cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Feasibility of a Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention App (iREST) as a Behavioral Sleep Treatment in a Military Population: Feasibility Comparative Effectiveness Study.

Background: Although evidence-based cognitive behavioral sleep treatments have been shown to be safe and effective, these treatments have limited scalability. Mobile health tools can address this scalability challenge. iREST, or interactive Resilience Enhancing Sleep Tactics, is a mobile health platform designed to provide a just-in-time adaptive intervention (JITAI) in the assessment, monitoring, and delivery of evidence-based sleep recommendations in a scalable and personalized manner. The platform includes a mobile phone–based patient app linked to a clinician portal. Objective: The first aim of the pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of JITAI using the iREST platform for delivering evidence-based sleep interventions in a sample of military service members and veterans. The second aim was to explore the potential effectiveness of this treatment delivery form relative to habitual in-person delivery. Methods: In this pilot study, military service members and veterans between the ages of 18 and 60 years who reported clinically significant service-related sleep disturbances were enrolled as participants. Participants were asked to use iREST for a period of 4 to 6 weeks during which time they completed a daily sleep/wake diary. Through the clinician portal, trained clinicians offered recommendations consistent with evidence-based behavioral sleep treatments on weeks 2 through 4. To explore potential effectiveness, self-report measures were used, including the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the PSQI Addendum for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Results: A total of 27 participants completed the posttreatment assessments. Between pre- and postintervention, clinically and statistically significant improvements in primary and secondary outcomes were detected (eg, a mean reduction on the ISI of 9.96, t26=9.99, P<.001). At posttreatment, 70% (19/27) of participants met the criteria for treatment response and 59% (16/27) achieved remission. Comparing these response and remission rates with previously published results for in-person trials showed no significant differences. Conclusion: Participants who received evidence-based recommendations from their assigned clinicians through the iREST platform showed clinically significant improvements in insomnia severity, overall sleep quality, and disruptive nocturnal disturbances. These findings are promising, and a larger noninferiority clinical trial is warranted.
Social Networks and Social Information Sharing Using Fuzzy Methods

Web 2.0 has provided for a rapid growth of computer mediated social networks. Social relational networks are becoming an important technology in human behavioral modeling. Our goal here is to enrich the domain of social network modeling by introducing ideas from fuzzy sets and related granular computing technologies. We approach this extension in a number of ways. One is with the introduction of fuzzy graphs representing the networks. This allows a generalization of the types of connection between nodes in a network from simply connected or not to weighted or fuzzy connections. A second and perhaps more interesting extension is the use of the fuzzy set based paradigm of computing with words to provide a bridge between a human network analyst’s linguistic description of social network concepts and the formal model of the network. We also will describe some methods for sharing information obtained in these types of networks. In particular we discuss linguistic summarization and tagging methods.
Signal Processing as Practice: Trial-and-Error Revision of the Sensorimotor Dynamics of a Hybrid Violin

This paper describes the evolution of a "hybrid violin" developed and played by the author and reflects on the process of developing its sensorimotor dynamics as a salient affordance of real-time digital signal processing. The hybrid violin consists of a technical ensemble of hardware and software elements, including an acoustic violin, microphone, custom sensor glove (alto.glove), and customized ergonomic shoulder rest embedded with voice coils for haptic feedback coupled to digital audio output. Through trial-and-error revision by the designer, sensory feedforward and feedback paths are effectively symmetrized, thereby engaging the claim of the "enactive" approach to cognition as a creative practice: perception drives action and action drives perception. The hybrid violin catalyzes improvised performance insofar as it is responsive to all gesture and embeds no assumptions about expressive intention. The system allows for experimentation with violin technique by continuously and intensively tracking gestural and auditory inputs.
Increased Length of Stay Associated With Antibiotic Use in Older Adults With Advanced Cancer Transitioned to Comfort Measures.

Background:Antibiotic use may increase hospital length of stay (LOS) among older patients with advanced cancer who are transitioned to comfort measures.Methods:We studied a cohort of patients with ...
The Influences of CEO IT Expertise and Board-Level Technology Committees on Form 8-K Disclosure Timeliness

Recent research documents the importance of Form 8-K disclosure timeliness in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) era. However, it remains unclear why disclosure timeliness overall has improved, but ...
Evolution of Bariatric Quality Initiatives

Quality improvement characterizes bariatric surgery throughout its brief history. In this chapter we will review early quality initiatives focusing on data collection via registries such as the International Bariatric Surgery Registry and BAROS. Subsequent evolutions in the study of quality include the professional society efforts such as the ASMBS/Surgical Review Bariatric Surgery Centers of Excellence program but also other smaller regional initiatives such as the Betsy Lehman initiative and the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative. Finally we will overview the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) developed through the combined efforts of ASMBS and the American College of Surgeons.
3D Bioprinted GelMA Based Models for the Study of Trophoblast Cell Invasion

Bioprinting is an emerging and promising technique for fabricating 3D cell-laden constructs for various biomedical applications. In this paper, we employed 3D bioprinted GelMA-based models to investigate the trophoblast cell invasion phenomenon, enabling studies of key placental functions. Initially, a set of optimized material and process parameters including GelMA concentration, UV crosslinking time and printing configuration were identified by systematic, parametric study. Following this, a multiple-ring model (2D multi-ring model) was tested with the HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast cell line to measure cell movement under the influence of EGF (chemoattractant) gradients. In the multi-ring model, the cell front used as a cell invasion indicator moves at a rate of 85 ± 33 µm/day with an EGF gradient of 16 µM. However, the rate was dramatically reduced to 13 ± 5 µm/day, when the multi-ring model was covered with a GelMA layer to constrain cells within the 3D environment (3D multi-ring model). Due to the geometric and the functional limitations of multi-ring model, a multi-strip model (2D multi-strip model) was developed to investigate cell movement in the presence and absence of the EGF chemoattractant. The results show that in the absence of an overlying cell-free layer of GelMA, movement of the cell front shows no significant differences between control and EGF-stimulated rates, due to the combination of migration and proliferation at high cell density (6 × 106 cells/ml) near the GelMA surface. When the model was covered by a layer of GelMA (3D multi-strip model) and migration was excluded, EGF-stimulated cells showed an invasion rate of 21 ± 3 µm/day compared to the rate for unstimulated cells, of 5 ± 4 µm/day. The novel features described in this report advance the use of the 3D bioprinted placental model as a practical tool for not only measurement of trophoblast invasion but also the interaction of invading cells with other tissue elements.
Efficacy of Intraprocedural Superior Hypogastric Nerve Block in Reduction of Postuterine Artery Embolization Narcotic Analgesia Use

Purpose:Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is an effective treatment for the management of symptomatic uterine fibroids. We aim to evaluate the efficacy of superior hypogastric nerve block (SHNB) in...
Development of the Pediatric Advanced Life Support Skills Self-Efficacy Inventory to Assess Rural Healthcare Providers.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Rural healthcare provider's willingness to implement pediatric resuscitation may be impeded by comfort level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Advanced Life Support Skill Self-Efficacy Inventory (PALS-SSEI). METHODS A 19-item inventory was created based on PALS skills. The PALS-SSEI was completed by 94 participants in a study to test the effects of simulation training on PALS knowledge and skill. RESULTS Six clinical content experts rated the content validity of the PALS-SSEI as high. Item and factor analysis supported the tool's construct validity. A Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.88 supported the internal consistency of the tool. CONCLUSIONS The PALS-SSEI demonstrated good initial psychometric properties. The tool can be used to assess self-efficacy for PALS skills among healthcare providers.
Dorothy Wrinch, 1894–1976

Dorothy Wrinch, born in Rosario, Argentina and raised in Surbiton, England, was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, and mentored by Betrand Russell, G. H. Hardy, and D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson. Determined to determine the atomic structure of proteins, she spent her long career on the borderlines between mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology—and on the margins of those professions too. Brilliant and feisty, she controversially galvanized the field of protein chemistry. Today she is remembered less for her for her bitter feud with the chemist Linus Pauling than for her remarkable early work in logic and her novel insights into the mathematical problems of crystal structure determination.
Krise und neue Anforderungen. Das österreichische Hochschulregime 1920–1960 und die Kritik der frühen 1960er-Jahre

In the early 1960s, the higher education sector in Austria was in a deep crisis. Intellectuals of all colors debated intensely about the reason for this, and also what purpose higher education was to fulﬁll. But where did the perception of crisis come from? What happened to universities and other institutions of higher education in the years between 1920 and 1960? The article attempts to address this question holistically, that is, by understanding the period of four decades before the crisis as one of a distinct higher education regime — one that was marred by political interventions, immense social tensions, and steady decline.
Daily Ultrasound Imaging for Patients Undergoing Postprostatectomy Radiation Therapy Predicts and Ensures Dosimetric Endpoints.

Abstract Purpose Patients who receive radiation therapy (RT) for prostate cancer are routinely positioned through radiographic means. We set out to establish a data-driven process that defines bladder volume required to meet V40/65 constraints using daily bladder ultrasound (US) and comparative cone beam CT (CBCT) before placing a patient on the treatment table. Methods and Materials This was a single institution retrospective study of 20 patients (390 CBCT scans) who received postprostatectomy RT. Each patient received a daily US before treatment. CBCT alignment was performed 3 times a week. The bladder and rectum were contoured on each CBCT and a session dose was recorded. A mixed-effect model was used to estimate trajectory slopes of radiation exposure with organs-at-risk volume increase. Slope differences by V40/65 for prostate fossa (PF) and pelvic lymph nodes (PF/pLN) were tested using a 3-way-interaction term with Bonferroni correction. Results For the 20 patients, 10 received treatment to PF and 10 received RT to the PF/pLN. Predefined bladder constraints were V65 108 cm3 and for PF/pLN patients when the US bladder volume was >200 cm3. Rectal filling showed no association with CBCT volume. Conclusions Daily US of the bladder before postprostatectomy RT allows for dosimetric predictions before daily treatment. This should translate into fewer CBCT for the patient and improved machine throughput. This technique is easy to institute and ensures organs-at-risk volumetric constraints are met based on daily US measurements.
All-loop-orders relation between Regge limits of ${\cal N}=4$ SYM and ${\cal N}=8$ supergravity four-point amplitudes

We examine in detail the structure of the Regge limit of the (nonplanar) ${\cal N}=4$ SYM four-point amplitude. We begin by developing a basis of color factors $C_{ik}$ suitable for the Regge limit of the amplitude at any loop order, and then calculate explicitly the coefficients of the amplitude in that basis through three-loop order using the Regge limit of the full amplitude previously calculated by Henn and Mistlberger. We compute these coefficients exactly at one loop, through ${\cal O} (\epsilon^2)$ at two loops, and through ${\cal O} (\epsilon^0)$ at three loops, verifying that the IR-divergent pieces are consistent with (the Regge limit of) the expected infrared divergence structure, including a contribution from the three-loop correction to the dipole formula. We also verify consistency with the IR-finite NLL and NNLL predictions of Caron-Huot et al. Finally we use these results to motivate the conjecture of an all-orders relation between one of the coefficients and the Regge limit of the ${\cal N} =8$ supergravity four-point amplitude.
Bayesian and frequentist approaches to multinomial count models in ecology

Abstract Multinomial count data are common in trophic ecology, spatial ecology, and community ecology. Compared to generalized linear models (GLMs) for univariate data, fewer statistical programs have been developed for the multivariate counterpart of GLMs. Studies of spatiotemporal community dynamics and spatial ecology on large spatial scales may generate large or big data on compositional counts or proportions. Fast, reliable computational methods can promote applications of multivariate generalized linear models (MGLMs) in predictive ecology and ecological informatics. The main objective of this study was to build Dirichlet-multinomial (D-M) models for compositional counts using frequentist's maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) with template model builder (TMB), full Bayesian estimation with programs JAGS and Stan, and variational Bayes in Stan. Bayesian and frequentist D-M models were applied to the compositional counts of radio telemetry locations of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) and American beaver (Castor canadensis) in different habitat-cover types to estimate habitat selection index. Bayesian D-M models with JAGS and Stan produced similar estimates as TMB programs. However, TMB programs ran a few hundred times faster than the Bayesian models. Template model builder and Stan are flexible in building complex statistical models and can accommodate a large number of parameters and random effects. The joint use of TMB and Stan may help develop MGLMs and multivariate generalized linear mixed models for large ecological data.
Congress' Domain: Appropriations, Time, and Chevron

Annual appropriations and permanent appropriations play contradictory roles in the separation of powers. Annual appropriations preserve agencies’ need for congressionally provided funding and enforce a domain of congressional influence over agency action in which the House and the Senate each enforce written unicameral commands through the threat of reduced appropriations in the next annual cycle. Permanent appropriations permit agencies to fund their programs without ongoing congressional support, circumscribing and diluting Congress’s domain. The unanswered question of Chevron deference for appropriations demonstrates the importance of the distinction between annual appropriations and permanent appropriations. Uncritical application of governing deference tests that emphasize the time and procedural steps an agency put into an interpretation would tend to favor deference for agency interpretations of permanent appropriations, but not for annual appropriations. Yet this result is upside-down if courts’ goal is to promote accountability and avoid interference with the balance of power between the political branches. Chevron has two core functions, a subdelegation function (it transfers the authority delegated in ambiguities from courts to agencies) and an anti-entrenchment function (it relieves interpretations of the solidifying force of stare decisis). As applied to annual appropriations, both functions respect Congress’s primary role in enforcement through the appropriations cycle; as applied to permanent appropriations, both functions interfere with Congress’s domain.
Eight Institutions for the Evolution of Decentralization

Chapter 5 discusses the core problems Web3 companies need to solve in order to achieve progress for the decentralized economy. The electrical revolution took more than a century to come to fruition, because of the need to develop uniform standards for production, transmission, storage, and utilization. Similarly, the Web3 vision of upgrading the entire global economy requires core infrastructure products to be created simultaneously, and be integrated with each other.
Ranking Pictorial Cues in Simulated Landing Flares

Abstract. Two-dimensional pictorial cues provide depth perception information that help pilots initiate the landing flare 10–20 ft from the ground. Although prior studies established the importance...
Forest fires and climate-induced tree range shifts in the western US.

Due to climate change, plant populations experience environmental conditions to which they are not adapted. Our understanding of the next century’s vegetation geography depends on the distance, direction, and rate at which plant distributions shift in response to a changing climate. In this study we test the sensitivity of tree range shifts (measured as the difference between seedling and mature tree ranges in climate space) to wildfire occurrence, using 74,069 Forest Inventory Analysis plots across nine states in the western United States. Wildfire significantly increased the seedling-only range displacement for 2 of the 8 tree species in which seedling-only plots were displaced from tree-plus-seedling plots in the same direction with and without recent fire. The direction of climatic displacement was consistent with that expected for warmer and drier conditions. The greater seedling-only range displacement observed across burned plots suggests that fire can accelerate climate-related range shifts and that fire and fire management will play a role in the rate of vegetation redistribution in response to climate change. Tree species that are expanding their distribution in response to climate change could be hindered or facilitated by disturbances. Here the authors analyse forest inventory data from the western US to test the hypothesis that wildfire can facilitate climate-induced range shifts in trees.
Income Distribution in the Harris-Todaro Model

This paper uses the Harris-Todaro model of rural-urban migration to explore how inequality is likely to evolve during the course of various kinds of economic development. It is shown that development in agriculture is likely to be reduce inequality. The paper also shows that the Kuznets curve is unlikely to be a general result, and clarifies the reasons for the observed link between dualism and inequality.
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough: The Necessity of the Recording Industry’s Retention of Ownership of Sound Recordings in Response to the Copyright Act of 1976’s Termination of Rights Provision

The Copyright Act of 1976’s Termination of Rights provision will soon allow musicians to file a notice of copyright termination to regain ownership of our generation’s most beloved musical hits. The recording industry’s strongest defense to the notices of copyright termination is to take preventative measures asserting the musicians created the songs under a “work for hire” legal relationship. This article proposes the recording industry is best suited to exploit the musical works in order to fulfill one of the foundations of copyright law of making works available to the public.
Social Science Survey Methodology Training: Understanding the Past and Assessing the Present to Shape Our Future

Survey methodology is a rich interdisciplinary field. We summarize the current state of social science survey methodology training and envision its future. Our vision celebrates the diverse histories and scientific perspectives of social science, but also addresses core statistical and survey methods skills that social science survey methodologists should have. We identify training gaps and outline an ideal program of study. We reflect on how this fits into a vision of survey methodology as an interdisciplinary field that has both applied and academic arms, integrates social science and statistical science, and is sustainable as an interdisciplinary field of study.
Assessing known pathways for HO2 loss in aqueous atmospheric aerosols: Regional and global impacts on tropospheric oxidants

[1] We present a study of the potential importance of known reaction pathways for HO2 loss in atmospheric aerosols. As a baseline case, we calculate the reaction probability for HO2 loss by its self-reaction in aqueous particles. Detailed calculations assessed the effects of aerosol pH, temperature, particle size, and aqueous phase diffusion limitations on the rate of HO2 loss by this process. An algebraic parameterization of the reaction probability, γHO2, due to self-reaction is valid for aerosol pH 0.1 in the upper troposphere and γHO2 < 0.01 in the extra-polar lower troposphere. We contrast the self-reaction pathway with catalytic oxidation by dissolved Cu ions. Using IMPROVE network data we assess the atmospheric importance and uncertainties associated with the Cu pathway. Simulations of tropospheric chemistry were performed using the GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model with different parameterizations of γHO2. Relative to simulations where γHO2 = 0 for all aerosol types, assuming that only the aqueous-phase self-reaction proceeds on pollution and sea salt particles causes global annual mean differences in surface OH, HO2, and H2O2 of −1, −2, and +2%, respectively. These minor effects of heterogeneous loss are significantly different from a simulation assuming γHO2 = 0.2 on all particles, as is currently recommended, with implications for predictions of regional HOx levels, ozone production rates and their sensitivity to NOx.
Differences of somatic and respiratory response to hypoxia in newly born and older infants.

The somatic and respiratory responses to hypoxia of two groups of infants were studied. Infants 16 to 82 days of age manifested both increased somatic and respiratory activity, whereas infants under 24 hours of age remained inert and demonstrated respiratory depression. The responses in the younger group of infants occurred despite a pronounced decline in oxygen saturation of the blood. The findings suggested the presence of a somatic reflex in the older infants which, like the peripheral chemoreceptors, is stimulated by a fall in arterial oxygen tension. Neither this reflex nor evidence of chemoreflex function were observed in the very young infants, suggesting a lingering of fetal behavior.
Why General Personal Jurisdiction Over 'Virtual Stores' is a Bad Idea

Courts in the United States today address the constitutional permissibility of personal jurisdiction by discussing two sub-types, “specific jurisdiction” and “general jurisdiction.” “Specific jurisdiction” may exist “in a suit arising out of or related to the defendant’s contacts with the forum.” “General jurisdiction” may exist “in a suit not arising out of or related to the defendant’s contacts with the forum.” Over the past few years, courts have begun to address whether maintenance of a business oriented web site that is accessible to and used by residents of a state can be a sufficient anchor for the constitutional assertion of general jurisdiction in that state. At the level of the United States Courts of Appeal, a split of authority is developing. The D.C. Circuit in Gorman v. Ameritrade Holding Corp and the Ninth Circuit in Gator.com Corp. v. L.L. Bean, Inc., have held that the answer is yes, with Gator.com labeling L.L. Bean’s web site a “virtual store.” The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Tenth, and Federal Circuits, all after relatively short discussions, have held that the answer is no, at least on the facts before them. This article argues that the Gorman and Gator.com were improvident and wrongly decided, that general jurisdiction over virtual stores is inconsistent with any principled development of the law of general jurisdiction. The article will conclude with a call for the courts of appeals to abandon the concept of general jurisdiction over virtual stores or for the Supreme Court to take up the issue and provide some much-needed guidance on the constitutional limitations of general jurisdiction.
Urinary adverse effects of pelvic radiotherapy.

Objective: Radiation is an integral part of the treatment of many pelvic tumors. The cellular death induced by radiotherapy (RT) benefits cancer control but can also result in adverse effects (AEs) on the organ being treated or those adjacent to it. RT for cancers of the pelvis (bladder, prostate, rectum, uterus or cervix) can result in AEs in the urinary tract. While the acute urinary AEs of pelvic RT are well described, late AEs are less well characterized. The burden of treatment for late AEs may be large given the prevalence of tumors in the pelvis and the high utilization of RT to treat them. Review: For prostate cancer, grade 1 and 2 urinary AEs following external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) are reported to occur in 20-43% and 7-19%, respectively, with a follow up of ten years. Three-year cumulative risk for grade ≥2 urinary AEs is 28-30%. Following brachytherapy (BT), rates of urinary AEs at five years are reported to be 36%, 24%, 6.2% and 0.1% for Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) grade 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. For bladder cancer, with a median follow-up of five years, 7-12% of patients who receive RT experience urinary AEs of grade 3 or more. For cervical cancer, there remains a 0.25% per year risk of severe AEs for at least 25 years following RT, and ureteral stricture is a well-described AE. For endometrial cancer, severe urinary AEs are rare, but at 13 years of follow up, patients report a significantly worse quality of life with respect to urinary function. In rectal cancer, preoperative RT has a lower risk of AEs than postoperative RT, and few urinary AEs are reported in the literature. Conclusions: Urinary AEs can manifest long after RT, and there is a paucity of studies describing rates of these long-term AEs. It is important that the possible complications of RT are recognized by providers and properly communicated to patients so that they are able to make informed decisions about their cancer treatment.
Heterogeneous Cross-Linking of Chitosan Gel Beads: Kinetics, Modeling, and Influence on Cadmium Ion Adsorption Capacity

Chitosan, a linear biopolymer of glucosamine residues, selectively adsorbs transition-metal ions such as cadmium from dilute solution. In order to process chitosan into a more durable form, a 5 wt % chitosan solution was cast into spherical gel beads of 3 mm diameter and then reacted with glutaraldehyde at free amine sites to form imine cross-links between linear chitosan chains. The rate processes of the heterogeneous cross-linking reaction and the effect of cross-linking on the cadmium ion adsorption capacity were determined. The cross-linking reaction was complete within 48 h at 27 °C, and the final extent of cross-linking ranged from 0.07 to 2.40 mol of glutaraldehyde consumed/mol of amine. Heterogeneous cross-linking was modeled as a shrinking core process where the molecular diffusion of glutaraldehyde through the cross-linked shell of the gel bead limited the overall rate of glutaraldehyde consumption. The effective diffusion coefficient of glutaraldehyde through the cross-linked layer was 4.7 × 10...
Efficacy of ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin in acute bacterial exacerbations of complicated chronic bronchitis: Interim analysis

In a multicenter, community-based study involving more than 300 primary care physicians in the United States, the efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin and clarithromycin were compared in the treatment of patients with complicated or severe acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (i.e., those who had failed previous antibiotic treatment within the prior 2 to 4 weeks; those with susceptibility data suggestive of a resistant pathogen; those having three or more acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis [AECB] within the past year; and those having three or more comorbid conditions). Patients were randomized to either ciprofloxacin (CIP) 750 mg BID or clarithromycin (CLR) 500 mg BID, both administered for 10 days; all patients were treated on an outpatient basis. Clinical response at the end of therapy was the primary efficacy variable. An interim analysis was performed on the results from 743 patients (369 CIP, 374 CLR) with clinical and bacteriologic evidence of a bronchopulmonary infection who had completed an ongoing study as of the end of May 1997. Three hundred nine pathogens were isolated before therapy, including Haemophilus spp (75 isolates), Moraxella catarrhalis (67 isolates), Staphylococcus aureus (55 isolates), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (23 isolates). Seven hundred eighteen patients (97%) were included in the efficacy-valid population. Clinical success at the end of therapy was observed in 90% (272 of 302) and 88% (274 of 313) of efficacy-valid patients treated with CIP and CLR, respectively (95% confidence interval [CI] = -2.4 to 7.6). Corresponding rates for the intent-to-treat population were also 90% (283 of 314) and 88% (281 of 321), respectively (95% CI = -2.3 to 7.5). The bacteriologic response for efficacy-valid patients at the end of therapy was 98% (119 of 122) for CIP-treated and 93% (103 of 111) for CLR-treated patients (95% CI = -0.8 to 10.2). The eradication rates for the three most commonly isolated gram-negative pathogens were 100% for CIP-treated and 95% for CLR-treated patients and 96% each for the two most commonly isolated gram-positive organisms. Superinfections due to respiratory tract pathogens were more common in the CLR group (10 organisms) than in the CIP group (4 organisms). Seventy-four (20%) CIP-treated and 62 (17%) CLR-treated patients reported 118 and 103 respective study-emergent adverse events. Headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting in CIP-treated patients and diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and taste perversion in CLR-treated patients were the most commonly reported adverse events. Treatment of patients with complicated or severe AECB with CIP 750 mg BID was associated with rates of clinical success and bacteriologic eradication similar to those with CLR.
End-stage renal disease as the presenting manifestation of renal systemic lupus erythematosus

About one-half of all children with systemic lupus erythematosus have clinical evidence of renal disease at initial presentation, such as proteinuria and acute renal failure. Herein, we report a case of a teenager who presented with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) of uncertain etiology, and who was subsequently determined to have lupus. The purpose of this report is to make health-care professionals aware of this unusual presentation of renal lupus, which has never been reported before. Children presenting in ESRD should be worked-up for autoimmune diseases since the discovery of such a disease process may impact future decision-making, especially with respect to subsequent renal transplantation.
Evidence of neuroandrogenic etiology of sex roles from a combined analysis of human, nonhuman primate and nonprimate mammalian studies

Abstract To explore the question of whether or not androgenic influences upon brain functioning constitute significant causes of sex differences in human behavior, the present report compares research based upon studies of humans, nonhuman primates and nonprimate mammals. The major assumption underlying the approach was as follows: if similar average sex differences in behavior existed for humans and nonhumans alike, and could be shown to be due to the effects of neuroandrogenic factors in nonhumans, one could infer that neuroandrogenic factors are a likely cause of human sex differences in such behavior as well. Twelve behavior patterns were found to exhibit similar average sex differences in humans as in a number of nonhuman species. Evidence surrounding the causes of these behavior patterns lead to the conclusion that neuroandrogenic factors were all but certainly responsible for much of the average sex differences in (a) assertive erotic sexual behavior and (b) status-related aggressive behavior, both in humans in most other mammals. In addition, neuroandrogenic etiology has been demonstrated among several nonhuman species for (c) the acquisition and recall of spatial environmental perception, (d) spacing behavior, (e) pain tolerance and (f) retarded acquisition of aversive conditioning, although for humans, the evidence is only fairly suggestive of neuroandrogenic influence. For six more behavior patterns, most of the evidence was consistent with a neuroandrogenic etiological hypothesis, both in humans and in other mammalian species, but fell far short of justifying definite conclusions. These were (g) diminished fearful emotional responses to threats, (h) task control-oriented tenacity, (i) transient bonding tendencies, (j) peripheralization, (k) sensation seeking and (l) predatory behaviour.
Histochemical studies of the formazan reaction: III. The reversible oxidation‐reduction of mucosubstance formazans

SYNOPSIS In sections of fixed tissue, periodate-oxidized mucosubstances that have been treated firstly with Phenylhydrazine and secondly at a pH near 9 with a diazonium salt, such as diazotized aniline or tetrazotized 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine, are converted into highly-coloured derivatives which could be formazans, azo-compounds, tetrazenes, or a mixture of these. That such derivatives are in fact mostly, if not exclusively, formazans has been confirmed by treating these derivatives in situ firstly with N-bromosuccinimide, to oxidize acid-labile formazans into acid-stable, colourless tetrazolium salts; secondly, with a hot ethanolic solution of hydrochloric acid, to destroy azo-derivatives and tetrazenes and leave tetrazolium salts untouched; and thirdly, with an aqueous solution of ammonium sulphide, to reduce the mucosubstance tetrazolium salts back to the original coloured formazans.
GAP-43 and 5B4-CAM immunoreactivity during the development of transplanted fetal mesencephalic neurons

Developing neurons contain high levels of several proteins which are absent or relatively scarce in mature neurons. GAP-43 is a cytoplasmic protein primarily found within neurons; high levels of this protein are correlated with axonal elongation or regeneration. 5B4-CAM, a glycosylated transmembrane protein, is a member of the NCAM family present in growth cones and in plastic CNS structures. Antibodies directed against these two developmentally regulated proteins were used to characterize the time-course of maturation of transplanted fetal mesencephalic neurons. For our experiments unilateral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine were made into the nigrostriatal bundle in Sprague-Dawley rats. The effectiveness of the lesion was verified by apomorphine-induced rotation and by postmortem examination of the substantia nigra. Following behavioral testing, pieces of ventral mesencephalon obtained from E15 fetuses were transplanted into the caudoputamen ipsilateral to the lesion. Immunocytochemistry revealed high levels of GAP-43 and 5B4-CAM at 5, 11, and 15 days post-transplant but relatively lower levels by 3 weeks. At 13 weeks the immunoreactivity present within the transplant tissue was approximately equal to that found within the host striatal neuropil. This time-course of higher GAP-43 and 5B4-CAM immunoreactivities coincides with the time-course of neuritic outgrowth of dopamine containing cell populations within the ventral mesencephalon in situ as well as within ventral mesencephalic transplants. This implies that axon elongation occurs over a period similar to that which occurs during normal development. These data suggest that the effects of transplantation surgery and the altered environment of the host striatum do not significantly affect the time-course of development of ventral mesencephalic neurons.
Pituitary-adrenal effects on avoidance-of-attack in mice: Separation of the effects of ACTH and corticosterone☆

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to separate the effects of ACTH and corticosterone on avoidance-of-attack. In Experiment 1, treatment with corticosterone restored the avoidance performance of hypophysectomized mice to normal levels. In Experiment 2, ACTH treatment increased the avoidance retention of intact mice but did not affect the avoidance responding of mice which were adrenalectomized and treated with a replacement dosage of corticosterone (controlled-corticosterone condition). These two studies suggest that corticosterone is the critical hormone of the pituitary-adrenal axis in the control of avoidance responding in agonistic situations. In addition, these studies demonstrate that (1) ACTH and corticosterone affect avoidance-of-attack differently from the way they have been shown to affect avoidance responding in shock-mediated situations, and (2) different hormones of the pituitary-adrenal axis are involved in the control of aggressiveness and avoidance-of-attack.
Clinical features of experimentally induced rabies in cattle and sheep.

Summary A total of 20 cattle and five sheep out of a larger group of animals that were experimentally challenged with virus as part of the required protocol for a vaccine trial developed clinical signs of rabies. All five sheep and 18 of the cattle tested positive for rabies in a direct fluorescent antibody (FA) test. The remaining two cattle had suspicious FA results. Prospective observations are reported in this study. In the diseased cattle, the average incubation period was 15.1 days and the average morbidity period was 3.7 days. Of those, the naive cattle had significantly shorter incubation and morbidity periods than the test-vaccinated cattle. Major clinical signs included excessive salivation (100 %), behavioural change (100 %), muzzle tremors (80 %), vocalization (bellowing; 70 %), aggression, hyperaesthesia and/or hyperexcitability (70 %), and pharyngeal paresis/paralysis (60 %). The furious form of rabies was seen in 70 % of the cattle. In the diseased sheep, the average incubation period was 10.0 days and the average morbidity period was 3.25 days. Major clinical signs included muzzle and/or head tremors (80 %), aggressiveness, hyperexcitability, and/or hyperaesthesia (80 %), trismus (60 %), salivation (60 %), vocalization (60 %) and recumbency (40 %). The furious form of rabies manifested in 80 % of the sheep. Current rabies vaccines on the market contain higher effective doses than that utilized for the test vaccine and the results of this study do not reflect in any way on commercially available ruminant rabies vaccines.
Old age care concerns and state–society relations in China: public anxiety and state paternalism

Using data from a multiyear national survey, this study examines people's level of concern about care in old age and its temporal change. Our results indicate a rapidly increasing level of anxiety about old age care for people of various age groups, socio-economic status and regions. Our analysis also reveals that a higher proportion of urban residents are concerned about old age care than rural residents in recent years. The concerns have grown amid rapid economic growth and serious government efforts to broaden social insurance coverage. Our data suggest a growing demand for more government involvement in providing for retirement and old age care and such a demand for state paternalism will likely help reshape state–society relations in the future.
Molecular analysis of the klarsicht gene and its role in nuclear migration within differentiating cells of the Drosophila eye

Abstract Background: The temporally regulated, cell-type-specific transport of organelles has great biological significance, yet little is known about the regulation of organelle transport during development. The Drosophila gene klarsicht is required for temporally regulated lipid droplet transport in developing embryos and for the stereotypical nuclear migrations in differentiating cells of the developing eye. Klarsicht is thought to coordinate the function of several molecular motors bound to a single lipid droplet or to facilitate the attachment of dynein to the cargo, but it is not known whether Klarsicht affects motors directly or indirectly. Results: Here, we have cloned the klarsicht gene and shown that it encodes a unique large protein. Drosophila klarsicht null mutants were viable, with obvious defects only in adult eye morphology. Epitope-tagged Klarsicht expressed in the eye from a transgene was perinuclear. In flies carrying transgenes that express markers for microtubule plus and minus ends, microtubules in differentiating cells of the eye were oriented with their plus ends apical and their minus ends at the nucleus. Conclusions: Drosophila klarsicht null mutants were viable and fertile, demonstrating that klarsicht is essential only for specific motor protein functions. Perinuclear localization of Klarsicht protein indicates that Klarsicht has a direct mechanical role in nuclear migration. Taken together with the finding that the minus ends of the microtubules are associated with the photoreceptor nuclei, the observation that Klarsicht is largely perinuclear supports the idea that Klarsicht associates with dynein, consistent with a model in which Klarsicht assists dynein in ‘reeling in' the nucleus.
Non-semisimple Hopf algebras of dimension p2

Abstract Let H be a finite-dimensional Hopf algebra with antipode S of dimension pq over an algebraically closed field of characteristic 0, where p ⩽ q are odd primes. If H is not semisimple, then the order of S 4 is p , and Tr( S 2 p ) is an integer divisible by p 2 . In particular, if dim H = p 2 , we prove that H is isomorphic to a Taft algebra. This completes the classification for the Hopf algebras of dimension p 2 .
Clinical comparison of sealant and bonding systems in the restoration of fractured anterior teeth.

Sealant and bonding systems provided adequate retention in 93% of 63 restorations in fractured anterior teeth. When restorations of 63 teeth were completed, both the sealant and the bonding systems provided adequate retention for fractured anterior teeth. Marginal defects were essentially the same for both materials. Repolishing during recall appointments is recommended to improve color and margins.
On high-efficiency optical communication and key distribution

We investigate modulation and coding techniques that approach the fundamental limits of communication and key distribution over optical channels, in the regime of simultaneously high photon and bandwidth efficiencies. First, we develop a simple and robust system design for free-space optical communication that incorporates pulse-position modulation (PPM) over multiple spatial degrees of freedom in order to achieve high photon and spectral efficiency. Further, in the context of key distribution, we determine the optimal rate using a Poisson source of entangled photon pairs and photon detectors, and show how to approach it using PPM parsing of the detected photon stream.
Constraints on the formation of layered tektites from the excavation and analysis of layered tektites from northeast Thailand

— The size, shape, composition, and vesicle content of 6 kg of layered tektite fragments, excavated near the town of Huai Sai, Thailand, place some constraints on the formation of layered tektites. The mass, shape, and distribution of the fragments are not consistent with an origin as a “puddle” of impact melt but suggest that they were derived from a single equant block. The presence of vesicles up to 7 mm in mean diameter within the tektite fragments suggests that the material was too viscous to allow for significant gravity-driven flow. These results suggest that layered tektites may be analogous to lava bombs, which may have been stretched and deformed in flight but underwent little flow after landing. Rather than being a product of “unusual circumstances,” such as multiple impacts, layered tektites may differ from splash-form tektites only in initial temperature of formation, speed of ejection, and small differences in initial composition.
The learning curve for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract Background : The use of laparoscopic surgical procedures without previous training has grown rapidly. At the same time, there have been allegations of increased complications among less experienced surgeons. Methods : Using multivariate regression analyses, we evaluated the relationship between bile duct injury rate and experience with laparoscopic cholecystectomy for surgeons in the Southern Surgeons Club. Results : Fifty-five surgeons performed 8,839 procedures. Fifteen bile duct injuries (by 13 surgeons) resulted with 90% of the injuries occurring within the first 30 cases performed by an individual surgeon. Multivariate analyses indicated that the only significant factor associated with an adverse outcome was the surgeon's experience with the procedure. A regression model predicted that a surgeon had a 1.7% chance of a bile duct injury occurring in the first case and a 0.17% chance of a bile duct injury at the 50th case. Conclusions : While surgeons appear to learn this procedure rapidly, institutions might consider requiring surgeons to move beyond the initial learning curve before awarding privileges.
Expression of Frizzled genes in the developing chick eye

Frizzleds are transmembrane receptors that can transduce signals dependent upon binding of Wnts, a large family of secreted glycoproteins homologous to the Drosophila wingless (wg) gene product and critical for a wide variety of normal and pathological developmental processes. In the nervous system, Wnts and Frizzleds play an important role in anterior-posterior patterning, cell fate decisions, proliferation, and synaptogenesis. However, little is known about the role of Frizzled signaling in the developing eye. We isolated cDNAs for ten chick Frizzleds and analyzed the spatial and temporal expression patterns during eye development in the chick embryo. Frizzled-1 to -9 are specifically expressed in the eye at various stages of development and show a complex and partially overlapping pattern of expression.
A difficulty in the testing of strategic experts

Abstract We consider a contracting problem between a principal who wants to be informed about relevant stochastic processes and an expert who claims to know which process will generate the data. The data generating process is known to belong to a given class. We show that if the expert discounts the future and the set of allowed processes is convex then there is no screening contract that separates informed and uninformed experts. Our main proviso of convexity is immediately satisfied by any class of processes that can be characterized in a De Finetti-style result. This proviso is also satisfied when the expert is required to produce a prior over the relevant parameter space. Thus, the main difficulty in screening informed and uninformed experts has not yet been fully resolved.