulation in liver transplantation fellowship training. Methods: A 20‐question survey detailing the use of simulation, including simulation modalities used and barriers to simulation use, was developed and distributed to 22 program directors for liver transplantation anesthesiology fellowships. An exploratory analysis was performed on multiple‐choice and free‐text responses. Results: Thirteen program directors completed the survey and were included in our analysis. Most programs (61.5%) did not report the use of simulation for liver transplantation fellow training. Of the programs that did use simulation, four required it as a mandatory component of their curriculum. Task trainers and screen‐based simulators were more commonly used by these programs. Faculty availability and interest, as well as a lack of an established curriculum, were cited as major limitations to simulation use. Conclusions: Simulation is an important component of anesthesiology trainee education, as evidenced by the requirement for simulation during residency by the American Council for Graduate Medical Education. Our findings suggest that simulation is an underutilized educational tool that we believe could greatly augment the training of liver transplantation anesthesiology fellows by providing exposure to a wide range of clinical challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effect of psychosocial problems on listing outcomes and potential interactions with functional metrics is not well‐characterized among Veteran transplant candidates. Methods: The results from psychosocial evaluations, frailty metrics, and biochemical markers were collected on 375 consecutive Veteran kidney transplant candidates. Psychosocial diagnoses were compared between patients listed or denied for transplant. Functional abilities were compared among patients with or without psychosocial diagnoses and then evaluated based on reason for denial. Results: Eighty‐four percent of patients had a psychosocial diagnosis. Common issues included substance or alcohol abuse (62%), psychiatric diagnoses (50%), and poor adherence (25%). Patients with psychiatric diagnoses, cognitive impairments, and poor adherence were more likely to be denied for transplant (P <.05). Patients with depression, PTSD, and anxiety did not have worse functional ability, but experienced more exhaustion than patients without these problems. Patients denied for medical but not purely psychosocial reasons had worse troponin and functional metrics compared with listed patients. Conclusion: Over 80% of patients with a psychosocial diagnosis were listed; however, poor adherence was a particularly important reason for denial for purely psychosocial reasons. Patients with psychosocial diagnoses generally were not more functionally limited than their counterparts without psychosocial diagnoses or those listed for transplant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intraoperative pain is a possible complication of neuraxial anaesthesia for caesarean delivery. There is little information available about its incidence, risk factors and physician perception. Methods: Parturients undergoing spinal anaesthesia for elective caesarean delivery were enrolled. Before surgery, parturients were asked about preoperative anxiety on a verbal numerical scale (VNS), anticipated analgesic requirement, postoperative pain levels, Spielberger STATE‐TRAIT inventory index, Pain Catastrophizing Scale. After surgery, parturients were asked to answer questions (intraoperative VNS pain). The anaesthesiologist and obstetrician were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking about perceived intraoperative pain. Influence of preoperative anxiety on intraoperative pain (yes/no) was assessed using logistic regression. Mc Fadden's R2 was calculated. The agreement in physician perception of intraoperative pain with reported pain by the parturient was examined by calculating Cohen's kappa and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Results: We included 193 parturients in our analysis. Incidence of intraoperative pain was 11.9%. Median intraoperative VNS pain of parturients with pain was 4.0 (1st quartile 4.0; 3rd quartile 9.0). Preoperative anxiety was not a good predictor of intraoperative pain (p‐value of β‐coefficient = 0.43, Mc Fadden's R2 = 0.01). Including further preoperative variables did not result in a good prediction model. Cohen's kappa between reported pain by parturient and by the obstetrician was 0.21 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.41) and by the anaesthesiologist was 0.3 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.48). Conclusions: We found a substantial incidence (11.9%) of intraoperative pain during caesarean delivery. Preoperative anxiety did not predict intraoperative pain. Physicians did not accurately identify parturients' intraoperative pain. Significance: Intraoperative pain occurred in 11.9% and severe intraoperative pain occurred in 1.11% of parturients undergoing elective caesarean delivery under spinal anaesthesia. We did not find any preoperative variables that could reliably predict intraoperative pain. Obstetricians and anaesthesiologists underestimated the incidence of intraoperative pain in our cohort and thus, more attention must be put to parturients' pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with refractory chronic migraine have substantial disability and have failed many acute and preventive medications. When aggressive intravenous therapy is indicated, both lidocaine and (R,S)‐ketamine infusions have been used successfully to provide relief. Retrospective studies have shown that both agents may be associated with short‐term analgesia. In this prospective, observational pilot study of 6 patients, we compared the effects of lidocaine and (R,S)‐ketamine infusions and performed metabolite analyses of (R,S)‐ketamine to determine its metabolic profile in this population. One of (R,S)‐ketamine's metabolites, (2R,6R)‐hydroxynorketamine, has been shown in animal studies to reduce pain, but human studies in patients undergoing continuous (R,S)‐ketamine infusions for migraine are lacking. All 6 patients tolerated both infusions well with mild adverse effects. The baseline mean pain rating (0‐10 numeric rating scale) decreased from 7.5 ± 2.2 to 4.7 ± 2.8 by end of lidocaine treatment (P≤.05) but increased to 7.0 ± 1.4 by the postdischarge visit at 4 weeks (P >.05 vs baseline). The baseline mean pain rating prior to ketamine treatment was 7.4 ± 1.4, which decreased to 3.7 ± 2.3 by the end of the hospitalization (P≤.05) but increased to 7.2 ± 1.7 by the postdischarge visit at 6 weeks (P >.05 vs baseline). For the primary outcome the change in pain from baseline to end of treatment was greater for ketamine than lidocaine (–3.7 vs –2.8; P≤.05), but this has minimal clinical significance. Ketamine metabolite analysis revealed that (2R,6R)‐hydroxynorketamine was the predominant metabolite during most of the infusion, consistent with previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) following kidney transplantation can result from recipient reactivation of latent human herpesvirus 8 (HHV‐8) infection or activation of donor‐acquired HHV‐8 infection. Post‐transplant KS typically manifests with cutaneous pathology, but rare cases of renal allograft involvement have been reported. We describe two cases of donor‐derived HHV‐8 infection in two hepatitis C (HCV) viremia‐negative transplant recipients who each received a kidney from a donor with HCV viremia. One recipient did not develop KS while the other presented with acute kidney injury caused by extensive KS infiltration of the renal parenchyma and metastatic disease. This report reviews the literature for cases of KS involving the renal allograft and highlights an unexpected consequence of deliberate HCV‐positive organ transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe liver dysfunction requiring transplantation is a major event at any stage of life, but for those requiring liver transplantation while pregnant, two lives hang in the balance. Available evidence on this relatively rare event consists solely of case reports and have yet to be reviewed or synthesized. We performed a systematic literature review and analyzed reports of 22 patients who underwent liver transplantation during pregnancy. This review describes the reported etiologies of hepatic failure in pregnant patients requiring transplantation, perioperative anesthetic management techniques, and the maternal and fetal clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives/hypothesis: Video laryngoscopy has grown tremendously in popularity over the last decade for management of the anticipated difficult airway. The use of video laryngoscopy has not been adequately studied in the head and neck pathology patient population, including those with masses, previous head and neck surgery, or radiation.Study Design: Prospective observational study.Methods: This study included 100 patients with head and neck pathology undergoing awake flexible bronchoscopic intubation for nonemergency surgery requiring general anesthesia. After the performance of awake flexible bronchoscopic intubation and induction of anesthesia, video laryngoscopy was performed with the CMAC D blade and Glidescope AVL. The primary outcome was the modified Cormack-Lehane view obtained on video laryngoscopy.Results: One hundred patients were enrolled in the study. After exclusions, 92 patients underwent video laryngoscopy with both the CMAC D blade and the Glidescope AVL. Thirty-seven patients (40.2%) had a Cormack-Lehane view ≥3 with the CMAC D blade, and 28 patients (30.4%) had a Cormack-Lehane view ≥3 with the Glidescope AVL. There were no complications from awake flexible bronchoscopic intubation or video laryngoscopy.Conclusions: There is a high incidence of inability to obtain a view of the glottis with video laryngoscopy in patients with head and neck pathology, particularly airway masses.Level Of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 131:82-86, 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common feature across many science and engineering applications is the amount and diversity of data and computation that must be integrated to yield insights. Datasets are growing larger and becoming distributed; their location, availability, and properties are often time-dependent. Collectively, these characteristics give rise to dynamic distributed data-intensive applications. While 'static' data applications have received significant attention, the characteristics, requirements, and software systems for the analysis of large volumes of dynamic, distributed data, and data-intensive applications have received relatively less attention. This paper surveys several representative dynamic distributed data-intensive application scenarios, provides a common conceptual framework to understand them, and examines the infrastructure used in support of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely expected that plant species will expand their ranges poleward in response to climate change. In the process, individuals establishing beyond existing range margins will be exposed to new biotic communities, including different assemblages of natural enemies. The resulting differences in biotic interactions could lead to scenarios of enemy release or biotic resistance, and if the interactions are strong, they could influence plant performance and therefore colonization success., In order to test whether natural enemies will affect range expansion dynamics, we transplanted seven species along a 450-km latitudinal gradient that spanned the range edges of five of these species. The experiment was conducted over 5 years with ˜ 13 000 seedlings and included pesticide treatments to reduce invertebrate herbivory. We measured foliar damage caused by disease and invertebrate herbivores, seedling survival, light availability, soil moisture, soil nutrient concentrations and several other variables in nine forests located in four regions along the latitudinal gradient., We found that several species ( Carya glabra, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus velutina and Robinia pseudoacacia) tended to have less foliar disease beyond their range, but there were few substantial differences in herbivory across range edges (with the exception of Liriodendron tulipifera). After accounting for other variables, including environmental conditions and vertebrate herbivory, we found that foliar disease decreased survival for four species ( Acer rubrum, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra and Quercus velutina) and foliar herbivory reduced survival for three species ( Acer rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera and Quercus rubra)., However, the effects of these biotic interactions on survival were very small (0-5% reductions in survival at observed levels of damage after four years), which is verified by the minor effects of the pesticide treatment on seedling survival., Synthesis. Our results suggest that foliar herbivores and pathogens are unlikely to play a major role in the range expansion dynamics of these temperate tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are in the midst of a scientific data explosion in which the rate of data growth is rapidly increasing. While large-scale research projects have developed sophisticated data distribution networks to share their data with researchers globally, there is no such support for the many millions of research projects generating data of interest to much smaller audiences (as exemplified by the long tail scientist). In data-oriented research, every aspect of the research process is influenced by data access. However, sharing and accessing data efficiently as well as lowering access barriers are difficult. In the absence of dedicated large-scale storage, many have noted that there is an enormous storage capacity available via connected peers, none more so than the storage resources of many research groups. With widespread usage of the content delivery network model for disseminating web content, we believe a similar model can be applied to distributing, sharing, and accessing long tail research data in an e-Science context. We describe the vision and architecture of a social content delivery network - a model that leverages the social networks of researchers to automatically share and replicate data on peers' resources based upon shared interests and trust. Using this model, we describe a simulator and investigate how aspects such as user activity, geographic distribution, trust, and replica selection algorithms affect data access and storage performance. From these results, we show that socially informed replication strategies are comparable with more general strategies in terms of availability and outperform them in terms of spatial efficiency. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant distributions are expected to shift in response to climate change, and range expansion dynamics will be shaped by the performance of individuals at the colonizing front. These plants will encounter new biotic communities beyond their range edges, and the net outcome of these encounters could profoundly affect colonization success. However, little is known about how biotic interactions vary across range edges and this has hindered efforts to predict changes in species distributions in response to climate change. In contrast, a rich literature documents how biotic interactions within species ranges vary according to distance to and density of conspecific individuals. Here, we test whether this framework can be extended to explain how biotic interactions differ beyond range edges, where conspecific adults are basically absent. To do so, we planted seven species of trees along a 450-km latitudinal gradient that crossed the current distributional range of five of these species and monitored foliar disease and invertebrate herbivory over 5 yr. Foliar disease and herbivory were analyzed as a function of distance to and density of conspecific and congeneric trees at several spatial scales. We found that within species ranges foliar disease was lower for seedlings that were farther from conspecific adults for Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, Quercus alba, and Robinia pseudoacacia. Beyond range edges, there was even less foliar disease for C. glabra, Q. alba, and R. pseudoacacia ( A. rubrum was not planted outside its range). Liriodendron tulipifera did not experience reduced disease within or beyond its range. In contrast, Quercus velutina displayed significant but idiosyncratic patterns in disease at varying distances from conspecifics. Patterns of distance dependent herbivory across spatial scales was generally weak and in some cases negative (i.e., seedlings farther from conspecific adults had more herbivory). Overall, we conclude that differences in biotic interactions across range edges can be thought of as a spatial extension to the concept of distance dependent biotic interactions. This framework also provides the basis for general predictions of how distance dependent biotic interactions will change across range edges in other systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Several large epidemiologic studies and clinical trials have included echocardiography, but images were stored in analog format and these studies predated tissue Doppler imaging ( TDI) and speckle tracking echocardiography ( STE). We hypothesized that digitization of analog echocardiograms, with subsequent quantification of cardiac mechanics using STE, is feasible, reproducible, accurate, and produces clinically valid results. Methods In the NHLBI Hyper GEN study (N = 2234), archived analog echocardiograms were digitized and subsequently analyzed using STE to obtain tissue velocities/strain. Echocardiograms were assigned quality scores and inter-/intra-observer agreement was calculated. Accuracy was evaluated in: (1) a separate second study (N = 50) comparing prospective digital strain versus post hoc analog-to-digital strain, and (2) in a third study (N = 95) comparing prospectively obtained TDI e' velocities with post hoc STE e' velocities. Finally, we replicated previously known associations between tissue velocities/strain, conventional echocardiographic measurements, and clinical data. Results Of the 2234 Hyper GEN echocardiograms, 2150 (96.2%) underwent successful digitization and STE analysis. Inter/intra-observer agreement was high for all STE parameters, especially longitudinal strain ( LS). In accuracy studies, LS performed best when comparing post hoc STE to prospective digital STE for strain analysis. STE-derived e' velocities correlated with, but systematically underestimated, TDI e' velocity. Several known associations between clinical variables and cardiac mechanics were replicated in Hyper GEN. We also found a novel independent inverse association between fasting glucose and LS (adjusted β = −2.4 [95% CI −3.6, −1.2]% per 1- SD increase in fasting glucose; P < 0.001). Conclusions Archeological echocardiography, the digitization and speckle tracking analysis of archival echocardiograms, is feasible and generates indices of cardiac mechanics similar to contemporary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Every year, the Department of Defense (DoD) invests billions of dollars on the development of major defense acquisition programs. In return, many of these weapon systems have been plagued with cost overruns and schedule delays during the Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. Under conflicting guidance, DoD and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) suggest that weapon systems should contain subsystems with relatively mature technologies (based on the Technology Readiness Level of critical technologies) and design mature (based on the percentage of releasable design drawings) during system development. However, there has been no published research to date on the relationship between technology and design maturity guidance and the resulting cost change and schedule change of DoD weapon systems. The research presented in this paper confirms that the GAO guidance for design maturity can lead to a reduction of cost growth and schedule slippage of DoD weapon systems. In contrast, the research indicates that technology maturity guidance only impacts the schedule change of weapon systems, and not the potential cost change. With the quantitative results from the research, DoD and GAO officials can provide additional guidance to the planning and execution of the EMD phase, such as allocation of research and development funds to maturity achievement efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. When human activities change the landscape, several processes affecting remnant vegetation take place simultaneously: there is less suitable habitat, populations become isolated and the environmental conditions of the fragments frequently shift. Such changes affect vegetation in different ways - populations become smaller, the genetic exchanges between populations decline and species interactions are altered. The combination of processes taking place during fragmentation and their subsequent consequences generate a large variety of responses, positive and negative, among plants and plant communities. 2. To assess the integrated effects of the processes taking place as a result of fragmentation (isolation, edge effects, fragment size and time since fragmentation) on organisms, we conducted a hierarchical meta-analysis of the studies reporting the effects of landscape fragmentation on plant species and plant communities. Our review included 259 peer-reviewed journal articles and 990 data entries. 3. We found the frequency of reports of positive and negative responses to fragmentation were comparable but largely variable. Negative effects of fragmentation due to isolation, edge effects and fragment size were significant; but only edge effects and fragment size had significant positive effects. When looking at specific types of responses to isolation, we found negative effects on density, fecundity, colonization, succession rates and species richness, while positive effects were found on fecundity, herbivory/predation and colonization. Positive responses to edge effects were significant for density, fecundity, survival, growth and richness, and significantly negative for density, survival, colonization and richness. Effects of patch size were mostly significant for both positive and negative responses. 4. We also assessed the effects of landscape fragmentation for different attributes of the studied system and found no differences among biomes, vegetation types, functional groups or life stages. 5. Synthesis. Results of this integrated assessment indicate that broad generalizations about the effects of fragmentation on remnant vegetation may not be possible due the large variety of processes and responses associated with fragmentation. Results also identified key knowledge gaps, and areas of research needed to improve assessment and future management of plant species and plant communities in fragmented landscapes (e.g. lag effects, the role of the matrix and the patch quality and integrated effects along life cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY It is generally accepted that the ability to develop large-scale distributed applications has lagged seriously behind other developments in cyberinfrastructure. In this paper, we provide insight into how such applications have been developed and an understanding of why developing applications for distributed infrastructure is hard. Our approach is unique in the sense that it is centered around half a dozen existing scientific applications; we posit that these scientific applications are representative of the characteristics, requirements, as well as the challenges of the bulk of current distributed applications on production cyberinfrastructure (such as the US TeraGrid). We provide a novel and comprehensive analysis of such distributed scientific applications. Specifically, we survey existing models and methods for large-scale distributed applications and identify commonalities, recurring structures, patterns and abstractions. We find that there are many ad hoc solutions employed to develop and execute distributed applications, which result in a lack of generality and the inability of distributed applications to be extensible and independent of infrastructure details. In our analysis, we introduce the notion of application vectors: a novel way of understanding the structure of distributed applications. Important contributions of this paper include identifying patterns that are derived from a wide range of real distributed applications, as well as an integrated approach to analyzing applications, programming systems and patterns, resulting in the ability to provide a critical assessment of the current practice of developing, deploying and executing distributed applications. Gaps and omissions in the state of the art are identified, and directions for future research are outlined. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is known that patients with lifesaving devices such as implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) may be alarmed and worried by recalls or alerts related to their ICDs. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether counseling has any short- or long-term benefits, and to look for characteristics that identify those most worried and those most in need of counseling. Methods: Among 100 patients with recall or alert ICDs, 14 were pacer dependent; 50 had ICDs for 1° prevention and 22 were women. Patients completed a survey indicating how worried they were on learning of the recall or alert (0–10 scale). After counseling and advice in accordance with manufacturer guidelines, patients were asked to indicate their level of worry, and were again asked after 6 months. Results: For all patients, the “worry level” at the initial interview was 5.0± 3.7, falling to 2.2± 3.0 after counseling (P < 0.001) and 1.4± 2.3 after 6 months (P < 0.001 vs both earlier levels). There were no significant differences between those implanted for 1° versus 2° prevention or for pacer dependency. Women were initially more worried than men, but not for the long term. The 49 patients whose ICDs could be managed by reprogramming or software fix had significant reduction in worry after counseling and at 6 months compared to others. The 18 patients recommended for operative intervention remained more concerned after counseling (3.5± 3.3 vs 1.9± 2.9, P = 0.043). Conclusions: Patients’ concerns resulting from ICD recalls or alerts can be reduced by appropriate counseling. Those patients whose ICDs could be reprogrammed to safer parameters had the most reduction in worry levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the inception of the FBI Regional mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) laboratories, many do not see establishing state/local mtDNA processing laboratories as a priority. Yet there is a long-term need for mtDNA processing that will exceed the capabilities of the FBI Regional mtDNA laboratories and the few other laboratories that are currently processing mtDNA, and that need can be fulfilled by state/local laboratories. Thus, the DNA Unit of the Delaware Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME-DNA Unit) completed validation of in-house mtDNA testing in January 2007. The validation plan for mtDNA processing included the following sections: preliminary research, sensitivity and contamination studies, ExoSAP-IT® optimization, BigDye® optimization, sequencing and 310 optimization, sample preparation and extraction optimization, heteroplasmy, mixtures, and reproducibility. All sections of the validation were successfully completed, and mtDNA processing of skeletal remains, teeth, and hairs, as well as blood and buccal reference samples was adopted by the OCME-DNA Unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most successful method of managing the difficult duodenum, including the stump leakage, has been the tube duodenostomy technique, but it has not gained wide acceptance and is rarely used. The purpose of this study is to describe the details of the procedure for indication, technical approach, and postoperative care. During the period from 1998 to 2006, a tube duodenostomy was performed in 31 patients for possible insecure duodenal stump closure during gastric resection, postoperative duodenal stump leakage, duodenal leak after primary closure of duodenum for perforation or injury, or anostomotic leak after choledochoduodenostomy. All of the tube duodenostomies were performed through the open end of the duodenum. We also inserted a T-tube into the common bile duct in 19 of 31 patients (61.2 %) with tube duodenostomy. A tube duodenostomy was performed in the primary operation in 15 of 31 patients. None of those 15 patients required a second operation, and there were no leaks and no deaths. Among the larger group (31 patients), there was one (3.2 %) duodenal stump leak after tube duodenostomy, and it ceased spontaneously; one patient had a subhepatic collection after removal of the duodenostomy tube, and three patients had associated incisional infections. Two patients died; one after a myocardial infarction and the other from irreversible sepsis. The mean length of hospital stay was 26.9 days. We conclude that tube duodenostomy is a simple, effective, and safe method to prevent rupture of an insecure duodenal stump or to treat the leakage from the duodenal stump or primary repair on the duodenum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 28-year-old man with schizophrenia intentionally ingested a lethal dose of acetaminophen and an unknown quantity of ibuprofen. He arrived at the hospital with acute renal and fulminant liver failure complicated by rhabdomyolysis. His creatine kinase level was 20,306 U/L: on admission, which increased to 245,595 U/L by hospital day 2, and subsequently decreased to 339 U/L by day 16. The patient underwent liver-transplantation on day 3; necrotic bowel was found during surgery. Rhabdomyolysis associated with acetaminophen overdose has been described only in a few case reports, but rarely in association with acetaminophen taken alone. The literature does not provide a clear association between acetaminophen and rhabdomyolysis because of other possible traumatic and nontraumatic causes. In this case, the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a probable adverse reaction of rhabdomyolysis associated with acetaminophen overdose. In addition, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAIDs) are well known to be ulcerogenic in the upper gastrointestinal tract, but potential effects on the lower tract are less well known. Only a few NSAID-induced cases of ischemic colitis have been reported. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed, such as direct mucosal damage and inhibition of intestinal prostaglandin production. In this patient, the Naranjo scale indicated a probable adverse reaction of ischemic colitis associated with ibuprofen overdose. Patients who have taken an acetaminophen overdose should be assessed for rhabdomyolysis as a possible complication, in addition, an evaluation of ibuprofen-induced bowel necrosis in these patients may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that the relation type of all high powers of an ideal in a Noetherian ring is either one or two. It is one exactly when some power of the ideal is locally principal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concern of the psychologist with person-blame attribution has meant a failure to analyze types of change and social causes of societal changes. Social change can be radically structural (revolutionary), incrementally structural, or cultural Sources of change can be found in internal con traditions within a society as in Marxian analysis, in uneven rates of growth of various parts of the system, in contact and clash with other systems, and in generational differences. Ongoing social systems are based upon a number of mechanisms designed to insure a continuing input so that effective forces of change need some accumulation and mobilization of social disaffection along group lines rather than the alienation of scattered individuals or transient subgroupings. The bask contradictions in our society have led to incremental rather than radical change. Generational differences have produced cultural rather than structural change. Thus, the divisiveness and rebellion stemming from differences in social class, age, sex and race has not resulted in sharp deep lines of cleavage facilitative of revolutionary movements, but have been contained within the society. They may assume more significance, however, as the American system comes into increasing competition and conflict with other systems for resources, markets, and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses social integration and group processes through the analysis of two social protest movements. Social psychology is the area which lies between individual psychology and the social sciences. The focus has been upon an understanding of the individual as he functions in social settings with limited investigation of those social settings. The study of small groups has pushed beyond this framework. Group process is generally examined as personal interaction divorced from social context. Major advances in social psychology have been the growth of an experimental or laboratory social psychology and the accumulation of findings about the nature of small groups. Both types of contributions have been of such substantial character that social psychologists are no longer marginal men in departments of psychology. Indeed the introductory text in psychology which does not utilize fairly heavily the findings of social psychological research is the exception. The success of these approaches will reinforce continued work along similar lines with potentially valuable outcomes. The significant area for the social psychology of the future lies not in a continuation of these main streams of research directed at the individual and small group isolated from social context. Rather, it lies in a social psychological analysis of social structure and the study of societal process.

The concern of the psychologist with person-blame attribution has meant a failure to analyze types of change and social causes of societal changes. Social change can be radically structural (revolutionary), incrementally structural, or cultural. Sources of change can be found in internal contradictions within a society as in Marxian analysis, in uneven rates of growth of various parts of the system, in contact and clash with other systems, and in generational differences. Ongoing social systems are based upon a number of mechanisms designed to insure a continuing input so that effective forces of change need some accumulation and mobilization of social disaffection along group lines rather than the alienation of scattered individuals or transient sub- groupings. The basic contradictions in our society have led to incremental rather than radical change. Generational differences have produced cultural rather than structural change. Thus, the divisiveness and rebellion stemming from differences in social class, age, sex, and race has not resulted in sharp deep lines of cleavage facilitative of revolutionary movements, but have been contained within the society. They may assume more significance, however, as the American system comes into increasing competition and conflict with other systems for resources, markets, and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the reduction of prejudice through the arousal of self-insight. Ego defenses would be more readily breached with resulting lowered prejudice by an induction which combined active self-involvement, an appeal to self-consistency through invoking the value of rationality, and relevance of the content of the self-activity to the attitude. It will be recalled that in addition to the scale measuring the negativity of stereotypes about Afro-Americans, a scale was administered measuring attitudes toward segregation of, and discrimination against, Afro-Americans, the so called behavioral scale. The changes on the behavioral scale from the first to the third sessions for the various conditions did not prove to be significant, nor were there significant differences among the conditions.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of procedures to increase self-insight on the modification of emotionally held attitudes. The point of departure for the study was the attempt to predict the differential results of an influence attempt with respect to the motivational basis of an attitude. In general, previous research on attitude change has measured the effect of various influences without deliberately gearing the change procedures to the assumed motives underlying the attitude. The research program of which the present experiment is a part has assumed that attitudes can be held as ways of structuring the individual's world and thus giving meaning and cognitive clarity to a mass of impressions and information, as instrumental means toward achieving goals external to the individual as in the case of the worker who favors the political party he perceives as committed to his welfare, and as defenses for protecting the ego of the individual. In the present study an attempt was made to deal with prejudiced attitudes towards Afro-Americans which are ego-defensive in nature. Related experiments have confirmed some predictions concerning the relation of change procedures to the motivational bases of attitudes in the modification of beliefs.

The article focuses on psychological research in international relations. Six related areas of current and needed psychological research can be identified in the field of international relations: (1) the differing strategies of dealing with group conflict and the effects of these strategies upon conflict resolution--the area of social action; (2) the basis of aggression and violence in the individual personality--the individual motivational approach; (3) national imagery, the image people hold of other countries as well as of their own country--the area of cognitive structures; (4) the role of public opinion in the outbreak of war and the role of public opinion with respect to disarmament and nuclear warfare--the social process approach; (5) the psychological basis of national sovereignty and national involvement--the area of social structure, and (6) the social and psychological conditions conducive to the development of international structures--additional social structural considerations.

The Council of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) authorized a self-survey at its January 1956 meeting and set up a committee to implement the decision. In this article, the objectives of the study are presented. The survey aims to ascertain the perceptions of members about the role and functions SPSSI should be assuming, the evaluations of present and past SPSSI functioning, the perceived relationships between changes in society and changes in SPSSI, the involvement and satisfactions of the members in the organization, and reasons for membership turnover.

Presents an introductory statement to the May 1951 issue of the "Journal of Social Issues."

In this article, the author discusses survey technique and polling procedure as methods in social science research. The survey method is an approach in which field workers or interviewers obtain quantitative data in the study on people outside of the experimental laboratory. It differs from the opinion poll in two ways: it employs a different type of field of staff and interviewing technique, and research design. However, the pool is weakest in obtaining data through the single question. The survey method, while utilizing the verbal responses of the subject often seeks to obtain data from all available sources. The author suggested that it is essential to raise sights on the resources devoted to scientific social research in comparison to the investment made in natural science.

The results of scientific research are sometimes regarded as pure objective statements of absolute truth devoid of interpretation. But if research findings are to have even scientific meaning, they must be interpreted in terms of the conditions and assumptions of the investigation of which they are the outcome. This article discusses suggested cautions to guard against common misinterpretation, about which the consumer of facts must be aware. The author acknowledges the errors of interpretation in survey findings and also emphasizes the essential validity and tremendous value of surveys. He further relates how polls and surveys constitute the most significant development in social science.

This article looks into the two movements of social protest in the society as examples of the relevance of social structure and system forces for an understanding of social phenomena: the civil rights movement and the protests against the war in Vietnam. Similarities of the two events are outlined. Though the Civil Rights movement and the antiwar cause resemble on another in personnel, in individual motivation, in group tactics and in the system values utilized, the similarities of the two movements ends there. Their differences at the system level are great. The Civil Rights movement is basically consistent with the forces in the societal structure. While the antiwar movement opposes some of the dominant trends in the national system.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one by Branco and colleagues on the data management middleware DQ2 development wherein simulation techniques relative to Data Grids were proposed, one by Aalst and colleagues regarding grid description in conjunction with the Colored Petri Net (CPN), and one by Montes and colleagues on the methodology introduced and established from the data mining techniques.

A symptomatic woman with an electrocardiogram (ECG)-based diagnosis of Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome underwent electrophysiologic studies that revealed a likely fasciculo-ventricular tract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a speech delivered by Daniel Katz during the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award Presentation by The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues to Herbert C. Kelman. Recognition of Kelman's distinguished career and many achievements; Emphasis on the educational background of Kelman; Role of Kelman as a social actionist.

Introduces a series of articles about the solution of practical and scientific problems that too often has a history of tortuous and circuitous efforts before the logic of a naive, straightforward approach asserts itself. Comparative research in social psychology has suffered from this general unwillingness to face squarely the primary methodological issues. There have been occasional attempts at replication in which one investigator tries to carry through in some fractional manner part of a study carried out in another nation. The major purposes of cross-national research are to test the extent to which principles found in one culture or sub-culture can be generalized to other cultures, that is, to discover the limiting conditions of our generalizations and to find out the effects of cultural variables on socialpsychological processes. The Organization for Comparative Social Research to plan and carry through a seven-country study as a unified piece of research. The problem which the social scientists from the seven countries selected for investigation was the effect upon group processes of perceived threat to the group.

The case of the short story presented in "Arthur Brown Applies for a Job" is a clear illustration of the nature of socioeconomic prejudice and the complex social patterning in which discrimination operates. The author discussed the dynamics and mechanism of job prejudice against the Blacks. Consideration of the author on the unawareness of Brown of possible help from the Fair Employment Practice Committee as characteristic of the circular effects of discrimination. Suggestions of ways that should be undertaken to ensure equal employment opportunity among Blacks.

Provides information on the June 2003 special issue of "Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience" journal featuring research papers from the International Conference on Cluster Computing held in Newport Beach, California in October 2001. Highlights of the event; Selection of papers for publication in the journal; Topics covered by the research papers accepted by the journal for its special issue.