cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does aspirin have a role in venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in total knee arthroplasty patients

The objectives of this study were to compare the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), bleeding, surgical site infection, and mortality in patients receiving aspirin or guideline-approved VTE prophylactic therapies (warfarin, low-molecular-weight heparins, synthetic pentasaccharides) in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We analyzed clinical and administrative data from 93,840 patients who underwent primary TKA at 307 US hospitals over a 24-month period. Fifty-one thousand nine hundred twenty-three (55%) patients received warfarin, 37,198 (40%) received injectable agents, and 4719 (5%) received aspirin. After adjustment for patient and hospital factors, patients who received aspirin VTE prophylaxis (VTEP) had lower odds for thromboembolism compared to warfarin patients but with similar odds compared with injectable VTEP; there were no differences in risk of bleeding, infection, or mortality after adjustment. Our results suggest that aspirin, when used in conjunction with other clinical care protocols, may be effective VTEP for certain TKA patients.
Cold inhibits neurite outgrowth from single retinal ganglion cells isolated from adult goldfish

We have studied the growth of neurites from single retinal ganglion cells isolated from adult goldfish and maintained under various primary cell culture conditions. In 10% Leibovitz's L-15 medium at 23 degrees C, these ganglion cells remained viable for up to 10 days and generated extensive fields of neurites. We found two patterns of neuritic fields. In one, a pair of neurites exited from opposite sides of the cell soma, forming a bipolar pattern. In the second pattern, three to five neurites exited from several points around the soma, forming a multipolar pattern. Characteristically, each neurite of this latter type tapered and branched two to seven times, whereas neurites forming bipolar patterns showed less branching and little or no taper. The fields subtended by the neurites in multipolar patterns ranged in size from 33,000 to 204,000 microns 2. Finally, although these neurites grew as fast as 35 microns hr-1 at 23 degrees C and individually reached lengths of up to 735 microns, they showed essentially no growth at 13 degrees C. Neurite outgrowth at 23 degrees C was vigorous even in cells whose growth had previously been suppressed for as long as 8 hr at 13 degrees C.
'Make Lisle the Style': The Politics of Fashion in the Japanese Silk Boycott, 1937-1940

This article examines debates about the merits of a boycott of Japanese products, especially silk, in the late 1930s as a lens through which to examine the relationship between consumer activism and consumer society in the United States. It argues that both supporters and opponents of the silk boycott, in promoting a politics that was both virtuous and pleasurable, marked a departure from the dominant tradition of consumer activism before and since, which has defined virtue and fashion as opposing forces. As the article shows, the silk boycotters (and their opponents) took fashion and pleasure seriously and embedded their campaigns in popular culture.
Noradrenaline and tyramine action on isolated atrial muscle of endotoxin-treated guinea-pigs.

Abstract 1. Isolated left-atrial strips of guinea-pigs were driven electrically at a constant rate and log-concentration curves were determined for the positive inotropic effect of noradrenaline and tyramine. 2. The atrial tissue from endotoxin-treated animals had a reduced sensitivity to noradrenaline and tyramine. 3. After endotoxin, the sensitizing effect of cocaine on the response to noradrenaline was normal but accumulation of 3H-noradrenaline in nerve terminals was markedly reduced. 4. Atrial tissue of endotoxin-treated guinea-pigs responded normally to stretch.
Degree ±1 self-maps and self-homeomorphisms on prime 3-manifolds

If the property stated above holds for M , we say M has property H. In particular, if all the degree 1 ( 1) self-maps of M are homotopic to homeomorphisms, we say M has property 1H ( 1H). M has property H if and only if M has both property 1H and property 1H. Observe that if M admits an orientation-reversing self-homeomorphism, then M has property 1H if and only if M has property 1H. So we need only consider property 1H in most of this paper.
Fire history of an isolated subalpine mountain range of the Intermountain Region, United States

Fire has historically been an important ecological component of forests in the Intermountain Region of the northwestern United States, This study is set in a small biogeographically disjunct mountain range. Our research objectives were to (1) investigate the historical frequency, severity, size, and spatial pattern of fire: (2) determine if and how fire regimes have changed since Euro-American settlement; and (3) compare how fire regimes of a small isolated range compare to nearby, but considerably larger, mountain agglomerations. Our findings suggest that this mountain range has historically supported fires typified by small size and high frequency, resulting in a high degree of spatial pattern complexity compared to mountain agglomerations. We also found disparity in size and burn severity solely within the study area based on the bisecting Continental Divide. Since the advent of Euro-American settlement in the 1870s, fire frequency and sizes of individual fires in the West Big Hole Range have significantly decreased resulting in an estimated 87% reduction in area burned. We discuss potential relationships of mountain range isolation and fire regimes in the Intermountain Region. Furthermore, we suggest that the relative small size of this mountain range predisposes it to greater anthropogenic effects upon fire occurrence.
Cryopreservation of islets of langerhans.

Abstract Development of techniques for cryopreservation of pancreatic islets of Langerhans could potentially allow for increased freedom from the time restrictions presently affecting viability in islet cell transplantation. While several investigators have attempted islet cell freezing and have obtained favorable in vitro results after thawing, there have been few reported in vivo successes with islets transplanted after freezing. We have developed a simple system for freezing islet cell pancreatic fragments to −196 °C and have either stored them in liquid nitrogen for 24 hr or immediately thawed the islets prior to transplantation. In addition, antilymphoblast globulin has been used as graft pretreatment modality in order to modify islet cell immunogenicity. We found that ALG was effective in prolongation of graft survival after freezing as well as on fresh nonfrozen transplants. The use of freezing and ALG appears, therefore, to have a favorable effect on the immunogenicity of the pancreatic islet cell allograft.
Résultats précoces du traitement endovasculaire des dissections aigues compliquées de type B par endoprothèse Gore TAG

Nous avons etudie le succes technique et les resultats precoces du traitement endovasculaire des lesions de l'aorte thoracique destine a traiter des dissections compliquees de l'aorte thoracique de type B traitees dans une institution unique en utilisant un dispositif du commerce. Tous les malades ayant une dissection aigue de type B de l'aorte thoracique symptomatique et compliquee traitee par endoprothese depuis l'approbation par la FDA (Food and Drug Administration) de l'endoprothese Gore TAG ® (Flagstaff, Arizona, USA) ont ete identifies a partir d'un registre vasculaire prospectif. Les indications cliniques, la technique operatoire, les complications peri-operatoires, l'imagerie de controle et la mortalite ont ete analysees. Entre Mars 2005 et Novembre 2007, 127 traitements endovasculaires utilisant l'endoprothese TAG ont ete realises, parmi lesquels 15 (11,8%) l'etaient pour des dissections aigues compliquees de type B de l'aorte thoracique. Les indications du traitement etaient une malperfusion (53%), des douleurs persistantes (27%) et de complications aortiques (33%). La faisabilite technique et le succes d'un deploiement en amont de l'orifice d'entree ont ete de 93,3%, necessitant une couverture au moins partielle de l'artere sous-claviere gauche chez 7 malades (46,7%). Les procedures additionnelles necessitees lors de la mise en place de l'endoprothese comportaient un stenting renal (n = 2), un stenting iliaque (n = 3) et un traitement chirurgical conventionnel de l'acces arteriel (n = 2). Douze malades (80%) ont eu une disparition immediate de la malperfusion. Les complications peri-operatoires majeures comportaient une paraplegie (13,3%), une insuffisance renale necessitant l'hemodialyse (13,3%) et un accident vasculaire cerebral (6,7%). La mortalite peri-operatoire a ete de 13,3%, chez un malade se presentant avec une rupture et chez un autre ayant une defaillance cardiaque severe lors de l'admission. Pour les dissections aigues compliquees de type B de l'aorte thoracique, le traitement par endoprothese utilisant des dispositifs du commerce a eu un succes technique eleve, d'excellents resultats pour traiter la malperfusion et des taux acceptables faibles de complications et de mortalite peri-operatoires.
Determination of crack length and shear acting on a fault from surface measurements

Abstract The problem of determining the force acting on a fault from surface measurements is an inverse problem. Presented here is a method for determining the crack length and the magnitude of a static force acting on a fault from a number of displacement readings at points on the surface. This problem reduces to a nonlinear least squares one. The modified Levenberg-Marquard method is applied to find the solution to this problem. It is shown that this solution method is robust to the effects of measurement noise. That is, the addition of measurement noise will not have a significant effect on the results.
The explanation of goal-directed behavior

If teleological descriptions and explanations are to have a legitimate place in contemporary empirical science, especially as regards biological units in general and even nonbiological ones, then their content must avoid appeal to intentional constituents. Efforts aimed atreducing teleological accounts to nonteleological ones (Braithwaite, Nagel, etc.) have proved unsuccessful (Scheffler). Recently, Larry Wright, building on the work of Charles Taylor, has put together a nonreductive analysis which is free from many of the objections often associated with such a program. I maintain that while Wright and Taylor are on the right track, serious problems still remain for their theories. An analysis is suggested which avoids these difficulties.
Stereoscopic display gray to gray crosstalk measurement

There are several studies on estimating crosstalk of 3D displays. Crosstalk is an important factor in determining image quality of stereoscopic display. In previous study, gray to gray crosstalk model has been modified. In this paper, we use six commercial stereoscopic displays including passive polarized glasses and active shutter glasses, both left and right eyes were measured by a luminance meter to verify the gray to gray crosstalk model and analyze the stability of the measurement data using our standard operating procedure (SOP). According to the SOP, we use simple statistical method to verify the repeatability of data. Experimental results indicate that our measurement system can be used to estimate the value of gray to gray crosstalk of stereoscopic display, the uncertainty below 0.8% for FPR display and 3% for shutter glasses display at 95% confidence level. These results, can be used as an important parameters in stereoscopic display visual quality, also can be used as a design feedback for engineer.
Deleterious effects of cis-urocanic acid and UVB radiation on langerhans cells and on induction of contact hypersensitivity are mediated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha

Ultraviolet B (UVB) light disrupts epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) universally and impairs the induction of contact hypersensitivity (CH) to epicutaneously applied haptens in certain strains of mice. Similar effects are observed when tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) is injected intradermally (ID) in mice. Trans-urocanic acid (UCA), a photoreceptor for UVB radiation, is known to be immunosuppressive. To determine whether cis-UCA is important in the process by which UVB and/or TNFα act in the skin, cis-UCA was injected ID into C57BL/6, C3H/HeN, BALB/c, and C3H/HeJ mice. Whole mounts of epidermis were removed 5h later and stained immunochemically with anti-Ia antibodies. Microscopy revealed that Ia-bearing LC had lost their dendrites, had rounded up, and were reduced in number in all strains examined. Moreover, when dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was applied epicutaneously to the injected site, induction of CH was grossly impaired. When neutralizing anti-TNFα antibodies were administered intraperitoneally 2h prior to ID injection of cis-UCA, the deleterious effects on LC and CH induction were largely reversed. These results indicate that the actions of cis-UCA on LC and on CH induction are very similar to those achieved by ID injections of TNFα and by cutaneous exposure to low-dose UVB. Because the effects of UVB radiation and cis-UCA are reversed by anti-TNFα antibodies, we propose that UVB radiation impairs the induction of CH in mice by converting trans-UCA to cis-UCA within the epidermis; cis-UCA in turn causes the local release of TNFα, which thwarts sensitization by its ability to alter the functional program of epidermal Langerhans cells, thereby preventing the induction of CH.
Fine structure of nerve terminals in the human gut

An electron microscopical investigation was made of neuronal terminals in operatively removed human duodenum and jejunum. No intraepithelial neuronal elements were found. The lamina propria mucosae, submucosa and muscular layer possessed, in addition to large bundles of unmyelinated nerve fibers, small ones consisting of three or four axons wrapped by infoldings of one Schwann cell. Some of these axons were light; others contained mitochondria and clear vesicles measuring 200–500 A across. Still other axons had dense-cored vesicles with a diameter ∼ 700 A. The plasma membranes of vesiculated axons were not thickened and only in part invested by the Schwann cell, but were covered by a basement membrane. Such profiles were interpreted as nerve terminals, and were separated from fibers of the muscularis mucosae, bases of epithelial cells and submucous capillaries by interspaces measuring 5,000–6,800 A. The gap between neuronal terminals and smooth muscle in the muscular wall was smaller (900 A, more often 1,500–3,000 A). The myenteric plexus contained nerve bundles consisting of the usual axons and of preterminals; some of the latter contained small clear vesicles, others predominantly larger granulated vesicles, and still others a mixture of both types of vesicles. The similarities and differences of neuronal terminals occurring in animals and in man were pointed out. The significance of the findings of this study was discussed in the light of current concepts of the physiology of autonomic nerve transmission.
ENaC–Membrane Interactions: Regulation of Channel Activity by Membrane Order

Recently, it was reported that the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is regulated by temperature (Askwith, C.C., C.J. Benson, M.J. Welsh, and P.M. Snyder. 2001. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 98:6459–6463). As these changes of temperature affect membrane lipid order and lipid–protein interactions, we tested the hypothesis that ENaC activity can be modulated by membrane lipid interactions. Two approaches were used to modulate membrane anisotropy, a lipid order–dependent parameter. The nonpharmacological approach used temperature changes, while the pharmacological one used chlorpromazine (CPZ), an agent known to decrease membrane order, and Gd+3. Experiments used Xenopus oocytes expressing human ENaC. Methods of impedance analysis were used to determine whether the effects of changing lipid order indirectly altered ENaC conductance via changes of membrane area. These data were further corroborated with quantitative morphology on micrographs from oocytes membranes studied via electron microscopy. We report biphasic effects of cooling (stimulation followed by inhibition) on hENaC conductance. These effects were relatively slow (minutes) and were delayed from the actual bath temperature changes. Peak stimulation occurred at a calculated Tmax of 15.2. At temperatures below Tmax, ENaC conductance was inhibited with cooling. The effects of temperature on gNa were distinct from those observed on ion channels endogenous to Xenopus oocytes, where the membrane conductance decreased monoexponentially with temperature (t = 6.2°C). Similar effects were also observed in oocytes with reduced intra- and extracellular [Na+], thereby ruling out effects of self or feedback inhibition. Addition of CPZ or the mechanosensitive channel blocker, Gd+3, caused inhibition of ENaC. The effects of Gd+3 were also attributed to its ability to partition into the outer membrane leaflet and to decrease anisotropy. None of the effects of temperature, CPZ, or Gd+3 were accompanied by changes of membrane area, indicating the likely absence of effects on channel trafficking. However, CPZ and Gd+3 altered membrane capacitance in an opposite manner to temperature, consistent with effects on the membrane-dielectric properties. The reversible effects of both Gd+3 and CPZ could also be blocked by cooling and trapping these agents in the rigidified membrane, providing further evidence for their mechanism of action. Our findings demonstrate a novel regulatory mechanism of ENaC.
Pyridoxine and the Isoniazid-Induced Neuropathy

The isoniazid-induced peripheral neuropathy occurring in adult tuberculous patients results from a deficiency of biologically active pyridoxine. The deficiency is caused by the combination of isoniazid and pyridoxine to form a hydrazone which is excreted in the urine. It can be prevented by administration of pyridoxine whenever isoniazid is given. A 10 mg. dose of pyridoxine for each 100 mg. of isoniazid appears adequate to prevent both clinical and potential subclinical manifestations of pyridoxine deficiency. The administration of pyridoxine does not interfere with the antituberculous action of isoniazid.
Structural analysis of the Trichodesmium nitrogenase iron protein-Implications for aerobic nitrogen fixation activity

Trichodesmium spp. are marine filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria which play an important role in the nitrogen budget of the open ocean. Trichodesmium is unique in that it is nonheterocystous and fixes nitrogen during the day, while evolving oxygen through photosynthesis, even though nitrogenase is sensitive to oxygen inactivation. The sequence of the gene encoding the Fe protein component of nitrogenase from the recently cultivated isolate Trichodesmium sp. IMS 101 was used to construct a 3-dimensional model of the Fe protein, by comparison to the X-ray crystallographic structure of the Fe protein of the γ-proteobacterium Azotobacter vinelandii. The primary differences in amino acid sequences of the Fe protein from diverse organisms do not impact the critical structural features of the Fe protein. It can be concluded that aerobic nitrogen fixation in Trichodesmium spp. is not facilitated by unique structural features of Trichodesmium Fe protein.
Micro-BIA, a colorimetric microtiter assay of λ prophage induction

Abstract Escherichia coli that are lysogenic for a λ- lacZ fusion phage produce β-galactosidase, product of the lacZ gene, upon induction of the prophage by DNA-damaging agents. The miniaturization of a quantitative, colorimetric β-galactosidase (prophage) induction assay (BIA) is presented. Induction assays are performed in microtiter wells with the aid of multichannel pipetting devices. Results are shown with screening strain BR513 ( uvrBΔ envA ) and a strain, BR339 ( uvrBΔ lexA3ind − ) which exhibits enhanced induction. A method developed for strain BR339 utilizes bacteria stored frozen in log phase, permeabilized in vitro, and used immediately; with this method, 2 consecutive assays may be completed in 1 working day. Mutagens utilized for the model studies included 4NQO, ENNG, daunorubicin, bleomycin, acetoxy-AAF, B[ a ]P, DMBA, and DEN (the last three in the presence of liver S9). Induced levels of β-galactosidase were monitored using a vertical light path photometer that measured color absorbance in each microtiter well. Alternatively, color intensity could be determined by using a color chart prepared for this assay. These values were then plotted to generate dose-response curves. Considerable savings in labor and materials are achieved with the method described, one which may be used as a screen for DNA-damaging chemicals. Automated equipment and computers may be used to advantage with this assay, but they are not required.
Accuracy of Pedometer in Walking and Running

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to examine the accuracy of mechanical pedometers in walking and running. Groups of 20 volunteer subjects were used in each experiment. In experiment 1, subjects wore 4 identical pedometers on the waist during six 1-mile walks on a motor driven treadmill, two at each of 3 speeds: 2, 3, and 4 mph. Experiment 2 required subjects wearing 5 pedometers to perform two 1-mile walks at their own pace under each of two different conditions: (1) on a 400 meter track and (2) along a jogging path over a measured mile. These subjects also completed two 1-mile runs at their own pace over the same measured mile course. In both experiments, a two-way ANOVA with replicates showed significant effects of subjects, condition (speed), and subjects-condition interaction. Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from −0.13 to 0.81. Results of these studies indicate that the ability of the mechanical pedometer to measure distance is inconsistent. The findings indicate that pedometers are...
Multiple health-risk behavior in a chronic disease population: what behaviors do people choose to change?

Abstract Objective. To determine what health behaviors patients choose to change in response to medical advice when they are given the potential net-present value (reduction in biological age) of modifying a behavior. Methods. Baseline data for multiple health-risk behaviors that were recommended for change among 660 coronary angioplasty patients at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill-Cornell Medical Center who were enrolled during 2000–02 in one of two arms of a behavioral intervention trial designed to compare different approaches to communicating health risk (net-present vs. future value) were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods. Results. Although there was no difference between study arms, knowing the biological-age value of behaviors, stage of change, and the total number of behaviors recommended for change was associated with choosing several behaviors. Notably, stage of change was associated in both groups with strength training (intervention OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.85, 4.30; comparison OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.83, 4.43, p Conclusion. Patients with coronary disease are more likely to choose strength training and reducing weight regardless of knowing the biological-age reduction of any given behavior.
A Dozen New γ Doradus Stars

We use new high-dispersion spectroscopic and precise photometric observations to identify 12 new γ Doradus stars. Two of the 12 systems are double-lined binaries that show obvious velocity variability. Five other stars have metallic lines with composite profiles characterized by a narrow feature near the center of each broad component. Spectrograms of the Hα line indicate that all five stars are binaries rather than shell stars. The remaining five stars in our sample are probably single. All 12 stars are photometrically variable with amplitudes between 6 and 87 mmag in Johnson B and periods between 0.3 and 1.2 days. Four stars are monoperiodic; the rest have between two and five independent periods. The variability at all periods approximates a sinusoid. Although many of the stars lie within the δ Scuti instability strip, none exhibit the higher frequency variability seen in δ Scuti stars. We have increased the sample of known γ Doradus stars by 40% and revised the positions of a number of variables in the H-R diagram by accounting for duplicity. Our list of 42 confirmed γ Doradus variables gives some of their properties. All are dwarfs or subgiants and lie within a well-defined region of the H-R diagram that overlaps the cool edge of the δ Scuti instability strip. We compare the observed location of the γ Doradus variables with a recently published theoretical γ Doradus instability strip and find good agreement.
Determining in‐channel (dead zone) transient storage by comparing solute transport in a bedrock channel–alluvial channel sequence, Oregon

[1] Current stream tracer techniques do not allow separation of in-channel dead zone (e.g., eddies) and out-of-channel (hyporheic) transient storage, yet this separation is important to understanding stream biogeochemical processes. We characterize in-channel transient storage with a rhodamine WT solute tracer experiment in a 304 m cascade-pool-type bedrock reach with no hyporheic zone. We compare the solute breakthrough curve (BTC) from this reach to that of an adjacent 367 m alluvial reach with significant hyporheic exchange. In the bedrock reach, transient storage has an exponential residence time distribution with a mean residence time of 3.0 hours and a ratio of transient storage to stream volume of 0.14, demonstrating that at moderate discharge, bedrock in-channel storage zones provide a small volume of transient storage with substantial residence time. In the alluvial reach, though pools are similar in size to those in the bedrock reach, transient storage has a power law residence time distribution with a mean residence time of >100 hours (estimated at nearly 1200 hours) and a ratio of storage to stream volume of 105. Because the in-channel hydraulics of bedrock reaches are simpler than alluvial step-pool reaches, the bedrock results are probably a lower end-member with respect to volume and residence time, though they demonstrate that in-channel storage may be appreciable in some reaches. These results suggest that in-stream dead zone transient storage may be accurately simulated by exponential RTDs but that hyporheic exchange is better simulated with a power law RTD as a consequence of more complicated flow path and exchange dynamics.
Bringing Identification of Empirically Supported Treatments Into the 21st Century

The author applauds the plan proposed by Tolin, McKay, Forman, Klonsky, and Thombs (2015) for bringing the methodology for identifying empirically supported treatments (ESTs) into the 21st century. She suggests that further attention is required to operationalize (a) what sorts of designs for effectiveness studies will be acceptable to the Committee on Science and Practice, (b) how data on improvement in functioning will be incorporated in the context of brief treatments, and (c) how complications in obtaining clean follow-up data for long-term outcomes will be addressed, and to specify (d) whether noninferiority to an existing EST is acceptable evidence of efficacy. She further cautions that meta-analyses can mask poorly designed studies and bias in their implementation that will require the Committee's careful scrutiny.
Depersonalization: A Valid Dimension of Burnout?

A major underlying assumption in burnout research is that burnout is a phenomenon to be found primarily in the human services professions. The focus of this study is the effect this assumption has had on conventional definitions of burnout. The generalizability of the concept of depersonalization, frequently cited as a part of burnout, is tested in a nonhuman services occupation. In addition, the study controls for the effect of Jungian psychological type, since one particular Jungian type is overrepresented in the human services. It was found that depersonalization was not a salient construct in this occupational setting. Further, the construct was not the unidimensional one said to exist in the human services. It was also found to be type-specific. Negative reactions to other people were associated with the burnout measure only for that Jungian type which predominates in the human services. Another Jungian type, which is underrepresented in that occupational arena, reacted with a greater degree of perso...
Physical assault among nursing staff employed in acute care

Hospital workers are known to be at risk of physical assault. The objective of this study is to characterize injuries resulting from physical assault among hospital nursing staff and to identify associated risk factors. Workers' compensation reports linked to human resources data were used to identify a cohort of aides and nurses employed in acute care units at a major healthcare system from 1997 to 2004 and their reported physical assault events. Poisson regression methods were used to estimate rates and rate ratios (RR) by occupation, gender, race, age, tenure, and hospital unit. During the study period 220 assaults were reported; the overall incidence rate was 1.65 (95% CI: 1.45-1.89) per 100 full-time-equivalent employees (FTEs). Assault risk was higher among those with shorter tenure (< 5 years vs. 15 or more) (RR=1.35, 95% CI: 0.83-2.19) and younger workers (under age 30 vs. 50 or older) (RR=1.30, 95%CI: 0.78-2.19), and lower among Black workers (vs. non-Blacks) (RR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.90). Incidence rates were highest in Psychiatry (12.65, 95% CI: 8.90-17.99), Neurology (4.43, 95% CI: 3.17-6.20) and Rehabilitation (3.63, 95% CI: 1.51-8.71) units. Interventions targeting Psychiatry, Neurology, and Rehabilitation units, and younger and newly hired staff are warranted. More detailed data are needed to develop targeted interventions.
Soil Moisture Needs In Earth Sciences

The author reviews the development of passive and active microwave techniques for measuring soil moisture with respect to how the data may be used. New science programs such as the EOS, the GEWEX Continental-Scale International Project (GCIP) and STORM, a mesoscale meteorology and hydrology project, will have to account for soil moisture either as a storage in water balance computations or as a state variable in-process modeling. The author discusses future soil moisture needs such as frequency of measurement, accuracy, depth, and spatial resolution, as well as the concomitant model development that must proceed concurrently if the development in microwave technology is to have a major impact in these areas.
Acute Genital Infection in Guinea Pigs: Effect of Recombinant Interleukin-2 on Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2

Human recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) modifies infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) in normal guinea pigs. Animals were injected sc with rIL-2 twice a day, beginning 24 hr before infection and continuing for three subsequent days. Guinea pigs were assigned to five different regimens in which rIL-2 was administered daily at dosages from 8 X 10(3) U/kg to 8 X 10(5) U/kg. After intravaginal inoculation with HSV-2, 83% of 24 control animals developed apparent genital herpes, and 5% had asymptomatic viral shedding. Animals receiving 4 X 10(4) U or 2 X 10(5) U or rIL-2/kg showed a significantly lower rate of infection (P less than .001 by chi 2) and a lower number of lesions and more rapid healing than did the infected animals in the control (untreated) group. The mortality in the untreated group (28%) was higher than in the animals in the 2 X 10(5) U/kg treatment group (7%). No difference was observed between the control, the 8 X 10(3) U/kg, and the 8 X 10(5) U/kg treatment groups with respect to severity of infection or mortality. Animals examined two to four weeks after inoculation had lymphocyte stimulation indices (induced with HSV-2 antigen) greater than 3.5 and titers of antibody between 2.5 log10 and 4.5 log10 by radioimmunoassay. In the disease-free animals, stimulation indexes were less than 2 and antibodies were undetectable. The mean stimulation index was 54 +/- 16 in the diseased control animals and 12 +/- 7 (P less than .05) in the 2 X 10(5) U/kg treatment group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Self-organizing neural nets in signal and image representation

This paper explores the use of piecewise linear approximations to create compact representations of 1-D signals and 2-D thinned edge-extracted images. We use a self-organizing neural net to cluster suitably coded data. The unsupervised training of the net is improved with the use of the reducing spheres of influence. Experimental results indicate that the technique tends to eliminate the problem of neurons capturing incorrect patterns and provides for better clustering. Computationally, the technique is less complex than conscience learning and produces similar results.
Analytical formulas for the geometric and inertia quantities of the largest removable blocks around tunnels

This paper presents algorithms for determining the vertices of the maximum removable block (MB) created by a joint pyramid (JP) around a tunnel when discontinuities are fully persistent. It is shown that an MB cannot be formed by more than 4 discontinuities and this drastically limits the proliferation of rock blocks that need to be analysed. The non-convex block obtained after the MB is tunnelled through (real maximum block, RMB) is partitioned into a set of tetrahedra, and procedures are given for determining the vertices of these tetrahedra. Geometric and inertia quantities needed for stability analysis and support/reinforcement design are determined as functions of the calculated vertices' co-ordinates. These quantities are: RMB's volume, face areas, perimeter of the excavated surface, centroid and inertia tensor. The algorithms for their calculation are at least two times faster than other algorithms previously proposed in other applications. It is shown that the formulations presented by Goodman and Shi for translational analysis and by Tonon for rotatability analysis can be used to analyse the RMBs using the geometric quantities presented. A numerical example is presented among those used to verify these analytical procedures and their implementation. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Active coping mediates the association between religion/spirituality and quality of life in ovarian cancer

Objectives. This study investigated the role of religion/spirituality (R/S) and coping in quality of life (QOL) in 129 women immediately prior to a course of adjuvant chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Methods. Participants completed the COPE, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Ovarian (FACT-O), and the Systems of Belief Inventory-15R (SBI-15R). Women averaged 58.9 years of age (SD = 11.5) and were primarily Caucasian (86%), married (74%), and had received at least some college education (67%). Eighty-five percent of the participants had stage III or IV ovarian cancer at study entry. Results. Correlational analyses revealed that R/S was associated with active coping (r = 0.23, P = 0.022), overall QOL (r = 0.25, P = 0.012), emotional and functional well-being (r = 0.24, P = 0.014 and r = 0.28, P = 0.004), and fewer ovarian cancer-specific concerns (r = 0.27, P = 0.006). In addition, active coping was related to overall QOL (r = 0.22, P = 0.029) and social and functional well-being (r = 0.20, P = 0.042 and r = 0.33, P = 0.001). Tests of mediation between these variables suggested that the positive associations between R/S and functional well-being and R/S and overall QOL were mediated through the use of active coping. Conclusion. Future studies are needed to better understand the complex relationships between R/S, coping, and QOL throughout the ovarian cancer treatment experience.
Work in progress — Engineering creativity and propensity for innovative thinking and design in engineering students

Over the past two decades, various research studies across education and business fields have attempted to measure individuals' creativity and innovative behavior. The research on creativity has most often been accomplished in K-12 education while research in innovation has focused on workplace measurement. Business research has attempted to link metrics of innovation to entrepreneurship. Educational research has not broached this connection. Research is somewhat split as to whether creativity and innovation are domain or disciplinary characteristics or traits or whether they can be measured in general form. Such research has not been focused on engineering or the sciences. Interestingly, both engineering and scientifically focused industries are expecting both innovative and entrepreneurial skills in their degreed employees. To meet the need of measuring whether engineering programs are inspiring and cultivating creativity and innovation (a recognized precursor of entrepreneurship,) I designed an engineering creativity and innovation index. This paper reports on the development, theoretical grounding and reliability and validity testing and piloting of this new instrument.
Myocardial Lysosomes in Experimental Atrial Septal Defects

Preliminary observations in patients undergoing open-heart surgery have suggested that the lysosomes in the right atrium are increased in patients with atrial septal defects. This increase in lysosomes per myocardial cell appears to be directly related to the size of the left to right shunt. The following experiments were performed to see if similar findings could be produced in an experimental model. Atrial septal defects were produced in seven dogs. The biopsy specimens were prepared for ultrastructural examination and viewed with an electron microscope. Lysosomes were counted in representative sections and an estimate of the lysosomes per square micron of heart tissue obtained. The number of lysosomes per square micron of myocardium increased significantly following the creation of atrial septal defects in dogs, with the most marked increase occurring in the right ventricle. Several small atrial septal defects closed spontaneously, as proved by cardiac catheterization, and in these animals the elevated lysosome counts present initially returned toward normal after obliteration of the left to right shunt at the atrial level. Control dogs showed no significant increase in myocardial lysosomes over the 18-month period despite repeated thoracotomies and myocardial biopsy. These studies add further evidence to support the role of the lysosome as an important intracellular organelle which is related to cellular stress.
Enhancement of mixing by droplet-based microfluidics

Enhancement of mixing using electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) actuation is demonstrated. Exponential improvement over simple diffusion is theorized, based on convolutions generated by discrete droplet flow. The relationship between particle size, distance diffused, and diffusion time is studied. An improvement of 50 times over simple diffusion is experimentally shown, using a simple dye-mixing experiment.
Integration of Learning Techniques into Incremental Satisfiability for Efficient Path-Delay Fault Test Generation

In recent years, several electronic design automation (EDA) problems in testing and verification have been formulated as Boolean satisfiability (SAT) instances due to the development of efficient general-purpose SAT solvers. Problem-specific learning techniques and heuristics can be integrated into the SAT solver to further speed-up the search for a satisfying assignment. In this paper, we target the problem of generating a complete test-suite for the path delay fault (PDF) model. We provide an incremental satisfiability framework that learns from (1) static logic implications, (2) segment-specific clauses, and (3) unsatisfiability cores of each untestable partial PDF. These learning techniques improvise the test generation for path delay faults that have common testable and/or untestable segments. The experimental results show that a significant portion of PDFs can be excluded dynamically in the proposed incremental SAT formulation for large benchmark circuits, thus potentially achieving speed-ups for PDF test generation.
Capsular Transformation of a Multidrug-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae In Vivo

Several multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae recovered from a variety of clinical sources and expressing serotypes 9N, 14, 19F, and 3 could not be distinguished from the capsular type 23 Spanish/USA epidemic clone in antibiotype, pulsed-field gel electrophoretic pattern, and restriction fragment length polymorphism types of their penicillin binding protein genes 1A, 2X, and 2B. When tested in a mouse model of virulence, isolates expressing capsular type 3 were lethal for 100% of infected animals within 2 days after intraperitoneal injection of 10(2) cfu/mouse. In contrast, several capsular type 23F isolates belonging to the MDR Spanish/USA clone and recovered from the same site were not lethal, even when injected at the dose of 10(7) cfu/mouse. These data suggest that the pneumococcal isolates expressing serotypes 9N, 14, 19F, and 3 represent products of in vivo capsular transformation events in which the MDR epidemic capsular type 23F Spanish/USA clone was the recipient.
Is there primacy of aspect in child L2 English

This article investigates whether the Aspect-before-Tense Hypothesis (Antinucci and Miller, 1976; Shirai and Andersen, 1995) accounts for the acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in child L2 English. The main question addressed is whether early uses of tense-aspect inflections can be analyzed as a spell-out of semantic/aspectual features of verbs (such as punctuality, telicity, durativity, etc.). The data are drawn from a detailed longitudinal study of an eight-year-old Russian-speaking child who was acquiring English as L2 in the USA. It is first shown that the emergence of tense-aspect morphology patterns by aspectual verb class. However, contrary to the Aspect-before-Tense Hypothesis, it is argued that the acquisition patterns cannot be attributed to “defective” tense, nor do they reflect the spell-out of aspectual features. A new approach to the data is developed that proposes underspecification of the syntactic aspectual head in early L2 child grammar.
Transpupillary thermotherapy of occult choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration

Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) in management of occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods. Retrospective chart review of eyes that were treated with TTT and had at least 12 weeks of follow-up. Base-line and final ETDRS visual acuity and fluorescein angiography (FA) were compared. Results. For the 48 eyes which met inclusion criteria, mean pre-operative visual acuity was 20/128 (range: 20/50–20/500). Average follow-up was 27 weeks (range: 12 weeks–55 weeks). At 3 months after treatment, 12 eyes (25%) improved 2 lines or more, 18 eyes (37.5%) had no change or 1 line of visual improvement, and 18 eyes (37.5%) worsened 1 or more lines. No significant adverse event was noted during treatment. Three eyes developed large submacular hemorrhage within 2 months of treatment. Based on clinical examination and FA, 61% of the eyes appeared to have reduction of subretinal fluid compared to pre-operative evalu...
Effect of Chronic Myocardial Ischemia on the Activity of Carnitine Palmitylcoenzyme A Transferase of Isolated Canine Heart Mitochondria

The effect of chronic ischemia on the activity of carnitine palmitylcoenzyme A transferase (PCoAT) was examined. Control mitochondria were isolated from the left ventricle of normal hearts and from the uninvolved areas of ischemic hearts. Mitochondria from ischemic tissue were isolated from the left ventricle of chronically ischemic hearts. Formation of the enzyme product, palmityl- 14 C-carnitine, was markedly depressed in control mitochondria isolated from ischemic hearts; however, the pH optimums of the enzymes from control and ischemic mitochondria were in the same range. After 1 day of chronic ischemia, the kinetics of the enzyme from ischemic mitochondria (compared with that of the enzyme from control mitochondria) showed marked changes in Vmax. Periods of ischemia longer than 1 day significantly decreased the K m of carnitine PCoAT for carnitine from 2.59 ± 0.476 mM to 0.713 ± 0.148 mM, and Vmax was still depressed (15 to 3 nmoles/min mg -1 ). The K m for palmitylCoA was not significantly affected. Arrhenius plots for the enzyme from ischemic (32 hours) mitochondria revealed a single phasic response to temperature change. Two nonintersecting slopes were characteristic of the normal 1-day ischemic and the normal sonicated activity. As a result of ischemia, changes in the lipid components in the membrane containing carnitine PCoAT were postulated: alterations in the hydrophobic environment of the enzyme produce interference in the binding of palmitylCoA to the second substrate site and may result in a decrease in the K m of the enzyme for carnitine. The single phasic response of the enzyme to temperature change may be additional evidence for membrane lipid alterations. A defect in the transport of long-chain fatty acids may be an early change associated with myocardial ischemia.
Justice and Immigrant Latino Recreation Geography in Cache Valley, Utah

Latinos are the largest U.S. non-mainstreamed ethnic group, and social and environmental justice considerations dictate recreation professionals and researchers meet their recreation needs. This study reconceptualizes this diverse group’s recreation patterns, looking at where immigrant Latino individuals in Cache Valley, Utah do recreate rather than where they do not. Through qualitative interviews and interactive mapping, thirty participants discussed what recreation means to them and explained their recreation site choices. Findings suggest that recreation as an activity done outside the home, for fun with others, leads participants to seek spaces with certain characteristics. Reconceiving recreation more broadly and framing it from the perspective of participants’ choices can facilitate clearer understanding of differences and promote greater justice in resource provision and management.
Reflection and Reasoning Mechanisms for Failure Detection and Recovery in a Distributed Robotic Architecture for Complex Robots

Complex robots that interact naturally with humans require the integration, coordination and maintenance of many diverse software components and algorithms. An architecture that incorporates explicit knowledge about the relationships among these components and the overall system state can be used for introspection and consequently to reason about the best configurations of the computing environment under changing conditions; potential uses include maintaining the system's integrity, promoting its health, and providing the ability to dynamically reconfigure system components (e.g., after component failure). In this paper, we describe a rudimentary reasoning system, part of our distributed integrated affect reflection cognition (DIARC) architecture for human-robot interaction, that can autonomously perform failure detection, failure recovery, and system reconfiguration of distributed architectural components to ensure sustained operation and interactions. We demonstrate the functionality and utility of the proposed mechanisms on a robot, where architectural components are forcefully removed by hand and automatically recovered by the system while the robot is continuing its interactions with humans as part of a joint human-robot task.
Input-Output Linkages and Foreign Direct Investment in Ireland

This paper investigates the backward linkage structure of the Irish economy using a set of techniques developed to identify key sectors in input-output tables. The distribution of sectors with strong backward linkages is compared to the distribution of grant-aided foreign firms. Foreign firms are predominant in those sectors which are weakly dependent on national inputs. The low level of integration of foreign firms may therefore be quite typical of national behavior. Tests are made to determine the relationship between linkage and growth. The results suggest that significant relationships do not exist. Concern for improving linkages may in fact be shortsighted given more pressing policy objectives.