cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Zopiclone and Eszopiclone in the Treatment of Primary and Comorbid Insomnia

Drug enantiomers with chiral factors exhibit different effects on pharmacological activity, metabolism, and toxicity in the human body, and thus may differ in their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Many currently used medications in clinical practice are mixtures of enantiomers (racemates), and replacing existing racemates with single isomers has resulted in improved efficacy and/or safety profile of the racemic mixtures. This “chiral switch” allows the existing racemate to be switched to one of its isomers and provides a safer, better-tolerated, and more efficacious alternative medication. Since the introduction and widespread use of asymmetric synthesis and chiral separation technologies, as well as the publication of formal FDA guidelines, which encourage the development of chiral drugs, many pharmaceutical manufacturers have developed single-enantiomer drugs.
The Dangers of Spear Tackling: A Case Report of a NEXUS-negative High School Football Player.

Abstract Background Although “spear tackling” is known to be a risk factor for cervical spine injury due to axial loading of the neck, and although this technique was officially banned from American football in 1976, football-associated cervical spine injuries continue to be reported. This case highlights the importance of recognizing high-risk mechanisms for cervical spine injury, and specifically the danger of spear tackling among football players at all levels. Case Report A 16-year-old male high school football player presented to the pediatric emergency department for a neck injury sustained after spear tackling during a football game. He had no neurologic symptoms and met the NEXUS criteria for omitting x-ray evaluation. However, the description of spear tackling as the mechanism of injury led to the ordering of cervical radiographs, which revealed a C5 fracture. The patient was ultimately taken to the operating room for internal fixation, with a final surgical diagnosis of a C5 teardrop fracture. On outpatient follow-up at 1 year, the patient has had no neurologic sequelae. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? This case serves as a reminder that all evaluations of trauma patients should begin with an attempt to determine, as precisely as possible, the mechanism that was in play at the time of injury. The reassurance provided by a normal physical examination may be misleading. Spear tackling is not an uncommonly encountered cause of injury in American football, despite the practice being prohibited since a rule change in 1976. Continued education and increased awareness of the association of axial load injury with spear tackling may make it possible to avoid missing a potentially devastating cervical spine injury.
A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Vaccination for Prevention of Herpes Zoster and Related Complications: Input for National Recommendations

A new herpes zoster subunit vaccine, recombinant zoster vaccine, was approved in 2017 to prevent shingles and complications. This analysis evaluates the cost-effectiveness of that vaccine.
Epigenomic profiling of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to predict bladder cancer recurrence after radical cystectomy.

e14525Background: Muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) frequently recurs despite radical cystectomy, and new biomarkers are needed to guide treatment. DNA methylation plays a key regulatory role i...
Caffeic Acid Esters Are Effective Bactericidal Compounds Against Paenibacillus larvae by Altering Intracellular Oxidant and Antioxidant Levels

American Foulbrood (AFB) is a deadly bacterial disease affecting pupal and larval honey bees. AFB is caused by the endospore-forming bacterium Paenibacillus larvae (PL). Propolis, which contains a variety of organic compounds, is a product of bee foraging and is a resinous substance derived from botanical substances found primarily in trees. Several compounds from the class of caffeic acid esters, which are commonly found in propolis, have been shown to have antibacterial activity against PL. In this study, six different caffeic acid esters were synthesized, purified, spectroscopically analyzed, and tested for their activity against PL to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). Caffeic acid isopropenyl ester (CAIE), caffeic acid benzyl ester (CABE), and caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) were the most effective in inhibiting PL growth and killing PL cell with MICs and MBCs of 125 µg/mL when used individually, and a MIC and MBC of 31.25 µg/mL for each compound alone when CAIE, CABE, and CAPE are used in combination against PL. These compounds inhibited bacterial growth through a bactericidal effect, which revealed cell killing but no lysis of PL cells after 18 h. Incubation with CAIE, CABE, and CAPE at their MICs significantly increased reactive oxygen species levels and significantly changed glutathione levels within PL cells. Caffeic acid esters are potent bactericidal compounds against PL and eliminate bacterial growth through an oxidative stress mechanism.
Sex-dependent effects of social isolation on the regulation of arginine-vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT) and serotonin (5HT) 1a receptor binding and aggression

Abstract It is widely held that social isolation produces higher rates of mortality and morbidity and has deleterious effects on an individual's sociality. Relatedly, it is widely observed that socially isolated adult rodents display significantly higher levels of aggression when placed in a social situation than do their conspecifics living in social groups. In the following study, we investigated the effects of social isolation on several neurochemical signals that play key roles in the regulation of social behavior in adults. More specifically, we examined the effects of social isolation on vasopressin (AVP) V1a, oxytocin (OT) and serotonin (5-HT)1a receptor binding within the neural circuit controlling social behavior. Male and female Syrian hamsters were housed individually or with two other hamsters for four weeks and were then tested with a same-sex nonaggressive intruder in a neutral arena for 5 min. Social isolation significantly increased aggression in both males and females and altered receptor binding in several brain regions in a sex-dependent manner. For example, V1a receptor binding was greater in socially isolated males in the anterior hypothalamus than it was in any other group. Taken together, these data provide substantial new support for the proposition that the social environment can have a significant impact on the structural and neurochemical mechanisms regulating social behavior and that the amount and type of social interactions can produce differential effects on the circuit regulating social behavior in a sex-dependent manner.
A history of collaboration in US invention: changing patterns of co-invention, complexity and geography

Research suggests that increasing collaboration in knowledge production is explained by rising complexity of knowledge. Yet, there is little long-run, systematic, empirical evidence on the relationship between complexity and collaboration. A new database is introduced that identifies all (co-)inventors on more than 3 million US patents between 1836 and 1975. Empirical analysis reveals (i) collaboration on US patents began to increase in the 1940s; (ii) there is a robust positive relationship between complexity and collaboration; and (iii) increasing complexity is associated with local rather than nonlocal collaboration.
Diversity of genetic lesions characterizes new Arabidopsis flavonoid pigment mutant alleles from T-DNA collections.

Abstract The visual phenotypes afforded by flavonoid pigments have provided invaluable tools for modern genetics. Many Arabidopsis transparent testa (tt) mutants lacking the characteristic proanthocyanidin (PA) seed coat pigmentation and often failing to accumulate anthocyanins in vegetative tissues have been characterized. These mutants have significantly contributed to our understanding of flavonoid biosynthesis, regulation, and transport. A comprehensive screening for tt mutants in available large T-DNA collection lines resulted in the identification of 16 independent lines lacking PAs and anthocyanins, or with seed coat pigmentation clearly distinct from wild type. Segregation analyses and the characterization of second alleles in the genes disrupted by the indexed T-DNA insertions demonstrated that all the lines contained at least one additional mutation responsible for the tt phenotypes. Using a combination of RNA-Seq and whole genome re-sequencing and confirmed through complementation, we show here that these mutations correspond to novel alleles of ttg1 (two alleles), tt3 (two alleles), tt5 (two alleles), ban (two alleles), tt1 (two alleles), and tt8 (six alleles), which harbored additional T-DNA insertions, indels, missense mutations, and large genomic deletion. Several of the identified alleles offer interesting perspectives on flavonoid biosynthesis and regulation.
There is no liberal media bias in which news stories political journalists choose to cover

Is the media biased against conservatives? Although a dominant majority of journalists identify as liberals/Democrats and many Americans and public officials frequently decry supposedly high and increasing levels of media bias, little compelling evidence exists as to (i) the ideological or partisan leanings of the many journalists who fail to answer surveys and/or identify as independents and (ii) whether journalists’ political leanings bleed into the choice of which stories to cover that Americans ultimately consume. Using a unique combination of a large-scale survey of political journalists, data from journalists’ Twitter networks, election returns, a large-scale correspondence experiment, and a conjoint survey experiment, we show definitively that the media exhibits no bias against conservatives (or liberals for that matter) in what news that they choose to cover. This shows that journalists’ individual ideological leanings have unexpectedly little effect on the vitally important, but, up to this point, unexplored, early stage of political news generation.
Pathologic Vs. Innocent Murmur Education Utilizing Novel Murmur Auscultation Mobile Application

Background: The prevalence and severity of congenital heart disease necessitates that pediatric trainees obtain competence in recognizing pathologic murmurs for appropriate referral. Current educational strategies to develop auscultation skills are outdated and time-consuming. Newer technology, such as mobile applications, offers the ability to design training platforms according to advanced adult learning principles. Objective: To improve murmur education and auscultation training for pediatric trainees using new app-based technology. Methods: This is a single center, prospective study. Participants were randomly assigned via block method to be in the innovation tech (App Group) vs. standard education (Control Group). Audiologic murmur …
Using integrated ecosystem assessments to build resilient ecosystems, communities, and economies

Science-based natural resource management is necessary for agencies to effectively meet their goals and mandates. However, this scientific basis needs to be advanced and evolved with ecosystems exp...
Evaluation and fetal intervention in severe fetal hydronephrosis.

Purpose of review Fetal hydronephrosis secondary to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) can adversely affect neonates in the postnatal period with long-term consequences. A prenatal diagnosis of CAKUT can have an early fetal intervention to minimize these consequences. This review aims to provide an overview of the possible fetal intervention with severe hydronephrosis. Recent findings Clinical course and outcomes of CAKUT are predicted based on biochemical markers and radiological findings. In spite of advancements and accurately diagnosing the severity of hydronephrosis, there are many controversies surround on selection of cases with antenatal hydronephrosis (ANH) that will benefit from fetal intervention. Despite better diagnosis and techniques fetal intervention is limited to mainly lower urinary tract obstruction patients to improve amniotic fluid volume and assist in lung development. Summary ANH can potentially detect the severity of congenital renal anomalies but unable to recognize a specific disease. A multidisciplinary approach is required to diagnose and properly stage cases of severe CAKUT and potential surgical intervention can be considered.
Tandem vinylogous Mannich and hetero Diels-Alder reactions: Concise total synthesis of (±)-Alstoscholarisine E

Abstract The shortest synthesis to date of (±)-alstoscholarisine E was accomplished in 15.2% overall yield requiring only seven linear steps from commercially available reagents. The approach features a tandem vinylogous Mannich reaction and an intramolecular hetero Diels-Alder reaction to access the cis-oxahydroisoquinolone core. Following the coupling of this cis-oxahydroisoquinolone subunit with a 3-methylindole derivative via a Suzuki reaction, a novel tactic to induce the challenging diastereoselective reduction of the cyclic vinyl ether moiety was discovered. Completion of the synthesis was achieved using a new procedure we developed for iridium-catalyzed, reductive formation of aminals from tertiary lactams, thereby expanding the utility of tertiary amides and lactams as surrogates for iminium ions.
Advanced Heart Failure Patients Supported with Ambulatory Inotropic Therapy: What Defines Success of Therapy?

Objective The objective of this study was to describe the profiles and outcomes of a cohort of advanced heart failure patients on ambulatory inotropic therapy (AIT). Background With the growing burden of patients with end-stage heart failure, AIT is an increasingly common short or long-term option, for use as bridge to heart transplant (BTT), bridge to ventricular assist device (BTVAD), bridge to decision regarding advanced therapies (BTD) or as palliative care. AIT may be preferred by some patients and physicians to facilitate hospital discharge. However, counseling patients on risks and benefits is critically important in the modern era of defibrillators, durable mechanical support and palliative care. Methods We retrospectively studied a cohort of 241 patients on AIT. End points included transplant, VAD implantation, weaning of inotropes, or death. The primary outcomes were survival on AIT and ability to reach intended goal if planned as BTT or BTVAD. We also evaluated recurrent heart failure hospitalizations, incidence of ventricular arrhythmias (VT/VF) and indwelling line infections. Unintended consequences of AIT, such reaching unintended end point (e.g. VAD implantation in BTT patient) or worse than expected outcome after LVAD or HT, were recorded. Results Mean age of the cohort was 60.7 ± 13.2 years, 71% male, with Class III-IV heart failure (56% non-ischemic). Average ejection fraction was 19.4 ± 10.2%, pre-AIT cardiac index was 1.5 ± 0.4 L/min/m2 and 24% had prior ventricular arrhythmias. Overall on-AIT 1-year survival was 83%. Hospitalizations occurred in 51.9% (125) of patients a total of 174 times for worsening heart failure, line complication or ventricular arrhythmia. In the BTT cohort, only 42% were transplanted by the end of follow-up, with a 14.8% risk of death or delisting for clinical deterioration. For the patients who were transplanted, 1-year post HT survival was 96.7%. In the BTVAD cohort, 1-year survival after LVAD was 90%, but with 61.7% of patients undergoing LVAD as INTERMACS 1-2. In the palliative care cohort, only 24.5% of patients had a formal palliative care consult prior to AIT. Conclusions AIT is a strategy to discharge advanced heart failure patients from the hospital. It may be useful as bridge to transplant or ventricular assist device, but may be limited by complications such as hospitalizations, infections, and ventricular arrhythmias. Of particular note, it appears more challenging to bridge to transplant on AIT in the new allocation system. It is important to clarify the goals of AIT therapy upfront and continue to counsel patients on risks and benefits of the therapy itself and potential unintended consequences. Formalized, multi-disciplinary care planning is essential to clearly define individualized patient, as well as programmatic goals of AIT.
Metric for Evaluating Non-Geologic CO2 Utilization Options

Carbon Dioxide Utilization (CDU) has been proposed as a means of converting carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere into a useable or storable product. This work proposes a rapid, standardized methodology for assessing the performance, status, and potential impact of a wide range of CDU technologies. These components are used to develop a multi-dimensional metric for evaluating CDU options. The intended use of the metric is for rapid evaluation of CDU technologies to understand their performance and potential impact if deployed at scale. To support the assessment, a companion spreadsheet is made available for performing energetic and lifecycle analysis of different CDU processes based on major inputs and outputs. This spreadsheet is populated with common reactants and products of carbon utilization and can be modified by the user to include additional reactants or products. Carbon dioxide is a stable molecule that requires energy to be converted into alternate forms. This conversion energy takes the form of thermal, electrical, chemical, or solar energy. Each of these energetic inputs and their associated greenhouse gas emissions are compared to the energetic and greenhouse gas emissions of the product(s) displaced by the CDU synthesis route. The overall impact of the technology is defined as the net difference between the current method of production and the proposed production route via carbon conversion.
Influence of Scaffolding on Information Literacy and Argumentation Skills in Virtual Field Trips and Problem-Based Learning for Scientific Problem Solving

Success in problem-based learning requires both strong information literacy to search for, evaluate, and use information effectively, and argumentation skills to generate coherent arguments. This study investigated the positive and negative effects of computer-based scaffolding to support high-school credit recovery students’ information literacy and argumentation skills in a problem-based learning unit on air quality. Virtual field trips and the Connection Log were designed and developed to provide scaffolding that supported students in addressing conceptual, metacognitive, and strategic challenges. Results revealed that diverse students can use scaffolding in different ways on the basis of distinct goals and prior experiences. These findings imply that information literacy and argumentation skills supported by computer-based scaffolding are pivotal factors in problem-based learning for science education.
Utilization of Rhinoplasty Worksheets among Practicing Facial Plastic Surgeons.

Rhinoplasty is the most commonly performed procedure by facial plastic surgeons, yet many consider it the most complex and variable surgery performed. Yet no standardized surgical worksheet has been established to document the maneuvers and anatomical changes made despite the known high rate of revision surgery. This study aimed to assess the utility and utilization of rhinoplasty surgical worksheets amongst facial plastic surgeons, as well as the perceptions and attitudes toward standardization of a common rhinoplasty surgical worksheet. Method We distributed an online survey to all active members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, in order to assess trends in utilization of surgical worksheets and the willingness of physicians to adhere to a standardized worksheet to be included in patient's medical records. Results When surveyed, 84 of the 130 respondents reported using a surgical worksheet, with 63 of 84 mentioned using a variation of their own custom worksheets. Of the 84 surgeons, 45 used these worksheets "often" or "always" during follow-up appointments. However, 111 of the 130 reported "never" or "rarely" receiving a surgical worksheet from another provider for revision rhinoplasties. In total, 96 of the 130 respondents were "strongly in favor" or "in favor" of sharing worksheets with other providers and 87/130 were in favor of establishing a standardized rhinoplasty worksheet for all rhinoplasty patients. Conclusions A majority of respondents reported using surgical worksheets for rhinoplasties with very few reporting ever receiving other surgeons' worksheets prior to revision rhinoplasties. Roughly three fourths of respondents were in favor of sharing worksheets along with a majority in favor of a standardized worksheet. This would represent a significant change in practice along with potentially increased collaboration between surgeons and subsequent advancement of patient care.
Task-Oriented Speech in Earnings Conference Calls and Information Processing

We examine the impact of task-oriented speech (TOS) on market participants’ ability to process information, where TOS quantifies a more direct method of communication. Conference calls with greater TOS are associated with lower ex-post total and idiosyncratic volatility and abnormal trading volume, even after controlling for ex-ante implied volatility. TOS also impacts financial analysts: forecast error, magnitude of revisions, forecast dispersion and disagreement are lower during the subsequent quarter. Overall, greater use of TOS increases the ability of financial markets to effectively evaluate the information within an earnings conference call.
DAnCE: a qos-enabled component deployment and configuration engine

This paper presents two contributions to the study of component deployment for distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems. First, it uses an inventory tracking systems (ITS) as a case study to elicit challenges involved in deploying DRE systems to account for their quality of service requirements. Second, it describes how we designed and implemented the Deployment And Configuration Engine (DAnCE), which is QoS-enabled middleware that addresses the challenges that arose in the context of our ITS case study. Our experience shows that DAnCE provides an effective platform for deploying DRE system components using a standard runtime environment and metadata.
An Alternative to Cronbach’s Alpha: An L -Moment-Based Measure of Internal-Consistency Reliability

Data sets in the social and behavioral sciences are often small or heavy-tailed. Previous studies have demonstrated that small samples or leptokurtic distributions adversely affect the performance of Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. To address these concerns, we propose an alternative estimator of reliability based on L-comoments. The empirical results of this study demonstrate that when sample sizes are small and distributions are heavy-tailed that the proposed coefficient L-alpha has substantial advantages over the conventional Cronbach estimator of reliability in terms of relative bias and relative standard error (RSE).
ENZYMIC O-METHYLATION OF IODINATED PHENOLS AND THYROID HORMONES,

Abstract : An enzymic methylation of iodophenols has been described. The enzyme occurs in the soluble fraction of rat liver from which it has been partially purified. The enzyme utilizes S-adenosylmethionine as methyl donor. In contrast to catechol O-methyltransferase, iodophenol Omethyltransferase requires no divalent cation for activity. Among the substrates tested, 3,5diiodo-4-hydroxybenzoic acid was most rapidly methylated. Tetraiodothyroacetic acid was methlated at an appreciable rate, but triiodothyroacetic acid, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine were not significantly methylated under the conditions tried. Iodophenol O-methyltransferase was distinguished from catechol O-methyltransferase by its greater stability to heat and its lack of a requirement for divalent cations. The two enzymes were also differentiated by separations on calcium phosphate gel and on a diethylaminoethyl cellulose column and by varying distributions among the tissues of different animals. (Author)
Abstract 1760: Tumor-specific targeting of the NAD metabolome with β-lapachone and NamPT inhibition

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Cancer cells require increased NAD+ synthesis to support anabolic metabolism, to sustain signaling processes such as sirtuin activity and ADP-ribosylation, and to maintain redox balance. Inhibitors of Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NamPT), the rate-limiting step in NAD+ biosynthesis, have modest anti-tumor activity in monotherapy in vitro and in vivo, but failed clinical trials due to a lack of tumor specificity attributed to the necessity of NAD+ synthesis in normal proliferating cells. We found that the tumor specificity and efficacy of NamPT inhibition can be greatly increased when small molecule NamPT inhibitors, such as FK866, are used in combination with the NQO1 bioactivated therapeutic s-lapachone (s-lap). Most solid tumor cells overexpress NQO1, which catalyzes a futile redox cycle with s-lap, resulting in the formation of a burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This results in substantial DNA single strand breaks and base damage in a tumor-specific manner, which hyperactivates poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1), a DNA repair enzyme that utilizes NAD+ to generate poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR)-protein moieties. Rapid NAD+ and ATP loss occurs and tumor cells die through programmed necrosis. PARP-1-mediated NAD+ depletion caused by s-lap treatment synergizes with reduced NAD+ synthesis as a result of FK866-mediated NamPT inhibition. Enhanced cancer cell death in terms of loss of viability and clonogenicity at lower s-lap doses was noted, while tumor specificity for NQO1 overexpressing cells was maintained. With combination treatment, cells are primed for ROS-mediated damage due to reduced glutathione and NAD(P)+ levels, they are unable to recover ATP, NAD+, and NADP+ synthesis even after only a 2 hour treatment, and they rapidly die through a caspase-independent mechanism. This therapeutic approach is highly effective against a variety of tumor cell lines from pancreatic, breast, and non-small cell lung, and is expected to improve the efficacy and tumor specificity of both of these drugs by allowing their use at lower doses in vivo. These studies were supported by an AACR/PanCan Innovator Award and NIH R01 CA102972 to DAB. Citation Format: Zachary Moore, David A. Boothman. Tumor-specific targeting of the NAD metabolome with β-lapachone and NamPT inhibition. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1760. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1760
RADIATIVE HEATING OF VEHICLES ENTERING THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

This paper considers the problem of calculating the equilibrium radiative heating of vehicles entering the Earth's atmosphere at velocities up to twice satellite velocity, with particular attention given to the cases of manned vehicles returning from trips to the Moon and Mars. Information and methods pertinent to the calculation of equilibrium radiative heating are presented and discussed. Numerical results are presentedfor evaluating stagnation-point heat flux and heat-flux distributions for spherical-segment noses for wide ranges of velocity and altitude. The results are for constant-energy shock layers of hot air which does not absorb radiation. The influence on stagnation-point radiative heat flux of absorption of shock-layer radiation, and the loss of shock-layer energy caused by the radiation is discussed and illustrated. Finally, calculated values of stagnation-point radiative heat flux and total heat are presented for manned lunar and Mars vehicles, and are compared with corresponding values for convective heating.
Evidence-based management:

Evidence-based management (EBM) is the use of the best available evidence to improve the quality of managerial decision making. It comprises four fundamental activities that can be applied to the everyday exercise of management judgment and decision-making: (i) use of the best available scientific findings; (ii) gathering of and attending to organizational facts, indicators, and metrics in a systematic manner to increase their reliability and usefulness; (iii) on going practice of mindful, reflective judgment, and use of decision aids to reduce bias and improve decision quality; and (iv) consideration of ethical issues including the short- and long-term impact of decisions on stakeholders. It reflects a broader trend in professions including medicine, education, public administration, and so on for evidence-based practice; that is, the increased and more effective use of scientific findings in practice-related decisions. EBM builds on the body of management and social science research to make more systematic decisions that incorporate the best available organizational and scientific evidence. Keywords: evidence-based practice; using scientific evidence; decision making; managerial ethics; management practice
Swine Worker Awareness and Behavior Regarding Prevention of Zoonotic Influenza Transmission

ABSTRACT A convenience survey of swine workers on large and small commercial farms in the Northeast and Midwest United States regarding zoonotic influenza awareness and precautions was conducted. Workers reported low levels of concern regarding the risk of contracting influenza from swine, and were generally not aware of national guidelines for influenza prevention. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) varied by task, N95 respirator use was rare, and no workers were enrolled in respirator programs. Reported influenza vaccination coverage was greater than the national average in 2009–2010, but declined in 2010–2011. Workers on large farms were more likely to use PPE in some tasks and to report using more precautions when pigs appeared ill. Although reporting low levels of concern regarding zoonotic influenza and low adherence to national influenza guidelines, swine workers reported making task-based and risk-based decisions about use of PPE, suggesting opportunities for enhanced prevention of zoonoti...
The contribution of missed opportunities to childhood underimmunization in Baltimore

Objective. To determine the community-wide incidence of missed opportunities to vaccinate, to describe the clinical settings in which they occur, and to estimate the impact of missed opportunities on immunization coverage. Design and Methods. We abstracted outpatient medical records from a random, community-based sample of 2-year-old children whose residence was inner-city Baltimore. The date of each vaccine and the date, diagnoses, and temperature at each visit were collected for 502 children at 98 different provider sites. Main Outcome Measures. Missed opportunities to vaccinate and up-to-date vaccination status. Results. By 24 months of age, 75% of the children had at least one missed opportunity and only 55% were up-to-date for the 4:3:1 series. Missed opportunities occurred at more than one third of eligible visits for each vaccine, including >20% of preventive care visits. Diagnoses commonly associated with missed opportunities were "well child," otitis media, upper respiratory infection, gastroenteritis, skin infection, and resolving illness. If no missed opportunities had occurred, 73% of the children would have been up-to-date by 24 months. Conclusions. Missed opportunities occurred commonly at providers serving inner-city children in Baltimore and represent a major factor in underimmunization. Reduction of missed opportunities by accurate screening at all visits and adherence to the contraindication guidelines is a provider-based, low-cost method to increase immunization coverage.
Measurement of Magnetic Field Distributions

In many circumstances the Mossbauer effect competes with NMR and other methods in the measurement of magnetization through its effect on hyperfine fields. In the case where the hyperfine field is unique, as in iron [1], or where only a few well-defined values of the hyperfine field appear, the Mossbauer method may be inferior to NMR, which is capable of much higher precision. In situations where there is a large spread in hyperfine fields, the Mossbauer method provides a unique tool in the determination of this spread. An example of such a case is the hyperfine field distribution at iron nuclei in the ferromagnetic Fe-Pd alloys in the vicinity of the transition temperature. The properties of the Fe-Pd system have been reported elsewhere [2, 31. The particular alloy on which we report is Fe 13.2-Pd 86.8 in which the iron atoms are assumed to be randomly distributed in the face-centered cubic palladium structure. The important features of the Mossbauer spectra are illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
Peptidomics for the discovery and characterization of neuropeptides and hormones

The discovery of neuropeptides as signaling molecules with paracrine or hormonal regulatory functions has led to trailblazing advances in physiology and fostered the characterization of numerous neuropeptide-binding G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) as potential drug targets. The impact on human health has been tremendous: approximately 30% of commercial drugs act via the GPCR pathway. However, about 25% of the GPCRs encoded by the mammalian genome still lack their pharmacological identity. Searching for the orphan GPCR endogenous ligands that are likely to be neuropeptides has proved to be a formidable task. Here we describe the mass spectrometry (MS)-based technologies and experimental strategies that have been successful in achieving high-throughput characterization of endogenous peptides in nervous and endocrine systems.
The essential selfcommutator of a subnormal operator

In this paper an easier proof is obtained of Alexandru Aleman’s extension of an inequality of Axler and Shapiro for subnormal operators to the essential norm. The method is applied to show that a hyponormal operator whose essential spectrum has area zero must be essentially normal. If S is a subnormal operator on a Hilbert space, it was shown in [4] that the norm of the selfcommutator of S, [S∗, S] = S∗S − SS∗, satisfies the inequality ||S∗S − SS∗|| ≤ distC(σ(S))[z, R(σ(S))], (1) where for any compact subset K of C , R(K) is the uniform closure in C(K) of the rational functions with poles off K. Recently Alexandru Aleman [2] proved a variation on this inequality by calculating the essential norm of S∗S − SS∗; that is, the norm of the image of S∗S − SS∗ in the Calkin algebra. Denote this norm by ||S∗S − SS∗||e. He shows that ||S∗S − SS||e ≤ distC(σe(S))[z, R(σe(S))], (2) where σe(S) is the essential spectrum of S. Aleman’s proof uses properties of the positive operator-valued measure associated with S (the compression of the spectral measure of its minimal normal extension ). In this note we give an easier proof of (2) that uses (1) and the fact that a C∗-algebra has a faithful representation. The reader might also be cautioned that a study of Aleman’s paper is still worth the effort. First, he obtains additional information. Second, the method using the associated positive operator-valued measure seems likely to be useful in attacking additional questions. These inequalities have a number of important consequences for the study of subnormal operators. When combined with a result from [3], (1) yields Putnam’s inequality [7] for subnormal operators: ||S∗S − SS∗|| ≤ Area(σ(S)) π . (3) (It should be noted that Putnam’s inequality also holds for hyponormal operators. See [6], pages 156 and 176-177.) Inequality (2) shows that if S is a subnormal Received by the editors August 15, 1995. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 47B20; Secondary 30E10.
Subseasonal variability associated with Asian summer monsoon simulated by 14 IPCC AR4 coupled GCMs

Abstract This study evaluates the subseasonal variability associated with the Asian summer monsoon in 14 coupled general circulation models (GCMs) participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (AR4). Eight years of each model’s twentieth-century climate simulation are analyzed. The authors focus on the three major components of Asian summer monsoon: the Indian summer monsoon (ISM), the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM), and the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), together with the two dominant subseasonal modes: the eastward- and northward-propagating boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSIO) and the westward-propagating 12–24-day mode. The results show that current state-of-the-art GCMs still have difficulties and display a wide range of skill in simulating the subseasonal variability associated with Asian summer monsoon. During boreal summer (May–October), most of the models produce reasonable seasonal-mean precipitation over the ISM region,...
News We Can Use: An Audience Perspective on the Tabloidisation of News in the United States

AbstractIn the United States, television news is where the issue of tabloidisation is most loudly debated, as news merges into the countless talk shows and syndicated “reality” programming. While critics often place the blame on the journalism profession itself, I focus on the audience drive toward tabloidisation, critiquing both the uncritical celebration of the “active” audience, and the view that audiences are simply mindless recipients of whatever journalists feed them. Using data from a small study of news audiences, I argue that we must understand the value of dramatic, narrative news in everyday life. At the same time, I argue that the storytelling news style, characterised by disconnected, highly personal narratives, is in danger of replacing rational, considered, and critical analysis in news. In particular, young people are becoming less interested in news, and less critical of the techniques typical of tabloid style. I conclude that we must strive to develop a journalism that could embrace tabl...
Reflections on Medical Journals: Has Progress Made Them Better?

As evidenced by Huth and Case's history of Annals in this issue, medical journals have changed in the past 25 years. Molecular medicine, enormous controlled trials, and meta-analyses of dozens of c...
Fantasy-Proneness, Negative Affect, and Psychopathology:

More than three quarters (76%) of the fantasty-prone college students (total N = 21) who scored in the upper 4% of the population on the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings (ICMI) [1] an...
Optimal Reticulated Coverage of the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

During every heartbeat, the Ca2+ that is released must be reabsorbed into the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) sufficiently rapidly to allow the heart to relax and refill. Taking an economic viewpoint, we hypothesized that the organism would optimally balance the need to absorb Ca2+ sufficiently rapidly and the metabolic cost of producing SR ATPases (SERCA2). To test this hypothesis we simulated the release and uptake of Ca2+ with different reticulation topologies and fractional covering. We defined a cost function that includes the cost of ATPase production, a penalty for not absorbing Ca2+ sufficiently rapidly, and a penalty for insufficient Ca2+ binding to contractile proteins. We found that the optimal SR fractional covering (where a value of 1 corresponds to the myofibril being uniformly enshrouded by SR) is between 20-30% even as the heart rate ranged from 1 Hz to 5 Hz. The relatively small amount of SR coverage needed for economic control of Ca2+ is consonant with Berg and Purcell's (Biophysical Journal 20:193-219) classic finding that, as a consequence of the properties of diffusion, a small fractional covering of absorbers on the cell surface performs almost as well as when the surface is entirely covered by absorbers.
An in vitro method for analysis of chondrogenesis in limb mesenchyme from individual transgenic (hdf) embryos.

The present study describes a simple, rapid protocol for culture for limb tissue from individual 10.5-day post coitum mouse embryos that supports cartilage differentiation over a six-day period. This technique differs from other commonly used methods utilizing pooled limb tissue in that: 1) forelimbs from individual embryos were used as donor tissue; 2) limb tissue was dissociated by very gentle enzymatic digest (0.1% trypsin, 5 min); and, 3) cell suspensions were plated at a lower density (1 × 107 vs. 2 × 107 cells/ml) in a reduced volume of 3–5 μl. Under these modified conditions to increase limb cell yield from each embryo, histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated reproducible for-mation of precartilage aggregates and subsequent overt chondrogenesis over a predictable time course. Using this culture protocol, analysis of limb mesenchyme from heterozygous hdf embryos, which bear an insertional mutation of the Cspg2 gene encoding the core protein of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan, versican, revealed an overall similar chondrogenic potential to that observed for wild-type littermates. This technique readily enables in vitro culture of limb bud mesenchyme from individual mouse embryos at this developmental stage and may be utilized by investigators to study the effects of the hdf and other transgenic mutations on mammalian limb development in vitro.
Formation of hydrogen peroxide upon oxidation of oxalic acid in presence and absence of oxygen—II: Oxygen as oxidant

Hydrogen peroxide, m a mixture that is 0.1M in manganese(II) sulphate and sulphuric add and exposed to light from a tungsten lamp, decomposes slowly at room temperature in a nitrogen atmosphere. At 75 degrees the reaction is fairly rapid in the dark (about 20-25% in 4 hr) and about 60% faster in light. Presence of oxalic add has little effect on the rate of disappearance of peroxide, the overall reaction corresponding to H(2)C(2)O(4) + H(2)O(2) --> 2CO(2) + 2H(2)O. In the presence of oxygen [and manganese(II)] this reaction does not take place; instead, hydrogen peroxide is formed and oxalic add disappears in equimolar amounts. The extent of all reactions greatly increases with increasing concentration of manganese. Acrylonitrilc acts as a retarder. Conditions m the presence of mangancse(II) are described, under which oxalic add can be oxidized quantitatively by oxygen to carbon dioxide with formation of an amount of hydrogen peroxide equimolar to the oxalic add oxidized. Reaction mechanisms are proposed to account for the fact that in the absence of oxygen 1 mole of peroxide disappears and in the presence of oxygen 1 mote of peroxide is formed for each mole of oxalic add reacted.
On the invertibility of linear multivariable systems

Some results concerning invertibility of a class of linear, time-invariant systems are presented. It is shown that by an appropriate factorization of the transfer matrix of such a system, the problem of checking its invertibility can be reduced to that of checking the invertibility of a lower-order system. A sufficient condition for invertibility is also obtained.
Recall initiation strategies must be controlled in training studies that use immediate free recall tasks to measure the components of working memory capacity across time.

There has been great interest in using working memory (WM) training regimens as an alternative treatment for ADHD, but it has recently been concluded that existing training regimens may not be optimally designed because they target the primary memory component but not the secondary component of WM capacity. This conclusion requires the ability to accurately measure changes in primary and secondary memory abilities over time. The immediate free recall task has been used in previous studies to measure these changes; however, one concern with these tasks is that the recall order required on training exercises may influence the recall strategy used during free recall, which may in turn influence the relative number of items recalled from primary and secondary memory. To address this issue, previous training studies have explicitly controlled recall strategy before and after training. However, the necessity of controlling for recall strategies has not been explicitly tested. The present study investigated the ...
Control of Ventilation, Respiratory Muscle Strength, and Granulomatous Involvement of Skeletal Muscle in Patients With Sarcoidosis*

Granulomatous involvement of skeletal muscle occurs in 50 to 80 percent of patients with sarcoidosis. How this may affect respiratory muscle function in sarcoidosis is not known. To attempt to answer this question, we compared respiratory function and muscle force generation, and control of ventilation in 12 untreated patients with 12 healthy, nonsmoking subjects. While seated, room air breathing, measurements included expiratory reserve volume (ERV), components of breathing pattern, and occlusion pressure at 1 s (P0.1). Three of nine patients who consented to muscle biopsy demonstrated granulomatous involvement on histologic examination, and Pmax values less than the group mean; however, some patients without muscle granulomas also demonstrated low Pmax values. Breathing pattern in the sarcoid patients was rapid and shallow, but not related to the degree of radiographic infiltration or respiratory elastance. Mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI), minute ventilation, and P0.1 were, in general, greater than in the control subjects, indicating an increase in central drive. There was a significant inverse correlation between FVC and P0.1, and a weak inverse relationship between ERV and P0.1. With no significant difference between group "effective impedances" (P0.1/(VT/TI)), findings indicate that in the sarcoidosis group, decreased muscle force generation was compensated for by an increase in central drive. Granulomatous infiltration may be one of many factors contributing to respiratory muscle weakness in sarcoidosis.
The effect of hypotonicity, glutamine, and glycine on red cell preservation

BACKGROUND: Red cells (RBCs) stored in hypo-os-molar additive solutions with the same concentrations of adenine, dextrose, mannitol, and sodium chloride and varied amounts of ammonium, phosphate, glycerol, and glutamine were better preserved than RBCs in the standard additive solution (Adsol). Cell swelling occurred in all the experimental additives. This observation prompted the evaluation of glutamine and glycine alone, as well as a combination of glutamine and glycine, all of which have been described as producing swelling of rat liver cells. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Aliquots of RBCs were stored at 4°C in Adsol or experimental additive solutions (EASs) all containing adenine, 2 mM; dextrose, 110 mM; mannitol, 55 mM; and sodium chloride, 50 mM. EAS 42 had, in addition, glutamine, 10 mM; glycine 5 mM; and phosphate, 20 mM. EAS 43 had glutamine, 10 mM; glycine, 10 mM; and phosphate 20 mM. EAS 44 had glutamine, 10 mM; EAS 45 had glutamine, 10 mM, and phosphate, 20 mM; and EAS 46 had only glycine, 10 mM. At intervals, measurements were made of mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, morphology, ATP, hemolysis, supernatant potassium, ammonia, pH, and microvesicles shed. RESULTS: The initial mean corpuscular volumes were larger in all EASs than in Adsol, but the greatest difference was between EASs 44 and 46 (108 fL) and Adsol (86 fL) (p<0.001). The morphology scores were significantly better in all the EASs (p<0.04). The ATPs were significantly greater in all the EASs (p<0.001), and highest in those with phosphate. Potassium leakage and hemolysis were less in the EASs (p<0.001). The ammonia levels were higher in all the EASs than in Adsol, with the exception of EAS 46. During storage, the extracorpuscular and intracorpuscular pH levels were essentially identical. The shedding of microvesicles was greatly reduced in all the EASs. CONCLUSION: Cell swelling induced in RBCs after collection appears to improve preservation. Ammonia and phosphate enhance RBC ATP maintenance. Glycine decreases the formation of ammonia by RBCs stored in a hypotonic medium.