The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between Japanese individuals' interest in living wills and their preferred end-of-life care and death locations. Questionnaires were mailed to 1,000 individuals aged >50 to measure these 2 factors. We examined the associations between the respondents' characteristics and their preferred care and death locations by using multinomi...

Previous resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies have shown that neurological changes are important findings in vascular pulsatile tinnitus (PT) patients. Here, we utilized rs-fMRI to measure the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) in forty patients with unilateral PT and forty age-, gender-, and education-matched normal control subjects. Two different f...

Loving kindness is a form of meditation involving directed well-wishing, typically supported by the silent repetition of phrases such as "may all beings be happy," to foster a feeling of selfless love. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural substrate of loving kindness meditation in experienced meditators and novices. We first assessed group differences in blood...

We evaluated the effects of irrigated crop management practices on nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emissions from soil. Emissions were monitored from several irrigated cropping systems receiving N fertilizer rates ranging from 0 to 246 kg N ha(-1) during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. Cropping systems included conventional-till (CT) continuous corn (Zea mays L.), no-till (NT) continuous corn, NT corn...

Recent functional imaging studies have indicated that the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be associated with the changes in spontaneous low-frequency (<0.08 Hz) blood oxygenation level-dependent fluctuations (LFBF) measured during a resting state. The purpose of this study was to examine regional LFBF coherence patterns in early AD and the impact of regional brain atrophy on the...

Soft bearing materials that aim to reproduce the tribological function of the natural joint are gaining popularity as an alternative concept to conventional hard bearing materials in the hip and knee. However, it has not been proven so far that an elastic cushion bearing can be sufficiently durable as a long term (∼20 years) articulating joint prosthesis. The use of new bearing materials should...

Total joint replacement (TJR) is a successful procedure for millions of patients each year. Optimizing mechanical properties bearing couples important to increase implant longevity and improve patient outcomes. Softer viscoelastic materials offer potential solution by more closely replicating the lubrication regime native joint, but their wear are relatively unknown compared wealth knowledge ab...

Selecting the right types and quantities of computers to support data entry to an inpatient Electronic Medical Record (EMR) can be challenging. In addition to software and hardware considerations, many other variables affect the decision including staffing levels, hospital workflows, and floor plans. Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) developed a tool to help identify the quantity of devices...

Biomaterials that are used in biological systems, such as polycarbonate urethane (PCU) knee joint implants and contact lenses, generally lack lubrication. This limits their integration with the body impedes function. Here, we propose a nanostructured film based on hydrophilic polysaccharide hyaluronic acid conjugated dopamine (HADN) zwitterionic reduced glutathione (Glu), which forms composite ...