cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost savings from home and community-based services: Arizona's capitated Medicaid long-term care program

The Arizona Long-Term Care System is the first capitated, long-term care Medicaid program in the nation to operate statewide. It promotes an extensive home and community-based services program intended to lower long-term care costs by substituting home care for institutional care. Because the program is statewide, finding a suitable control group to evaluate it was a serious problem. A substitute strategy was chosen that compares actual costs incurred to an estimate of what costs would have been in the absence of home and community-based (HCB) services. To estimate the likelihood of institutionalizing clients in the absence of HCB services, coefficients for institutionalization risk factors were estimated in a logistic regression model developed using national data. These were applied to characteristics of Arizona clients. The model assigned approximately 75 percent of the program's clients to a category with traits that were determined to resemble nursing home residents' traits. A similar methodology was used to estimate lengths of nursing home stays. Lengths of stay by the program's nursing home patients were regressed on their characteristics using an event history analysis model. Coefficients for these characteristics from the regression analysis were then applied to HCB services clients to estimate how long their nursing home stays would have lasted, had they been institutionalized. These estimated nursing home stays were generally shorter than these same patients' observed home and community stays. Risk of institutionalization was then multiplied by estimated length of stay and by monthly nursing home costs to estimate what costs would have been without the HCB services option. The expected costs were compared to actual costs to judge cost savings. Home and community-based services appeared to save substantial amounts on costs of nursing home care. Estimates of savings were very robust and did not appear to be declining as the program matured. Savings probably came from several sources: the assessment teams that judged client eligibility were employed by a state agency and thus were independent from the program contractors; clients were required to be in need of at least a three-month nursing home stay; a cap was placed on the number of HCB services clients contractors were allowed to serve each month; the capitated payment methodology forced managed care contractors to hold down average HCB services costs or lose money; and the HCB services and nursing home costs were blended in the capitated rate, so that plans that failed to place clients in HCB services would lose money by using more nursing home days than their monthly capitated rate allowed.
Role of forefinger and thumb loops in production of Ψ54 and Ψ55 in tRNAs by archaeal Pus10

Pseudouridines (Ψ) are found in structurally and functionally important regions of RNAs. Six families of Ψ synthases, TruA, TruB, TruD, RsuA, RluA, and Pus10 have been identified. Pus10 is present in Archaea and Eukarya. While most archaeal Pus10 produce both tRNA Ψ54 and Ψ55, some produce only Ψ55. Interestingly, human PUS10 has been implicated in apoptosis and Crohn's and Celiac diseases. Homology models of archaeal Pus10 proteins based on the crystal structure of human PUS10 reveal that there are subtle structural differences in all of these Pus10 proteins. These observations suggest that structural changes in homologous proteins may lead to loss, gain, or change of their functions, warranting the need to study the structure-function relationship of these proteins. Using comparison of structural models and a series of mutations, we identified forefinger loop (reminiscent of that of RluA) and an Arg and a Tyr residue of archaeal Pus10 as critical determinants for its Ψ54, but not for its Ψ55 activity. We also found that a Leu residue, in addition to the catalytic Asp, is essential for both activities. Since forefinger loop is needed for both rRNA and tRNA Ψ synthase activities of RluA, but only for tRNA Ψ54 activity of Pus10, archaeal Pus10 proteins must use a different mechanism of recognition for Ψ55 activity. We propose that archaeal Pus10 uses two distinct mechanisms for substrate uridine recognition and binding. However, since we did not observe any mutation that affected only Ψ55 activity, both mechanisms for archaeal Pus10 activities must share some common features.
The Lake Ontario Great Lakes Science Practicum: A Model for Training Limnology Students on How to Conduct Shipboard Research in the Great Lakes

Abstract The authors designed and led an 8-day limnology practicum conducted on the R/V Lake Guardian that focused on classical and emerging technologies in a series of four inter-dependent teaching modules. The practicum was tied together by a general research question (Are spatial patterns of Lake Ontario productivity a function of distance from the shoreline?), and a guided inquiry approach was used to help students frame testable hypotheses to address this question. Students collected a research-quality data set while participating in the practicum's teaching models, and subsequent to the cruise presented their results as oral papers at research conferences and as research papers. The design of this practicum may provide a useful model for other educators who wish to train the next generation of Great Lakes limnologists by conducting courses on a research vessel.
Rise and fall time calculations of junction transistors

Expressions for rise and fall time calculations of junction transistors are derived based on the charge controlled model. In solving the differential equation of the charge controlled model, a new approach is taken and exact solutions are obtained. Comparison of the experimental results of the rise and fall time measurements with the theoretical prediction, using the measured transistor parameters, shows very good agreement.
Atomic force microscopy of conditioning agents on dentin.

Dentin conditioners provide a microporous surface for penetration by bonding agents. This study used an atomic force microscope (AFM) to examine the initial steps in the conditioning process of dentin using three demineralizing agents, 0.5 M EDTA, and dilute solutions of phosphoric (3mM, 6mM) and citric (5 mM) acids, in order to establish the relationships between demineralization and changes in surface morphology. Polished dentin disks had a 10-nm-thick gold pattern applied which served as a height reference. Samples(n = 3/agent) were examined at baseline and at 2-s intervals for up to 120 s for each agent. EDTA (0.5 M) was used as received; other conditioners were diluted to slow the rates of demineralization for detailed study. The surfaces of the peritubular and intertubular regions were altered differently. Initially subsidence rates were equal and linear, but after a 100-nm depth change the intertubular rates decreased. For phosphoric acid and citric acid, the movement of the intertubular surface was uniform and the surfaces remained smooth. However, the intertubular surfaces were rough for the EDTA treatment. The surface subsidence reached a plateau after a depth change of about 0.5μm, which resulted from a limit to the contraction of the demineralized and hydrated collagen scaffold. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Learning to Spell: Variability, Choice, and Change in Children's Strategy Use

We examined whether the overlapping waves model, originally developed to account for strategy choices in arithmetic, could also account for strategy choices in spelling. The contrast was of particular interest because arithmetic is an algorithmic domain (a domain that includes strategies that always yield correct answers if executed properly), whereas spelling is not. Thirty first-grade students spelled words under 2 conditions, and 23 of these students were retested in second grade. Trial-by-trial analysis of strategy use was used to identify which strategies first and second graders used, how adaptively they chose among them, how effective the strategies were, and what changes occurred from first to second grade along each dimension. The model proved useful for understanding the development of spelling, despite the fact that explicit use of backup strategies had a minimal impact on accuracy. Implications for understanding adaptive strategy choices in algorithmic and nonalgorithmic domains are discussed.
A field-based method for simultaneous measurements of the 18 O and 13 C soil CO 2 efflux

Abstract. Three approaches for determining the stable isotopic composition (δ13C and δ18O) of soil CO efflux were compared. A new technique employed mini-towers, constructed of open-topped piping, that were placed on the soil surface to collect soil-emitted CO2. Samples were collected along a vertical gradient and analyzed for CO2 concentration and isotopic composition. These data were then used to produce Keeling plots to determine the δ18O and δ13C of CO2 emitted from the soil. These results were then compared to the δ18O and δ13C of soil-respired CO2 measured with two other techniques: (1) flux chambers and (2) estimation from the application of the diffusional fractionation factor to measured values of below ground soil CO2 and to CO2 in equilibrium with soil water δ18O. Mini-tower δ18O Keeling plots were linear and highly significant (0.81 0.96), in contrast to chamber δ18O Keeling plots, which showed significant curvature, necessitating the use of a mass balance to calculate the δ18O of respired CO2. In the chambers, the values determined for the δ18O of soil respired CO2 approached the value of CO2 in equilibrium with surficial soil water, and the results were significantly δ18O enriched relative to the mini-tower results and the δ18O of soil CO2 efflux determined from soil CO2. There were close agreements between the three methods for the determination of the δ13C of soil efflux CO2. Results suggest that the mini-towers can be effectively used in the field for determining the δ18O and the δ13C of soil-respired CO2.
Brief Report: A Brief Intervention to Improve Lifeguard Surveillance at a Public Swimming Pool

Objectives Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional death for American children in middle childhood, but behavioral research designed to prevent pediatric drowning is limited. This study tested the efficacy of a brief intervention to improve lifeguard attention and surveillance at a public swimming pool. Method Observational data on patron risk-taking and lifeguard attention, distraction, and scanning were collected at a public swimming pool, both before and after a brief intervention. The intervention was designed to increase lifeguards’ perception of susceptibility of drowning incidents, educate about potential severity of drowning, and help overcome perceived barriers about scanning the pool. Results Postintervention, lifeguards displayed better attention and scanning and patrons displayed less risky behavior. Change was maintained for the remainder of the season. Conclusion Theoretically driven brief interventions targeting lifeguard attention and surveillance might prove effective in reducing risk of drowning in public swimming pools.
A Comparison of Static Optimization Algorithms Used to Solve the Muscle Force Redundancy Problem in a Throwing Motion

This study compared the solutions and computational performance of three different static optimization algorithms used to predict muscle forces associated with elbow actuation during a simple throwing motion. The motion was simulated using an arm model with three degrees of freedom (shoulder pitch and roll, and elbow pitch). Elbow torque ranged from -1.36 to 3.07 Nm. Elbow torque and angle time histories were input into three independent static optimization routines, namely, constrained linear optimization (CLO), a genetic algorithm (GA), and linear least squares (LLS). These routines computed force values for the long and lateral heads of the triceps (TLg and TLt) and the biceps (B). For CLO and GA routines, different performance criteria were minimized, including sum of stress, sum of stress squared, sum of stress cubed, sum of force, sum of force squared, sum of force over maximum force, and sum of force over maximum force squared. Solutions found using CLO and LLS required far less computational time than GA. Muscle force predictions from CLO and GA were essentially identical, but there were substantial differences in muscle force predictions among the different optimization criteria utilized. In particular, the distribution and continuity of muscle force curves over the first half of the motion were found to be most affected by the power of the exponent in the optimization criterion involved.
Cdk1 phosphorylation of the kinetochore protein Nsk1 prevents error-prone chromosome segregation

Cdk1 controls many aspects of mitotic chromosome behavior and spindle microtubule (MT) dynamics to ensure accurate chromosome segregation. In this paper, we characterize a new kinetochore substrate of fission yeast Cdk1, Nsk1, which promotes proper kinetochore–MT (k-MT) interactions and chromosome movements in a phosphoregulated manner. Cdk1 phosphorylation of Nsk1 antagonizes Nsk1 kinetochore and spindle localization during early mitosis. A nonphosphorylatable Nsk1 mutant binds prematurely to kinetochores and spindle, cementing improper k-MT attachments and leading to high rates of lagging chromosomes that missegregate. Accordingly, cells lacking nsk1 exhibit synthetic growth defects with mutations that disturb MT dynamics and/or kinetochore structure, and lack of proper phosphoregulation leads to even more severe defects. Intriguingly, Nsk1 is stabilized by binding directly to the dynein light chain Dlc1 independently of the dynein motor, and Nsk1–Dlc1 forms chainlike structures in vitro. Our findings establish new roles for Cdk1 and the Nsk1–Dlc1 complex in regulating the k-MT interface and chromosome segregation.
SERCA Pump Level is a Critical Determinant of Ca2+Homeostasis and Cardiac Contractility

Abstract The control of intracellular calcium is central to regulation of cardiac contractility. A defect in SR Ca 2+ transport and SR Ca 2+ ATPase pump activity and expression level has been implicated as a major player in cardiac dysfunction. However, a precise cause–effect relationship between alterations in SERCA pump level and cardiac contractility could not be established from these studies. Progress in transgenic mouse technology and adenoviral gene transfer has provided new tools to investigate the role of SERCA pump level in the heart. This review focuses on how alterations in SERCA level affect Ca 2+ homeostasis and cardiac contractility. It discusses the consequences of altered SERCA pump levels for the expression and activity of other Ca 2+ handling proteins. Furthermore, the use of SERCA pump as a therapeutic target for gene therapy of heart failure is evaluated.
Minimize system cost by choosing optimal subsystem reliability & redundancy

Both reliabilities and costs are used to find the subsystems with the lowest overall expected cost. The authors begin by reviewing some of the concepts of expected value. They then address the problem of choosing among several competing subsystems. These concepts are then applied to k-out-of-n: G subsystems. A basic program (CARRAC) enables the engineer to explore and graph various options. The use of this program is illustrated with several different cost models. >
Substrate-induced conformational changes occur in all cleaved forms of caspase-6

Caspase-6 is an apoptotic cysteine protease that also governs disease progression in Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases. Caspase-6 is of great interest as a target for treatment of these neurodegenerative diseases; however, the molecular basis of caspase-6 function and regulation remains poorly understood. In the recently reported structure of caspase-6, the 60's and 130's helices at the base of the substrate-binding groove extend upward, in a conformation entirely different from that of any other caspase. Presently, the central question about caspase-6 structure and function is whether the extended conformation is the catalytically competent conformation or whether the extended helices must undergo a large conformational rearrangement in order to bind substrate. We have generated a series of caspase-6 cleavage variants, including a novel constitutively two-chain form, and determined crystal structures of caspase-6 with and without the intersubunit linker. This series allows evaluation of the role of the prodomain and intersubunit linker on caspase-6 structure and function before and after substrate binding. Caspase-6 is inherently more stable than closely related caspases. Cleaved caspase-6 with both the prodomain and the linker present is the most stable, indicating that these two regions act in concert to increase stability, but maintain the extended conformation in the unliganded state. Moreover, these data suggest that caspase-6 undergoes a significant conformational change upon substrate binding, adopting a structure that is more like canonical caspases.
Massage therapy for patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of massage therapy on psychological, physical, and psychophysiological measures in patients undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Patients scheduled to undergo BMT were randomly assigned to receive either (a) massage therapy, consisting of 20-minute sessions of shoulder, neck, head, and facial massage, or (b) standard treatment. Overall effects of massage therapy on anxiety, depression, and mood were assessed pretreatment, midtreatment, and prior to discharge using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Brief Profile of Mood States, respectively. The immediate effects of massage were measured via the State Anxiety Inventory, Numerical Scales of Distress, Fatigue, Nausea, and Pain and indices of psychophysiological arousal (heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration rate), collected prior to and following patients' first, fifth, and final massage (on Days −7, midtreatment, and predischarge). Analysis of the data evaluating the immediate effects of massage showed that patients in the massage therapy group demonstrated significantly larger reductions in distress, fatigue, nausea, and State Anxiety than the standard treatment group at Day −7, in State Anxiety at midtreatment, and in fatigue at the predischarge assessment. The overall measures of psychological symptoms measured at pretreatment, midtreatment, and prior to discharge showed no overall group differences, although the massage group scored significantly lower on the State Anxiety Inventory than the standard care group at the midtreatment assessment. The two groups together showed significant declines through time on scores from the Profile of Mood States and State and Trait Anxiety Inventories.
Phase Transitions of Phospholipids

Much evidence has accumulated which indicates that phospholipid bilayers form an especially important part of the structure of biological membranes, as was first suggested by Danielli and Davson1 in 1935. For example, recent x-ray2 and calorimetric3,4 observations on the membranes of Mycoplasma laidlawii give strong support to the existence of the lipid bilayer structure in this micro-organism. Because of their probable significance in connection with the structure and function of biological membranes, phospholipids have in recent years been the subject of many studies by a wide variety of experimental techniques. This paper summarizes investigations of the thermal behavior of phospholipids utilizing high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry as the primary observational technique. This technique provides certain insights into the nature of the phase transitions of phospholipid bilayers which cannot be contained by any other method. Furthermore, it permits observations on much more dilute suspensions of phospholipids that can be handled by other techniques.
Yttrium metallocene borane chemistry: isolation of 9-BBN substitution and coordination complexes in a single crystal, {(C5Me5)2Y[η3-C3H4(BC8H14)]} and {(C5Me5)2Y(μ-H)2BC8H14}

(C5Me5)2Y(η3-C3H5) reacts with 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane, 9-BBN, to form single crystals containing both a borane-substituted allyl complex, (C5Me5)2Y[η3-C3H4(BC8H14)], and a borohydride, (C5Me5)2Y(μ-H)2BC8H14, that can be synthesized directly from 9-BBN and the yttrium hydride, [(C5Me5)2YH]x.
The design and implementation of the Montage multimedia mail system

The Montage multimedia electronic mail system is presented along with its model for multimedia documents. Montage makes use of a simpler format than more generalized hypermedia systems. It is the authors' belief that the Montage model is more effective than general hypertext for the task of creating user-to-user messages. Furthermore, Montage is designed to be runtime extensible to novel media types by its users. Thus the system does not have to know ahead of time all the possible media users may want to send. The system is built on top of existing mail transport protocols for flexibility and portability. A discussion is presented of the design of the mailer along with experiences gained from its implementation. The user interface to the system is also presented. >
The Secretion-coupled Endocytosis Correlates with Membrane Tension Changes in RBL 2H3 Cells

Stimulated secretion in endocrine cells and neuronal synapses causes a rise in endocytosis rates to recover the added membrane. The endocytic process involves the mechanical deformation of the membrane to produce an invagination. Studies of osmotic swelling effects on endocytosis indicate that the increased surface tension is tightly correlated to a significant decrease of endocytosis. When rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells are stimulated to secrete, there is a dramatic drop in the membrane tension and only small changes in membrane bending stiffness. Neither the shape change that normally accompanies secretion nor the binding of ligand without secretion causes a drop in tension. Further, tension decreases within 6 s, preceding shape change and measurable changes in endocytosis. After secretion stops, tension recovers. On the basis of these results we suggest that the physical parameter of membrane tension is a major regulator of endocytic rate in RBL cells. Low tensions would stimulate endocytosis and high tensions would stall the endocytic machinery.
Is Logic the Key to All Good Reasoning

The syllabi, the textbooks and the curriculum design in elementary logic, reasoning, argumentation and critical thinking are all currently ill-conceived and ill-executed. In a certain historical perspective, which is only slightly oversimplified, the same fate has befallen logic as an academic discipline has befallen ethics. Ethics began in the ancient Greece and more generally in the classical antiquity as a study of different forms of excellence. These types of excellence were not only moral in our sense, but included sundry forms of social, military and intellectual superiority. As Adkins (1960, pp. 32–33) sums up the Homeric sense of the word, to be a good or virtuous man, that is, to be agathos one must be brave, skillful, and successful in war and in peace; and one must possess the wealth and... the leisure which are at once the necessary conditions for the development of these skills and the natural reward of their successful employment.
Communication Students' Mathematics Anxiety: Implications for Research Methods Instruction

This study examined indicators of math and speaking competence in three student major categories (N = 263). Communication (n = 178), business (n = 58), and liberal arts (n = 27) majors completed scales measuring math anxiety (Betz, 1978), math performance (Dowling, 1978), math self-efficacy, and public speaking apprehension (McCroskey, 1982). These variables explained 27.5% of the variance in reported major. Business majors had higher math performance and math self-efficacy scores and lower math anxiety scores than persons majoring in communication or liberal arts, whereas communication majors reported lower public speaking apprehension scores than business or liberal arts majors. Sex differences were found on all mathematics variables, with females scoring higher in math anxiety and lower in math self-efficacy and performance than males. Findings are examined for their implications concerning research methods instruction.
Abstract 223: Outcomes of Older Patients Receiving Secondary Prevention Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: An Analysis From the NCDR ICD Registry

Background: The clinical trials establishing the efficacy of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for secondary prevention of sudden cardiac death enrolled limited numbers of older patients. We sought to assess the morbidity and mortality of older patients receiving ICDs for secondary prevention in contemporary clinical practice. Methods: Using the NCDR ICD Registry, we identified 20,751 Medicare beneficiaries > 65 years old who underwent secondary prevention ICD implantation between 2006 and 2010 in 1027 US hospitals. Using a probabilistic method, eligible subjects were matched to Medicare claims to assess longitudinal outcomes, including death, hospitalization, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) admission over 1 year. Outcomes were evaluated in strata according to age ( 80 years). Results: The mean age of the cohort was 75 years at the time of implantation; 24.1% were 80 (Table). Overall 1-year survival was 87%, with 91% and 82% in ages =80 respectively. Regardless of age, hospitalizations at one year were frequent, ranging from 47% in 80. Early admission to a SNF was much higher for >80 (12%) than for <70 (4%) (p <0.01). Conclusions: In older patients receiving secondary prevention ICDs, 1-year survival was high in all age strata including age >80. However, rates of hospitalization and SNF admission indicate substantial care needs after device implantation. Figure: ![][1] ![][2] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif [2]: /embed/graphic-2.gif
Adaptation of muscle to creatine depletion: effect on GLUT-4 glucose transporter expression

Feeding rats beta-guanidinopropionic acid (beta-GPA), a creatine analogue, results in depletion of creatine and phosphocreatine and induces increases in mitochondrial oxidative enzymes and hexokina...
Spain’s Investment in New Mexico Under the Hapsburgs

It is not an easy matter to disentangle the motives lying back of any great enterprise such as the Spanish conquest and colonization in the Americas. The idea has been very generally held, even among historians, that the Spaniards were universally obsessed with a lust for gold, and however much or little other motives may have entered in, that this lust for gold was the motive above all others which inspired them to feats with few if any parallels in all history for courage and endurance and achievement. “Tell your master,” Cortes is reported to have said to the emissaries of Moctezuma, “that we Spaniards have a fever in our blood which can be cooled only by gold.” The Mexican of today is proud of his Indian descent, and the heavy discount which he places on what the Spaniard has done for him is typified, for example, in the imposing statue to Cuauctemoc which was given one of the points of greatest prominence on the stately Paseo of Mexico City. One of the large bronze tablets on the base of that statue portrays Cortes and his captains putting the Aztec princes to the torture, roasting their feet to compel them to reveal their hidden treasure; and at that statue today centers the national Fiesta de la Raza .
Morphic Architectures: Atomic-Level Limits

In this paper, we consider a thought problem intended to force consideration of fundamental limits for energy sources, sensors, computing elements, and communication systems as fundamental system dimensions are reduced to the few micron regime. Design of integrated systems at this level are shown to literally require the allocation of atoms for the various functions. We argue that although there are no fabrication technologies for systems on this scale and the tradeoffs between system functions are extreme, systems on this scale might be feasible; given end-of ITRS technologies.
Grassroots Multiracialism: Imperial Valley Farm Labor and the Making of Popular Front California from Below

To explore the historical roots of the multiracial strike actions that took shape in California’s fields during the 1930s, this essay examines the social and cultural practices of Imperial Valley farm workers during the years that preceded the 1930 lettuce strike. It illuminates how cross-racial alliances among Imperial Valley farm workers were shaped by radical traditions that overlapped in the Imperial Valley’s fields, in grassroots knowledge about racial capitalist development in the region, and in the community ties and networks that farm workers forged in the course of their everyday struggles. I ultimately argue that, by 1930, the Imperial Valley saw the crystallization of an oppositional expression of multiracialism at the grassroots. Against dominant patterns of racial competition and hierarchy that governed the region’s political economic development, grassroots expressions of oppositional multiracialism hinged on a sense of mutual interdependence and shared vulnerability that linked the variegated struggles of farm workers with one another. Indicative of neither a unifying political agenda nor a homogenizing “class” or “American” identity, this was a multiracialist politics that treated difference and intersectionality as constitutive features of political solidarity, within a collective struggle against the dehumanizing effects of racial capitalism and U.S. imperialism.
Sleep Deprivation: Societal Impact and Long-Term Consequences

There have been many studies investigating the effects of sleep deprivation, and, especially recently, there has been increasing attention to the societal cost of sleep loss. In the laboratory, sleep deprivation/restriction is associated with impaired neurobehavioral performance and cardiometabolic functioning. In the general population, short sleep duration and/or perceived insufficient sleep is associated with functional impairments and cardiometabolic disease, as well as mortality risk. Although the mechanisms of these relationships are not yet fully understood, several pathways are being examined. The societal implications of short sleep are currently being studied as well. There are many social and environmental determinants of poor sleep, insufficient sleep, and/or short sleep duration, including race/ethnicity, socioeconomics, work and home demands, the physical environment, and other factors. Conceptualizing sleep as a domain of healthy behavior (alongside diet and physical activity), rather than simply a physiologic process or aspect of health that may be disordered, affords sleep researchers many new opportunities and contexts for the study of sleep and its impact on health.
How to set up a laboratory for investigation of neuromuscular dysfunction of the lower urinary tract.

AbstractNeurourodynamics laboratories require the organization of sophisticated equipment for the individual evaluation of detrusor and urethral function. This equipment and these procedures provide greatest benefit to the patient when associated with direct physician participation. These procedures result in detection of a profile of test findings common to individual diseases of the lower urinary tract.
Reviewing NSF proposals: effective proposal writing via the review process: conference tutorial

This tutorial focuses on the NSF proposal review process. Via close examination of the review process, participants gain an understanding of how to write good reviews and how to improve their own proposal writing. The tutorial covers the following topic areas: the proposal review process from submission of a proposal to award or decline; elements of a good review; NSF merit criteria (intellectual merit and broader impacts); elements of a good proposal; and how to volunteer to review proposals. The tutorial uses a structured guided-interactive methodology to lead participants through each topic by introducing related issues, engaging participants in group exercises designed to explore and share their understanding of the issues, and then providing some "expert" opinion on these issues. Good and bad examples and a Top Ten List of Do's and Don'ts will be provided.
Advantages of Evolutionary Theory for Understanding Physical Activity

Examining physical activity from an evolutionary perspective can lead to novel hypotheses or ways of integrating evidence across different levels of analyses that would not naturally be integrated from existing theoretical perspectives. This approach is particularly informative for traits or behaviors such as physical activity that are influenced by numerous environmental, psychological, and physiological factors that have likely been shaped by natural selection over time. In this chapter, the four categories of analysis outlined by Nikolaas Tinburgen, proximate (or mechanistic), ultimate (or functional), phylogenetic, and developmental, are detailed. The chapter describes how the four categories can complementarily describe how the physiological and psychological mechanisms that influence physical activity have evolved across evolutionary time. It also details how this approach differs from traditional approaches in health psychology and public health to understand and increase physical activity and exercise.
Prognosis of Tourette’s Syndrome

A retrospective study of 58 adults with a diagnosis of Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome (TS) during childhood is reported from the Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Leadtime, Inventory, and Service Level in Assemble-to-Order Systems

Supply chain design and management has recently gained unprecedented recognition as a vital factor in the success of a business. Among the most fundamental characteristics that determine the performance of a supply chain are capacity, inventory, delivery leadtime, and customer service level. The first two quantities are under direct management control and are associated with the cost in a supply chain; the last two are the effects of managerial decisions and are associated with customer expectation or requirement. While the qualitative relationship among them is often obvious, understanding their quantitative relationship is much more difficult yet increasingly important in today’s business environment. This chapter intends to introduce a set of tools and results to help better understand the quantitative relationship among these fundamental measures and make supply chain decisions more effectively.
Oral Cobalamin Therapy in Patients Who Absorb It Normally

To the Editor: Although massive doses of oral cobalamin seem to work well in a research setting with compliant, motivated patients, the study by Kuzminski et al[1][1] is misleading in important ways. The question surrounding oral therapy has always concerned its effectiveness in patients with
The influence of a dc bias on streamers produced by step voltages in transformer oil with and without insulating surfaces

Using shadowgraphic techniques in conjunction with an Imacon camera, measurements of streamer velocities and minimum voltage required for streamer propagation (MVP) have been made with and without dc superimposed on voltage steps (1.2 µs rise time). This has been done in point-plane geometries and semi-uniform fields in a transformer oil alone as well as with pressboard barriers. Velocities and MVP have also been measured for streamers propagating on the surface between cylindrical electrodes perpendicular to insulating sheets having a ground plane on the opposite side. Again the influence of superimposed dc was assessed. The solid materials used were polymethylmethacrylate and pressboard. Measurements with the latter material were made using an optical multichannel analyzer to follow the light emission from the propagating streamer.
Anthoxanthin Polyphenols Attenuate Aβ Oligomer-induced Neuronal Responses Associated with Alzheimer's Disease.

SummaryAims Epidemiological evidence implicates polyphenols as potential natural therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD). To investigate this prospect, five anthoxanthin polyphenols were characterized for their ability to reduce amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomer-induced neuronal responses by two mechanisms of action, modulation of oligomerization and antioxidant activity, as well as the synergy between these two mechanisms. Methods Anthoxanthin oligomerization modulation and antioxidant capabilities were evaluated and correlated with anthoxanthin attenuation of oligomer-induced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspase activation using human neuroblastoma cell treatments designed to isolate these mechanisms of action and to achieve dual-action. Results While modulation of oligomerization resulted in only minor reductions to neuronal responses, anthoxanthin antioxidant action significantly attenuated oligomer-induced intracellular ROS and caspase activation. Kaempferol uniquely exhibited synergism when the two mechanisms functioned in concert, leading to a pronounced reduction in both ROS and caspase activation. Conclusions Together, these findings identify the dominant mechanism by which these anthoxanthins attenuate Aβ oligomer-induced neuronal responses, elucidate their prospective synergy, and demonstrate the potential of anthoxanthin polyphenols as natural AD therapeutics.
The Natural History of Anisakiasis in Animals1,2

Adult anisakid nematodes are known to be parasites in the alimentary tracts of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The known life cycle patterns among the anisakids are reviewed and from what is known, it is not possible to predict whether those hosts in which larval forms occur are true intermediate hosts or paratenic hosts. This is especially true of marine fishes in which third- and fourth-stage larvae are common. Among physical parameters known to influence the survival, development, and distribution of anisakids, temperature apparently is an important one. Similarly, a series of experiments has revealed that two unidentified species of Contracaecum from marine fish are not infective to laboratory mammals primarily because of their inability to survive mammalian body temperatures. It has also been demonstrated that Contracaecum larvae normally present in the digestive tracts of marine fishes will migrate out of dead hosts or into their mesenteries and musculature. Thus, in considering the potent...
Spectral square moments of a resonance sum for Maass forms

Let f be a Maass cusp form for Γ0(N) with Fourier coefficients λ f (n) and Laplace eigenvalue $$\frac{1} {4} + k^2 $$ . For real α ≠ 0 and β > 0, consider the sum S X (f; α, β) = ∑ n λ f (n)e(αn β )ϕ(n/X), where ϕ is a smooth function of compact support. We prove bounds for the second spectral moment of S X (f; α, β), with the eigenvalue tending towards infinity. When the eigenvalue is sufficiently large, we obtain an average bound for this sum in terms of X. This implies that if f has its eigenvalue beyond $$X^{\tfrac{1} {2} + \varepsilon } $$ , the standard resonance main term for S X (f; $$ \pm 2\sqrt q $$ , 1/2), q ∈ ℤ+, cannot appear in general. The method is adopted from proofs of subconvexity bounds for Rankin-Selberg L-functions for GL(2) × GL(2). It contains in particular a proof of an asymptotic expansion of a well-known oscillatory integral with an enlarged range of K e ⩽ L ⩽ K 1−e . The same bounds can be proved in a similar way for holomorphic cusp forms.
Abstract P243: Simultaneous Decrease in Glucose Uptake, Increase in Glucose Oxidation, and Improved Contractile Function by Hearts from Sucrose-Fed Rats

The heart responds to acute hemodynamic stress by increasing carbohydrate oxidation. This metabolic response is impaired in diabetes when excess fatty acid availability inhibits glucose oxidation (Randle9s “glucose-fatty acid cycle”). Impaired glucose uptake and oxidation are believed to result in energy deficiency and poor contractile function. We now propose that in the heart insulin resistance, defined by impaired uptake of glucose in response to insulin, is an endogenous protective mechanism which prevents excess uptake of fuel when supply is increased. To test this we fed Sprague-Dawley rats either a high-sucrose diet or regular chow diet. After 5 to 8 weeks systemic insulin sensitivity was impaired in sucrose-fed rats. Hearts were then perfused ex vivo in the working mode to measure function and metabolism. Rates of glucose uptake by the heart of sucrose-fed animals were decreased in response to insulin. Cardiac power remained unchanged in hearts perfused with either normal (5mM glucose; 0.4mM oleate; 0.5ng/ml insulin) or high (25mM glucose; 0.8mM oleate; 5ng/ml insulin) concentrations of substrates. However, cardiac power increased for the insulin-resistant hearts compared to controls when a hemodynamic stress (afterload raised from 100 to 140cm H 2 O; 1µM epinephrine) was superimposed on nutrient stress. The ratio of glucose-to-oleate oxidation was also markedly increased in these hearts, as was cardiac efficiency. Higher glucose oxidation rates correlated with increased pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) activity, and lower uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) expression. In conclusion, insulin resistance promotes adaptation of the stressed heart by increasing glucose oxidation while limiting excess fuel uptake. Our findings call for a new interpretation of the glucose-fatty acid cycle in the heart.
Variation in the use of cues to guide visual working memory

Across two experiments we examined individual differences in the use of precues and retrocues to guide the selective encoding and maintenance of information in visual working memory (WM). In Experiment 1, we used spatial cues to indicate which item would be tested either before or after the presentation of a memory array. Regression analyses allowed us to separate variance due to visual WM capacity and attention control differences. In Experiment 2, we used categorical cues to indicate from which subset of items the tested item would be drawn, and we measured attention control with two independent tasks. Collectively, the results supported the idea that an element of individual differences in WM is the ability to flexibly allocate attention to encode only relevant information and subsequently select relevant information during maintenance stages.
Controlled Parenteral Nutrition of Premature Infants

The first successful parenteral feeding of a human based on sound theoretical and experimental principles was carried out by Abderhalden et al. (1909) in a 9-year old child. As early as 1939, several investigators (Farr et al., 1939; Shohl et al., 1939) infused casein hydrolysates intravenously into children and obtained positive nitrogen balances. There is currently an extensive pre-and postoperative climical experience concerning complete parenteral nutrition of newborns suffering from severe anomalies of the intestinal tract and severely ill infants in whom for various reasons a sufficient oral nutrition is not possible (Borresen et al., 1970; Dudrick et al., 1970; Dudrick, 1971; Erdmann, 1970; Farr and MacFadyen, 1939; Filler et al., 1969; Heine and Kirchmair, 1963; Hofert et al., 1971; Kirchmair and Heine, 1967; Schmidt, 1966; Wilmore et al., 1969). Major operations of the intestinal tract in neonates were made possible only because of parenteral nutrition (Dudrick et al., 1970; Dudrick, 1971; Wilmore et al., 1969). Certainly it appears that parenteral nutrition will provide an important advance in the clinical management of a variety of newborn problems associated with caloric restriction.
Activation of Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 (IRF3) is Required in Both T cells and APCs for Optimal Expression of IFN-γ, IL-17, and Granzyme B during T cell responses.

Recently we saw a link between activation of Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF)-3 and expression of IFN-γ, as well as Granzyme B (GrB) from T cells during viral infections in C57Bl/6 (B6) and IRF3KO mice. To investigate this further, we stimulated splenic mononuclear cells (SMC) from B6 and IRF3KO mice in vitro with anti-CD3±anti-CD28± poly I:C, a TLR3/IRF3 agonist. We show during responses with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 that IRF3 is activated within 24 h in B6 SMC and expression of IFN-γ, IL-17 and GrB is impaired in IRF3KO SMC. Adding poly I:C with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 accelerated IRF3 activation and significantly increased IFN-γ, but not IL-17 or GrB, from IRF3KO SMC. Interestingly, Foxp3 expression and percentage of Foxp3+ T cells were significantly lower in unstimulated IRF3KO SMC compared with B6 SMC. To determine the contribution of IRF3 activation in T cells vs APCs, B6 and IRF3KO bone marrow dendritic cells (DCs; 3×10 4 ) were mixed in various combinations with WT or IRF3KO purified T cells (3×10 5 ), as well as anti-CD3±anti-CD28± poly I:C. After 48 h, IFN-γ, IL-17, and GrB expression was greatest in cultures where both B6 DCs and B6 T cells were mixed. IFN-γ, IL-17 and GrB decreased when either IRF3KO DCs or IRF3KO T cells were part of the mixture. Least production of IFN-γ, IL-17, and GrB occurred when DCs and T cells were from IRF3KO mice. These results suggest that IRF3 in both APCs and T cells is required to achieve optimum production of IFN-γ, IL-17, and GrB during T cell responses. Moreover, the data unexpectedly show that IRF3 is activated during T cell immune responses without a TLR3 agonist. The factor(s) responsible for IRF3 activation during APC/T cell responses is unclear but appears to be a soluble factor whose expression is stimulated through CD28.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Psychopathy Case Studies From an Urban Police Department

ABSTRACTPsychopathy is a personality construct characterized by a lack of empathy, and by callousness, grandiosity, and superficial charm; typically, these traits are found among incarcerated individuals prone to antisocial lifestyles (Cleckley, 1976; Hare, 2003). In recent years, interest has grown exponentially in identifying psychopathic traits in populations where they may be adaptive in nature, such as business, medicine, emergency responders, and law enforcement (Babiak, Neumann, & Hare, 2010; Hall & Benning, 2006; Smith & Lilienfeld, 2013). When considering law enforcement, personality research suggests that certain traits reminiscent of psychopathy (i.e., decreased emotional response, low stress reactivity, fearlessness) may in fact aid an individual in carrying out police work (Bakker & Heuven, 2006; Schaible & Gecas, 2010). Alternatively, other psychopathic traits (i.e., emotional dysregulation, aggression, impulsivity) could be detrimental to police officers’ performance (Lorinskas & Kulis, 198...
Clinical and histopathologic features of antibody-mediated rejection among pediatric renal transplant recipients with preformed vs de novo donor-specific antibodies

Preformed and de novo donor specific antibodies (pDSA and dnDSA) are risk factors for ABMR. This study compares the effects of pDSA vs dnDSA in pediatric kidney transplant recipients. Sixteen pediatric patients with biopsy-proven ABMR were evaluated. Strong DSA (MFI >10 000) was recorded at transplant, rejection, and follow-up. DSAs with the highest MFI were termed iDSAs. Allograft biopsies were scored according to Banff 2013 criteria. Seven of 16 (44%) patients had pDSA at transplant; 9 (56%) developed dnDSA. Patients with pDSA developed ABMR earlier (median = 63 vs 1344 days, P = .017), while patients with dnDSA were more likely to have strong Class II iDSA (100% vs 28%, P = .009). Viral infection or non-adherence was more common in patients developing dnDSA (88.8% vs 28.6%, P < .01). Pathology in those with pDSAs demonstrated worse transplant glomerulitis (g score 1.57 ± 0.98 vs 0.56 ± 0.73, P = .031); however, those with dnDSAs exhibited higher C4d+ ABMR (P = .013). Patients developing dnDSAs showed ABMR later post-transplant with predominance of HLA-Class II iDSAs. Inadequate immunosuppression likely contributes to dnDSA formation. Patients with no DSA who have unprotocolized decreases in immunosuppression should be screened for dnDSA as it could lead to early intervention and potentially better outcomes.