cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blunt bowel and mesenteric injury: MDCT diagnosis

Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has emerged as the imaging modality of choice for evaluating the abdomen and pelvis in trauma patients. MDCT readily detects injury of the solid organs as well as direct and indirect features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury—an important advance given that unrecognized bowel and mesenteric injuries may result in high morbidity and mortality. Nonetheless, challenges persist in the interpretation of abdominal and pelvic CT images in trauma patients. Difficulty in interpretation may result from lack of familiarity with or misunderstanding of CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injury. Moreover, due to major technical advances afforded by MDCT, new CT features of bowel and/or mesenteric injuries have been recognized. Beading and termination of mesenteric vessels indicating surgically important mesenteric injury is an example of one of these new features. MDCT also allows for the detection of small or trace amounts of isolated intraperitoneal fluid in trauma patients, although the clinical management of these patients is still controversial. This pictorial essay illustrates the spectrum of typical, atypical, and newly reported MDCT features of bowel and mesenteric injuries due to blunt trauma. The features that help to differentiate these injuries from pitfalls are emphasized in these proven cases.
Learning and Inferring Motion Patterns using Parametric Segmental Switching Linear Dynamic Systems

Switching Linear Dynamic System (SLDS) models are a popular technique for modeling complex nonlinear dynamic systems. An SLDS can describe complex temporal patterns more concisely and accurately than an HMM by using continuous hidden states. However, the use of SLDS models in practical applications is challenging for three reasons. First, exact inference in SLDS models is computationally intractable. Second, the geometric duration model induced in standard SLDSs limits their representational power. Third, standard SLDSs do not provide a principled way to interpret systematic variations governed by higher order parameters. The contributions in this paper address all of these three challenges. First, we present a data-driven MCMC (DD-MCMC) sampling method for approximate inference in SLDSs. We show DD-MCMC provides an efficient method for estimation and learning in SLDS models. Second, we present segmental SLDSs (S-SLDS), where the geometric distributions of the switching state durations are replaced with arbitrary duration models. Third, we extend the standard SLDS model with additional global parameters that can capture systematic temporal and spatial variations. The resulting parametric SLDS model (P-SLDS) uses EM to robustly interpret parametrized motions by incorporating additional global parameters that underly systematic variations of the overall motion. The overall development of the extensions for SLDSs provide a principled framework to interpret complex motions. The framework is applied to the honey bee dance interpretation task in the context of the on-going BioTracking project at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The experimental results suggest that the enhanced models provide an effective framework for a wide range of motion analysis applications.
Solubilization of porcine intestinal α-glucosidases and evidence for the separate identities of isomaltase and limit dextrinase☆

Abstract The results of a detailed comparison of the relative efficiencies of different procedures for solubilizing the membrane-bound α-glucosidases in hog intestinal mucosa are reported. Procedures for the selective solubilization of certain members of the complex group of α-glucosidases have been developed. The selective solubilization achieved permits the conclusion that separate α-glucosidases are involved in the hydrolysis of isomaltose and the α-limit dextrins formed from starch by α-amylase.
Neutrophil arrest by LFA-1 activation.

Lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) is a heterodimeric integrin consisiting of αL (gene name, Itgal) and β2 (gene name, Itgb2) subunits expressed in all leukocytes. LFA-1 is essential for neutrophil recruitment to inflamed tissue. Activation of LFA-1 by chemokines allows neutrophils and other leukocytes to undergo arrest, resulting in firm adhesion on endothelia expressing intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAMs). In mice, CXCR2 is the primary chemokine receptor involved in triggering neutrophil arrest, and it does so through “inside-out” activation of LFA-1. CXCR2 signaling induces changes in LFA-1 global conformation that are coupled to affinity upregulation of the ligand binding headpiece (extended with open I domain). Unlike naive lymphocytes, engagement of P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on neutrophils stimulates a slow rolling behavior that is mediated by LFA-1 in a distinct activation state (extended with closed I domain). How inside-out signaling cascades regulate the structure and function of LFA-1 is being studied using flow chambers, intravital microscopy and flow cytometry for ligand and reporter antibody binding. Here, we review how LFA-1 activation is regulated by cellular signaling and ligand binding. Two FERM domain-containing proteins, talin-1 and kindlin-3, are critical integrin co-activators and have distinct roles in the induction of LFA-1 conformational rearrangements. This review integrates these new results into existing models of LFA-1 activation.
Design to Succeed: Integrated MEMS Development

Designers of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) face many challenges by being forced to meet product specifications within the limitations of processing and thin-film material parameters. To create a successful MEMS product, there must be collaboration between experts in the target industry and MEMS experts in processing, materials, and other relevant technologies. The use of an integrated CAD for MEMS™ tool by all parties involved can greatly reduce the number of design and fabrication iterations required to successfully commercialize the product. Leveraging Corning IntelliSense’s over ten years of experience in the development of MEMS, IntelliSuite® provides a unified development platform for process development, thin-film material engineering, mask layout, and device and package analysis. Here we will outline a proven strategy for cost-effective, rapid product development.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Thermomechanical cycling of a NiTi shape memory alloy-macroscopic response and microstructural evolution

Abstract Thermomechanical cycling of a Ni49.9Ti50.1 (at.%) shape memory alloy was investigated. Combined ex situ macroscopic experiments and in situ neutron diffraction measurements were performed to relate the macroscopic evolution in behavior (e.g., dimensional instabilities) observed during thermal cycling to the responsible microscopic mechanism(s) through texture, internal strain, peak shape, and phase evolution from the neutron data. Pre-deformation in the austenite or martensite phases affected the macroscopic cyclic behavior (e.g., actuation strain), depending on the level of pre-strain and the associated microstructural changes. However, the pre-deformation did not completely stabilize the cyclic response. Subsequent thermomechanical cycling revealed that the martensite texture changed with continued thermal cycling, while the austenite texture did not. For the conditions investigated, stagnation of the martensite texture occurred around the eighth cycle, consistent with asymptotic saturation of the macroscopic transformation strains. Moreover, diffraction spectra peak shapes (broadening) were found to vary with cycling indicative of the accumulation of lattice defects, consistent with the constant increase in residual strain.
NASA Software failure characterization experiments

Abstract A series of experiments are being conducted by NASA to generate data on which to base the development of credible methods for assessing the reliability of software targeted for flight-critical applications. Two sets of experiments designed to characterize software failure processes have been conducted by different research groups. The results of these experiments were consistent: errors caused by different faults in a program occured at widely varying rates: program failure rates exhibited a log-linear trend with respect to the number of faults corrected; some faults were found to interact in either concealing or revealing ways; and contiguous regions of the input space which cause a program to generate errors, called error crystals, were found and characterized for some faults in some programs. Collectively, these experiments have produced information on software failure which must be accounted for in software reliability modeling approaches. A current experiment is being conducted to investigate the occurrence of similar and new behaviors in real-time control software and asses the effectiveness of software development and testing methods. The application under study is the guidance and control software for a planetary landing vehicle.
W-Boson Contribution to the Anomalous Magnetic Moment of the Muon

The contribution of the intermediate vector boson to the muon anomalous moment is calculated in the $\ensuremath{\xi}$-limiting formalism. We find $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}=\ensuremath{\Delta}[\frac{({g}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{-}2)}{2}]=(\frac{{{g}_{W}}^{2}}{8{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{2}}){(\frac{{M}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}}{{M}_{W}})}^{2}[2(1\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{W})\mathrm{ln}\ensuremath{\xi}+\frac{10}{3}],$ where $\sqrt{2}{(\frac{{g}_{W}}{{M}_{W}})}^{2}={G}_{F}$ is the Fermi weak coupling constant and ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{W}$ is the $W$ anomalous moment. For ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{W}=0$, and $\ensuremath{\xi}$ chosen according to the prescription of Lee, this contribution is numerically $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\kappa}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\cong}\ensuremath{-}1.0\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}\ensuremath{\cong}\ensuremath{-}0.8{(\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\pi}})}^{3}.$
PBL State Estimation with Surface Observations, a Column Model, and an Ensemble Filter

Abstract Following recent results showing the potential for using surface observations of temperature, water vapor mixing ratio, and winds to determine PBL profiles, this paper reports on experiments with real observations. A 1D column model with soil, surface-layer, and PBL parameterization schemes that are the same as in the Weather Research and Forecasting model is used to estimate PBL profiles with an ensemble filter. Surface observations over the southern Great Plains are assimilated during the spring and early summer period of 2003. To strictly quantify the utility of the observations for determining PBL profiles in the ensemble filter framework, only climatological information is provided for initialization and forcing. The analysis skill, measured against rawinsondes for an independent verification, is compared against climatology to quantify the influence of the observations. Sensitivity to changing parameterization schemes, and to prescribed values of observation error variance, is examined. Tem...
Latino Immigrant Youth Living in a Nontraditional Migration City: A Social-Ecological Examination of the Complexities of Stress and Resilience.

Latino immigrant children represent the fastest-growing population in the United States and families are frequently residing outside of the traditional migration destinations. These cities lack the...
Theta-like specimen to determine tensile strength at the micro scale

Micro- and nano-electromechanical systems are typically formed via lithographic and etching processes that leave residual surface features, stresses, and chemistry that ultimately control component strength and thus device and system reliability. Here, we describe a new test specimen for micro-scale tensile strength measurements that allows for direct assessment of surface effects on strength. Specimens were formed from silicon-on-insulator wafers by deep reactive ion etching and tested with instrumented indentation. The experimental results were interpreted using finite element analyses to extract fracture strength. Fracture strengths as great as 3 GPa were observed, with fracture initiating at processing-induced flaws and propagating along {111} and {110} planes.
Development of a Two-Dimensional Zonally Averaged Statistical-Dynamical Model. Part III: The Parameterization of the Eddy Fluxes of Heat and Moisture.

A number of perpetual January simulations are carried out with a two-dimensional zonally averaged model employing various parameterizations of the eddy fluxes of heat (potential temperature) and moisture. The parameterizations are evaluated by comparing these results with the eddy fluxes calculated in a parallel simulation using a three-dimensional general circulation model with zonally symmetric forcing. The three-dimensional model's performance in turn is evaluated by comparing its results using realistic (nonsymmetric) boundary conditions with observations. Branscome's parameterization of the meridional eddy flux of heat and Leovy's parameterization of the meridional eddy flux of moisture simulate the seasonal and latitudinal variations of these fluxes reasonably well, while somewhat underestimating their magnitudes. New parameterizations of the vertical eddy fluxes are developed that take into account the enhancement of the eddy mixing slope in a growing baroclinic wave due to condensation, and also the effect of eddy fluctuations in relative humidity. The new parameterizations, when tested in the two-dimensional model, simulate the seasonal, latitudinal, and vertical variations of the vertical eddy fluxes quite well, when compared with the three-dimensional model, and only underestimate the magnitude of the fluxes by 10 to 20 percent.
Saturn's rings: Particle size distributions for thin layer models

A model incorporating limited interaction between the incident energy and particles in the ring is considered which appears to be consistent with the multiple scattering process in Saturn's rings. The model allows for the small physical thickness of the rings and can be used to relate Voyager 1 observations of 3.6- and 13-cm wavelength microwave scatter from the rings to the ring particle size distribution function for particles with radii ranging from 0.001 to 20 m. This limited-scatter model yields solutions for particle size distribution functions for eight regions in the rings, which exhibit approximately inverse-cubic power-law behavior.
Stimulation of immature male rat liver growth by phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene.

Abstract Daily injections of 100 mg phenobarbital/kg body wt stimulate substantial increases in liver growth. However, after 5 days of treatment there is no further growth in response to phenobarbital. At this time, the liver still grows after a single injection of 20 mg of 3-methylcholanthrene/kg body wt. It is concluded that the two drugs stimulate liver growth by different mechanisms, as they do liver drug metabolizing enzyme activity. In addition, we have shown that 100 mg phenobarbital/kg body wt in the immature male rat stimulates liver growth by both hepatocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia, while 20 mg 3-methylcholanthrene/kg body wt with or without phenobarbital pretreatment stimulates only cell hypertrophy. Neither drug significantly affects mitotic activity in littoral or bile duct cells.
The effects of β-d-xynoside on the synthesis of proteolgycans by skeletal muscle: Lack of effect on decorin and differential polymerization of core protein-bound and xyloside-linked chondroitin sulfate

Developing skeletal muscle cells, as both myoblasts and myotubules, synthesize a distinctive large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan. To probe the role of this proteoglycan in myogenesis, chick embryonic muscle cells in culture were treated with beta-D-xyloside, a compound which interferes with proteoglycan synthesis by acting as an artificial acceptor for glycosaminoglycan synthesis and thereby competing with the proteoglycan core protein. Analysis of the proteoglycans indicates that with increasing concentrations of beta-D-xyloside, synthesis of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan is inhibited, with concomitant massive synthesis of xyloside-linked chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans. Xyloside does not appear to inhibit glycosaminoglycan attachment onto the small heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate proteoglycans which are synthesized in the muscle cultures, even though, because of the mechanism of action of beta-xyloside, these proteoglycans should be affected. At submaximal concentrations of beta-xyloside, there is synthesis of both large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and xyloside-linked chondroitin sulfate. The xyloside-linked chondroitin sulfate chains have the same sulfation pattern as the core protein-bound skeletal muscle chondroitin sulfate (90% 6-sulfated isomer), but are much smaller (24,000 vs. 65,000 in molecular weight). The discrepancy in size but identify of sulfation indicates that, although sulfation takes place normally on either the core protein or the xyloside acceptor, termination of glycosylation occurs earlier for xyloside-initiated chondroitin sulfate. In spite of these dramatic effects on chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan synthesis, beta-xyloside elicits no observable effects on in vitro myogenesis. This suggests that the function served by the large chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan is not required in the more simplified environment of the muscle cultures.
Epiglottic hematoma leading to airway obstruction after general anesthesia

Abstract Bleeding into the upper airway can cause airway obstruction and death if not recognized promptly. Anesthesiologists are quite familiar with potential airway obstruction from acute epiglottitis, but they may be less familiar with the potential for airway obstruction from epiglottic hematoma. We report what we believe is the second case of epiglottic hematoma after anesthesia and surgery that led to an acute upper airway obstruction. Our case was unique in that there was no excessive airway trauma during tracheal intubation. Most important, this case emphasizes that patients receiving multiple anticoagulants—as our patient was—are at risk for airway bleeding, epiglottic hematoma formation, and airway obstruction.
Hyperspectral measurements of wet, dry and saline soils from the McMurdo Dry Valleys: soil moisture properties from remote sensing

Soil moisture is a spatially heterogeneous quantity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica that exerts a large influence on the biological community and on the thermal state of Dry Valleys permafrost. The goal of this project was to determine whether hyperspectral remote sensing techniques could be used to determine soil moisture conditions in the Dry Valleys. We measured the spectral reflectance factors of wetted soil samples from the Dry Valleys under natural light conditions and related diagnostic spectral features to surface layer soil moisture content. Diagnostic water absorption features in the spectra at 1.4µm and 1.9 µm were present in all samples, including samples doped with high concentrations of chloride salts. The depth of the 1.4 µm absorption is shown to increase linearly with increasing gravimetric water content. These results suggest that airborne hyperspectral imaging of the Dry Valleys could generate soil moisture maps of this environment over large spatial areas using non-invasive remote-sensing techniques.
Job satisfaction among obstetrician-gynecologists: a comparison between private practice physicians and academic physicians.

Objective Physician job satisfaction has been the subject of much research. However, no studies have been conducted comparing academic and private practice physician satisfaction in obstetrics and gynecology. This study was undertaken to measure satisfaction levels for academic and private practice obstetrician-gynecologists and compare different aspects of their practice that contributed to their satisfaction. Study design A survey was mailed to randomly selected obstetrician-gynecologists in Memphis, TN; Birmingham, AL; Little Rock, AR; and Jackson, MS. Physicians were asked to respond to questions concerning demographics and career satisfaction. They were also asked to assess the contribution of 13 different aspects of their practice in contributing to their job selection and satisfaction using a Likert scale. A score of 1 meant the physician completely disagreed with a statement regarding a factor's contribution or was completely dissatisfied; a score of 5 meant the physician completely agreed with a factor's contribution or was completely satisfied. Simple descriptive statistics, as well as the 2-sample t test, were used. Likert scale values were assumed to be interval measurements. Results Of the 297 questionnaires mailed, 129 (43%) physicians responded. Ninety-five (74%) respondents rated their overall satisfaction as 4 or 5. No significant difference was found between academic and private physicians when comparing overall job satisfaction ( P = .25). When compared to private practice physicians, the aspects most likely contributing to overall job satisfaction for academic physicians were the ability to teach, conduct research, and practice variety ( P = .0001, P = .0001, and P = .007, respectively). When compared with academic physicians, the aspects most likely contributing to job satisfaction for private practice physicians were autonomy, physician-patient relationship, and insurance reimbursement ( P = .0058, P = .0001, and P = .0098, respectively). When choosing a practice setting, academic physicians found variety, teaching, and research to be more important ( P = .0027, P = .0001, and P = .0001, respectively). In contrast, private practice physicians found autonomy, physician-patient relationship, coworkers, and geographic location to be more important ( P = .0005, P = .0001, P = .0035, and P = .0016, respectively). Conclusion Academic and private practice physicians are equally satisfied with their careers. However, teaching, research and variety contribute more to academic satisfaction, whereas autonomy, physician-patient relationship, and coworkers contribute more to satisfaction for the physician in private practice. This study may be used when counseling residents concerning their career options.
A critical review of PASBio's argument structures for biomedical verbs

Background Propositional representations of biomedical knowledge are a critical component of most aspects of semantic mining in biomedicine. However, the proper set of propositions has yet to be determined. Recently, the PASBio project proposed a set of propositions and argument structures for biomedical verbs. This initial set of representations presents an opportunity for evaluating the suitability of predicate-argument structures as a scheme for representing verbal semantics in the biomedical domain. Here, we quantitatively evaluate several dimensions of the initial PASBio propositional structure repository.
Privatizing Risk without Privatizing the Welfare State: The Hidden Politics of Social Policy Retrenchment in the United States

Over the last decade, students of the welfare state have produced an impressive body of research on retrenchment, the dominant thrust of which is that remarkably few welfare states have experienced fundamental shifts. This article questions this now-conventional wisdom by reconsidering the post-1970s trajectory of the American welfare state, long considered the quintessential case of social policy stability. I demonstrate that although most programs have indeed resisted retrenchment, U.S. social policy has also offered increasingly incomplete risk protection in an era of dramatic social change. Although some of this disjuncture is inadvertent—an unintended consequence of the very political stickiness that has stymied retrenchment—I argue that the declining scope of risk protection also reflects deliberate and theoretically explicable strategies of reform adopted by welfare state opponents in the face of popular and change-resistant policies, a finding that has significant implications for the study of institutional change more broadly.
Leishmania major survival in selective Phlebotomus papatasi sand fly vector requires a specific SCG-encoded lipophosphoglycan galactosylation pattern

Phlebotomine sand flies that transmit the protozoan parasite Leishmania differ greatly in their ability to support different parasite species or strains in the laboratory: while some show considerable selectivity, others are more permissive. In “selective” sand flies, Leishmania binding and survival in the fly midgut typically depends upon the abundant promastigote surface adhesin lipophosphoglycan (LPG), which exhibits species- and strain-specific modifications of the dominant phosphoglycan (PG) repeat units. For the “selective” fly Phlebotomus papatasi PpapJ, side chain galactosyl-modifications (scGal) of PG repeats play key roles in parasite binding. We probed the specificity and properties of this scGal-LPG PAMP (Pathogen Associated Molecular Pattern) through studies of natural isolates exhibiting a wide range of galactosylation patterns, and of a panel of isogenic L. major engineered to express similar scGal-LPG diversity by transfection of SCG-encoded β1,3-galactosyltransferases with different activities. Surprisingly, both ‘poly-scGal’ and ‘null-scGal’ lines survived poorly relative to PpapJ-sympatric L. major FV1 and other ‘mono-scGal’ lines. However, survival of all lines was equivalent in P. duboscqi, which naturally transmit L. major strains bearing ‘null-scGal’-LPG PAMPs. We then asked whether scGal-LPG-mediated interactions were sufficient for PpapJ midgut survival by engineering Leishmania donovani, which normally express unsubstituted LPG, to express a ‘PpapJ-optimal’ scGal-LPG PAMP. Unexpectedly, these “L. major FV1-cloaked” L. donovani-SCG lines remained unable to survive within PpapJ flies. These studies establish that midgut survival of L. major in PpapJ flies is exquisitely sensitive to the scGal-LPG PAMP, requiring a specific ‘mono-scGal’ pattern. However, failure of ‘mono-scGal’ L. donovani-SCG lines to survive in selective PpapJ flies suggests a requirement for an additional, as yet unidentified L. major-specific parasite factor(s). The interplay of the LPG PAMP and additional factor(s) with sand fly midgut receptors may determine whether a given sand fly host is “selective” or “permissive”, with important consequences to both disease transmission and the natural co-evolution of sand flies and Leishmania.
Historical epidemiology and infectious disease processes in Africa

This article outlines the historical development in African studies of the sub-discipline of historical epidemiology and the contemporary challenges of understanding infectious disease processes that require integrating biomedical and historical knowledge. It suggests that Africanist historians can play a significant role in collaborative and multidisciplinary research in this field by exploring the histories of disease processes and interventions, and thereby contributing to improvements in public health practice and outcomes.
Five-year outcomes of catheter ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation and left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Catheter Ablation and Long-Term OutcomesBackground Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is an established therapy for symptomatic patients. The long-term efficacy and impact of catheter ablation among patients with severe systolic heart failure (SHF) requires additional study to understand if outcomes achieved at 1 year are maintained and mechanisms of AF recurrence. Methods Three groups with SHF and 5 years of follow-up were matched 1:4:4 by age (±5 years) and sex: AF ablation patients receiving their first ablation (n = 267), AF patients that did not receive an ablation (n = 1,068), and SHF patient without AF (n = 1,068). SHF was based upon clinical diagnosis and an ejection fraction (EF) ≤35%. Patients were followed for 5-year primary outcomes of AF recurrence, heart failure, stroke, death, and cardiac function. Results At 5 years, 60.7% of patients had clinical recurrence of AF. Diabetes and a prior heart attack were significant predictors of long-term risk of AF recurrence. Long-term mortality rates were 27%, 55%, 50%, in the AF ablation, AF, and no AF groups, respectively (P < 0.0001), with the lower rates attributed to lower cardiovascular mortality. At 5 years, there was no difference in EF, yet HF hospitalizations were lower following AF ablation compared to patients with AF and no ablation. Stroke rates at 5 years trended to be lower in the AF ablation group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Recurrence rates of AF in patients with SHF after ablation are common at 5 years with an anticipated ongoing increase. Long-term AF-related comorbidities tended to be less in the AF ablation group.
Perceptions of the Harmful Effects of Marijuana Use: A Comparison Between Graduate and Undergraduate College Students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a statistically significant difference in perceptions of the harmful effects of marijuana use among graduate and undergraduate college students. Data were collected from 30 graduate and 30 undergraduate college students who currently attend Coppin State University. The mode of measurement consisted of a modified version of the Monitoring the Future Survey. Data from the study were coded numerically and analyzed using an independent t-test. Results indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference between graduate and undergraduate college students’ perceptions of the harmful effects of marijuana use.
Atlantic Constraints and Global Opportunities

What makes a geographic region a logical unit of historical analysis? Historians are products of disciplinary conventions that classify jobs and professional organizations first by place (generally a nation or a continental landmass) and then by historical period; thus place is often the starting point in historical research. For historians of the early modern period, anachronistic political boundaries can be confining because early borders (where they existed or were acknowledged) were porous, contested, and shifting; historians find themselves struggling to write non-national histories within national paradigms. One strategy to escape this challenge can be seen in the growing field of Atlantic history, which takes as its unit of analysis not a single state but rather the four continents surrounding the Atlantic and the ocean itself. Atlantic approaches are greatly in vogue =among early modern historians. But might the Atlantic be too small a unit of analysis? To what extent should historians engage with questions about developments within the Atlantic by looking elsewhere around the globe and thereby integrating the Atlantic into a larger global history?
Amblyopia in astigmatic children: Patterns of deficits

Neural changes that result from disruption of normal visual experience during development are termed amblyopia. To characterize visual deficits specific to astigmatism-related amblyopia, we compared best-corrected visual performance in 330 astigmatic and 475 non-astigmatic kindergarten through 6th grade children. Astigmatism was associated with deficits in letter, grating and vernier acuity, high and middle spatial frequency contrast sensitivity, and stereoacuity. Although grating acuity, vernier acuity, and contrast sensitivity were reduced across stimulus orientation, astigmats demonstrated orientation-dependent deficits (meridional amblyopia) only for grating acuity. Astigmatic children are at risk for deficits across a range of visual functions.
The Detection of the Heterozygote and Homozygote in Cystic Fibrosis by Short Term Lymphocyte Culture Studies: A Defect in RNA Methylation

A method is here described for the study of RNA methyla tion in short-term lymphocyte cultures. Results from CF heterozygotes and homozygotes as well as normals suggest that undermyethylation of RNA occurs in both heterozygotes and homozygotes for the cystic fibrosis gene, and that this occurrence reflects the basic defect in this disorder.
Enhancement of Ibuprofen Dissolution via Wet Granulation with β-Cyclodextrin

The purpose was to investigate the effect of wet granulation with beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) on the enhancement of ibuprofen (IBU) dissolution. The effect of the granulation variables on the physical properties as well as the dissolution of tablets prepared from these granules was also examined. Granulation was performed using three granulating solvents: water, ethanol (95 vol%), and isopropanol. Granules were either oven-dried for 2 h or air-dried for 3 days. The granules or respective physical mixtures were compressed into tablets. Powder X-ray diffraction showed that oven-dried granulation resulted in less amorphous entities thatfacilitated IBU-betaCD complexation in solution and enhanced the dissolution of the corresponding tablets compared to the physical mixture with or without oven drying. In contrast, air-dried granulation did not cause any differences in the X-ray diffraction pattern (crystallinity) or the dissolution compared to the physical mixture without drying. Isopropanol and water, as granulating solvents, enhanced the dissolution of the oven-dried batches more than ethanol. The Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data showed that tablets prepared from oven-dried granules, but not air-dried granules, had lower AH values and percent loss in weight, respectively, than those prepared from the physical mixture as a result of the expulsion of the water molecules from the betaCD cavity and enhancement of the complexation in solution. These results showed that oven-dried granulation of IBU and betaCD provided faster IBU dissolution than the physical mixture; air-dried granulation did not substantially affect the dissolution of IBU.
Containing Attrition in School-Based Research: An Innovative Approach

This article describes a successful approach for tracking a highly mobile group of junior high school transferees and thereby minimizing attrition in a longitudinal study of adolescent behavior. St...
Wipro Technologies Europe (C)

Vivek Paul was hired to run the IT division of a global company that originally sold cooking oil. A native of India, he was educated and had worked in the United States for many years. Paul was brought on board to develop Wipro Technologies into a leading provider of software services to the world's largest corporations. He faced a number of challenges in achieving this goal. His most immediate challenge was attracting, developing, and retaining key talent. Paul needed someone at the helm who had established relationships and credibility with the employees at Wipro Technologies' Indian operation centers. He wanted someone who knew the Indian corporate culture and who had the cross-cultural sophistication that comes from extended expatriate experience to be the director of Wipro Technologies Europe. Sudip Nandy was the perfect fit for such an assignment. This story illustrates the cultural challenges of transforming an Indian company in order to enhance its global effectiveness. The A case (UVA-OB-0755) discusses some of the methods Wipro used to leverage diversity in the workforce to create competitive advantages for the firm. The B case (UVA-OB-0763) further describes some of Nandy's ideas for business growth. In the C case, which updates the business situation to late 2002, Nandy reviews more strategies. This case series illustrates the importance of national culture and ethnicity issues to everything a large corporation does, including its own culture of origin, the cultures of its potential customers, and the cultures of its employees. The series lends itself well to the unfolding of the Hofstede cultural model during class.
Fishing diseased abalone to promote yield and conservation

Past theoretical models suggest fishing disease-impacted stocks can reduce parasite transmission, but this is a good management strategy only when the exploitation required to reduce transmission does not overfish the stock. We applied this concept to a red abalone fishery so impacted by an infectious disease (withering syndrome) that stock densities plummeted and managers closed the fishery. In addition to the non-selective fishing strategy considered by past disease-fishing models, we modelled targeting (culling) infected individuals, which is plausible in red abalone because modern diagnostic tools can determine infection without harming landed abalone and the diagnostic cost is minor relative to the catch value. The non-selective abalone fishing required to eradicate parasites exceeded thresholds for abalone sustainability, but targeting infected abalone allowed the fishery to generate yield and reduce parasite prevalence while maintaining stock densities at or above the densities attainable if the population was closed to fishing. The effect was strong enough that stock and yield increased even when the catch was one-third uninfected abalone. These results could apply to other fisheries as the diagnostic costs decline relative to catch value.
Effects of histamine receptor antagonists metiamide and cimetidine on antibody formation in vitro by murine cells.

AbstractThe effects of the H2 receptor antagonists cimetidine and metiamide on antibody responsiveness by murine splenocytes immunized in vitro with sheep erythrocytes were examined. These agents had a dose-related effect on antibody formation. Incubation of normal mouse spleen cells with 10 μg metiamide or cimetidine resulted in a marked stimulation of the antibody response, but increasing the dose to 1000 μg or more depressed the response. The higher doses also suppressed viability of the cells, but to a lesser extent than suppression of antibody formation. There was no effect on the cytokinetics of appearance of antibody-forming cells, since the peak day of the response was similar regardless of presence or absence of the drugs. Optimum enhancement occurred when the drugs were added to cultures on Day 0 or plus one day, indicating that immunomodulation was associated with early events of the immune response.
The Effects of Magnification and Allowed Viewing Time on the Inspection of Printed Circuit Boards

Industrial inspectors are becoming more dependant on the stereoscopic microscope for detecting microminiature defects in electronic components. The present study investigated the effect of magnification on the detection of scratch defects in the etching of printed circuit boards. Ten subjects were tested under 3 levels of magnification (10x, 16x and 30x) with the time for each view adjusted so that the total viewing time remained constant. Results showed a significant increase in inspector sensitivity (d') at the 30x magnification level. Inspector sensitivity in the 10x and 16x conditions was not significantly different. These results suggest that improvements in inspector performance through magnification are possible without increasing inspection time.
Notes on the Biology and Diapause Inducement of the Hyperparasite Gelis tenellus

Gelis tenellus (Say) is one of the most abundant hyperparasites of the gypsy moth parasite Apanteles melanoscelus (Ratzburg). The mean developmental time of G. tenellus was 17 days at 25°C and 30% RH, and adults lived ca. 40 days. Adults remained reproductive for the initial 4/5 of their life span. Oviposition peaked at days 6-10. The major diapause inducing factor was photoperiod. The critical photoperiod for diapause induction was 11-14 h of daylight but diapause incidence never fell below 30%, even at 20-h photoperiod.
Abstract 2158: Evaluation of the efficacy of dasatinib, a Src/Abl inhibitor, in a preclinical model of colorectal cancer.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Background: Dysregulation of c-Src has been shown to modulate many different tumor cell processes. Downstream targets of Src include focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which is important for migration and invasion, and Stat-3, a kinase that enhances survival of cells and angiogenesis. Dysregulation of Src has been shown to be important at various stages of cancer development. Dasatinib is a potent Src/Abl inhibitor and has been shown to have anti-proliferative and anti-invasive activity in many preclinical models. The objective was to determine the anti-proliferative and anti-tumor effects of dasatinib in our preclinical model of colorectal cancer (CRC). Experimental Design: We used colorectal cancer cell lines and patient-derived explants to investigate the efficacy of dasatinib. We treated 45 CRC cell lines with dasatinib for 72 hours and proliferation was assayed by a sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay; an IC50 < 0.1 μM was considered sensitive. We treated 10 patient-derived CRC explants with dasatinib (50 mg/kg/day, administered once-daily) for 28 days to determine in vivo efficacy; a tumor growth inhibition inhibition (TGI) ≥ 50% was considered sensitive. Results: We found that 17 out of 41 CRC cell lines reached an IC50 < 1 uM with dasatinib treatment. The cell lines: HCT116, LS174T, SW1417, WiDR, KM20 and SNU977 all reached an IC50 < 0.08 μM, which is considered to be an achievable dose in the clinic setting. Of 10 CRC explants, grown as xenografts, one showed sensitivity to dasatinib, with a tumor growth inhibiton of 55%. Conclusion: Dasatinib has significant anti-proliferative activity in a subset of CRC cell lines in vitro, but shows moderate efficacy in one out of ten explants treated. We plan on treating an additional 10 CRC explants (20 total) with dasatinib and developing biomarkers of sensitivity or resistance. Citation Format: Eun-Kee Song, Alicia Purkey, Kevin Quackenbush, Benjamin Cross, Stacey Bagby, John J. Arcaroli, Wells Messersmith. Evaluation of the efficacy of dasatinib, a Src/Abl inhibitor, in a preclinical model of colorectal cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2158. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2158
Vitamin A compared with weekly iron supplementation on improving iron status of preschoolers

Objective:To compare the efficacy of vitamin A supplementation with weekly iron supplementation on the iron and vitamin A status of preschoolers in suburb Chongqing,China. Methods:183 1～6 years old children who suffered from iron deficient anemia or vitamin A deficiency were randomly divided into three groups,and were arranged to receive 60 mg iron/week or 50 000 IU vitamin A capsule/week or 10 mg vitamin B 1 /week (placebo) for 20 weeks. Results:20 weeks after supplementation,Hb increased significantly in vitamin A group and iron group by 10 4 g/L and 8 9g/L,respectively but there is no difference between the groups ( P 0 05);Serium retinol increased significantly in vitamin A supplement group by 0 137 μmol/L( P 0 01),while the increase of serium retinol in iron supplementation group is not significant( P 0 05) Conclusion:Weekly supplementation of vitamin A capsule has the same effect on the increase of Hb concentration with the weekly supplementation of iron Therefore in the region where IDA and VAD exist at the same time,vitamin A supplementation is one of the good methods to improve the iron and vitamin A nutritional status
Positive Feedbacks Enhance Macroalgal Resilience on Degraded Coral Reefs

Many reefs have shifted from coral and fish dominated habitats to less productive macroalgal dominated habitats, and current research is investigating means of reversing this phase shift. In the tropical Pacific, overfished reefs with inadequate herbivory can become dominated by the brown alga Sargassum polycystum. This alga suppresses recruitment and survival of corals and fishes, thus limiting the potential for reef recovery. Here we investigate the mechanisms that reinforce S. polycystum dominance and show that in addition to negatively affecting other species, this species acts in a self-reinforcing manner, positively promoting survival and growth of conspecifics. We found that survival and growth of both recruit-sized and mature S. polycystum fronds were higher within Sargassum beds than outside the beds and these results were found in both protected and fished reefs. Much of this benefit resulted from reduced herbivory within the Sargassum beds, but adult fronds also grew ~50% more within the beds even when herbivory did not appear to be occurring, suggesting some physiological advantage despite the intraspecific crowding. Thus via positive feedbacks, S. polycystum enhances its own growth and resistance to herbivores, facilitating its dominance (perhaps also expansion) and thus its resilience on degraded reefs. This may be a key feedback mechanism suppressing the recovery of coral communities in reefs dominated by macroalgal beds.
Clinical evaluation and symptoms of chemosensory impairment: one thousand consecutive cases from the Nasal Dysfunction Clinic in San Diego.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to measure olfactory impairment in patients with various etiologies using symptom ratings and psychophysical measures of olfactory function.MethodsWe performed a...
Phytophthora caryae sp. nov., a new species recovered from streams and rivers in the eastern United States

Members of the P. citricola complex (Phytophthora clade 2c), such as P. plurivora, are destructive pathogens of trees and shrubs in nursery, landscape and forest setting worldwide. During surveys of Phytophthora species from streams and rivers in Massachusetts and North Carolina, a novel species in the P. citricola complex was recovered. Based on sequences from three nuclear (ITS, β-tub and tef1) and two mitochondrial (cox1 and nadh1) loci, morphological characters, temperature–growth relationships and host plant inoculations, this novel species is described as Phytophthora caryae sp. nov.. Phytophthora caryae resembles several other species in the P. citricola complex, demonstrating homothallism and producing paragynous antheridia and semipapillate and noncaducous sporangia. However, P. caryae exhibits smaller sexual structures, higher rates of oogonia with a tapered base and sporangia with an off-set attachment of the sporangiophores. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference placed isolates of P. caryae into a unique clade with significant statistical support. Based on the mitochondrial dataset, P. caryae is most closely related to P. pini and P. citricola III, which are believed to be native in eastern North America. Inoculations of P. caryae on one-year-old twigs of 12 tree species representing nine genera resulted in under-bark lesions on species of Carya and Juglans. Sapling inoculations under greenhouse conditions suggest that P. caryae may be pathogenic to shagbark hickory (C. ovata) but not to black walnut (J. nigra). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Lateral Dominance in the Teaching of Bowling

Abstract A screening test for lateral dominance was administered to 167 college women. Twenty-six showed left dominance. Of this group four were taught to bowl left-handed, six were eliminated from the study for various reasons and 16 were taught to use their preferred hand, the right. All 20 subjects preferred using their right hand. Both groups were equated as to the amount of practice and motor ability. The group using the presumably dominant left hand were significantly poorer in their bowling average than the group which, though demonstrating left dominance, were permitted to bowl with their preferred hand.