cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rod-Mediated Increment Threshold Functions in Infants

PURPOSE To obtain and analyze scotopic increment threshold functions to test the hypothesis that rod photoreceptor immaturity accounts for the elevation of infants' over controls' dark-adapted thresholds and elevation of parafoveal over peripheral thresholds in infants. METHODS Using a preferential looking method, thresholds for detection of 2(o), 50 msec, blue stimuli presented 10(o) (parafoveal) or 30(o) (peripheral) eccentric were measured in the dark and in the presence of steady red backgrounds. Ten 10-week-old infants and four control subjects (8-35 years) were tested. To evaluate pre- and postadaptation site determinants of threshold, a model of the increment threshold function was fit to the data, and the dark-adapted threshold (T(D)) and eigengrau (A(O)) were calculated. The values of T(D) and A(O) were compared between infants and controls and between parafoveal and peripheral eccentricities. RESULTS At both parafoveal and peripheral eccentricities, infants' values of T(D) and A(O) were significantly higher than those of controls. The locus of the coordinates (A(O), T(D)) differed significantly between parafoveal and peripheral eccentricities. In every infant, the parafoveal value of T(D) was higher (by 0.3-0.6 log unit) and A(O) lower (by 0.2-0.5 log unit) than the peripheral value, whereas controls had no difference in T(D) and A(O) at the two eccentricities. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that both receptoral and postreceptoral immaturities have a role in the elevation of infants' over controls' thresholds. In infants, rod photoreceptor immaturity before the site of adaptation accounts for elevation of parafoveal over peripheral thresholds.
Intraoperative Ultrasound in Neurotraumatology: Brain, Spinal Cord and Cauda equina

Recently, real-time ultrasound imaging has been developed for use in the neurosurgical operating room to allow the neurosurgeon to “explore” the brain or spinal cord/cauda equina without opening the dura1 10 The major applications for ultrasound imaging intraoperatively have been in patients with tumors, cysts or abscesses; ultrasound has been used for localization, characterization and instrumentation of these lesions3–5, 7, 9. In neurotrauma, ultrasound can also be of help to the neurosurgeon in localizing intracerebral hematomas as well as indriven bone fragments or foreign bodies (including radiolucent glass and plastic). The purpose of this chapter is to describe the technique of intraoperative ultrasound scanning in the operating room and to illustrate its utility in patients with traumatic lesions involving brain or spinal cord/cauda equina.
Individuality and Generalization in the Psychology of Personality: A Theoretical Rationale for Personality Assessment and Research

One of the hardiest perennial weeds in psychology’s conceptual garden is the notion that there are nomothetic (generalizing) and idiographic (individualizing) branches, types, or emphases of science. Many respected and important contributors to psychology—especially to personology, the psychology of personality—have quoted these terms with respect and have used them as if they contributed something useful to methodology (e.g., Allport, 1937a; Beck, 1953; Bellak, 1956; Bertalanffy, 1951; Colby, 1958; Dymond, 1953; Falk, 1956; Hoffman, 1960; Sarbin, 1944; Stephenson, 1953; the list could be considerably extended). It is the purpose of this essay to examine the historical origins of this cumbersome pair of concepts, their logical implications, the reasons psychologists espouse them, and alternative solutions to the underlying problems. In so doing, I hope—no doubt fondly, but none the less ardently—to lay this Teutonic ghost which haunts and confounds much of modern psychology.
Coping with Plant Volatiles in Spicy Food (“Burping Exercise”)

Humans, like many other land vertebrates, take up a large variety of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) and other xenobiotics in their diet. Xenobiotics constitute a wide category of compounds, including synthetic ones, in the environment that are potentially harmful when ingested, especially in large amounts. Mammals and birds have evolved many mechanisms to render harmless these PSMs and other toxins (Iason 2005). These detoxication mechanisms include elimination of the compounds themselves, metabolizing them into less toxic and/or better excretable compounds, or developing tolerance, as for instance, garter snakes have in response to the very potent tetrodotoxin of newts (Brodie et al. 2002). These countermeasures start in the mouth where plant volatiles escape during mastication. Normal body temperature suffices to volatilize monoterpenoids (Welch et al. 1989). Therefore, in mammals, such plant constituents in the diet can be reduced by mastication and eructation, among other processes such as absorption and excretion (Welch et al. 1989).
Finding Fulfillment Outside of Medicine

No matter where you are in your medical career, it is never too late to pick up a hobby. There is a wide array of hobbies one can pursue: a hobby will challenge you, help you relax and yet create a sense of accomplishment. More information is available on the internet, through local and national organizations, specialty publications, friends and colleagues.
Joint Classification and Regression via Deep Multi-Task Multi-Channel Learning for Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis

In the field of computer-aided Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis, jointly identifying brain diseases and predicting clinical scores using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have attracted increasing attention since these two tasks are highly correlated. Most of existing joint learning approaches require hand-crafted feature representations for MR images. Since hand-crafted features of MRI and classification/regression models may not coordinate well with each other, conventional methods may lead to sub-optimal learning performance. Also, demographic information ( e.g. , age, gender, and education) of subjects may also be related to brain status, and thus can help improve the diagnostic performance. However, conventional joint learning methods seldom incorporate such demographic information into the learning models. To this end, we propose a deep multi-task multi-channel learning (DM $^2$ L) framework for simultaneous brain disease classification and clinical score regression, using MRI data and demographic information of subjects. Specifically, we first identify the discriminative anatomical landmarks from MR images in a data-driven manner, and then extract multiple image patches around these detected landmarks. We then propose a deep multi-task multi-channel convolutional neural network for joint classification and regression. Our DM $^2$ L framework can not only automatically learn discriminative features for MR images, but also explicitly incorporate the demographic information of subjects into the learning process. We evaluate the proposed method on four large multi-center cohorts with 1984 subjects, and the experimental results demonstrate that DM $^2$ L is superior to several state-of-the-art joint learning methods in both the tasks of disease classification and clinical score regression.
Influencing Vaccinations: A Buzzy Approach to Ease the Discomfort of a Needle Stick—a Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Background The rate of annual influenza immunization in both the general public and health care workers is less than desirable. Mechanisms to improve compliance with recommendations are needed; prevention of immunization site pain has been suggested as a viable route because fear of pain and needles has been cited as a barrier. Aims This study aimed to evaluate the impact of thermomechanical stimulation (Buzzy) on postprocedure pain ratings during vaccination in adults. Design This was a randomized controlled trial of Buzzy during immunization. Settings Three hospitals and two community health centers which are part of a large, integrated health system. Participants/Subjects Employees presenting to employer-sponsored annual influenza vaccination clinics. Methods A 10-cm visual analog scale was used to rate preinjection anxiety and expectation of pain as well as postprocedure pain scores; participants also rated their satisfaction with the vaccine injection on a 10-point Likert scale. Results In total, 497 employee volunteers were recruited to participate. Preprocedure anxiety was similar between the experimental and control groups (1.53 vs. 1.48, p = .82), whereas self-reported postprocedure pain scores were significantly lower in the group that received the Buzzy during injection (0.87 vs. 1.12, p = .035). Mean satisfaction scores did not vary between the intervention and control groups (9.11 vs. 9.09, p = .87); however, more participants rated their experience as better than previous vaccination experiences in the Buzzy group than control (62.0% vs. 23.9%, p Conclusions These results suggest that Buzzy reduced pain experienced by adults undergoing annual influenza vaccination and may improve overall experience. Buzzy can be used in adult patients to reduce pain during immunization and is especially effective in those with high levels of anxiety.
The efficacy of the modified Story Memory Technique in progressive MS.

Background:Impairments in new learning and memory are common in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), negatively impacting everyday life, including occupational and social functioning.Objective...
AN UNUSUAL CASE OF LEFT VENTRICULAR ANEURYSM DUE TO MYOCARDIAL BRIDGING

Left ventricular aneurysms (LVA) are frequently seen in the cases of myocardial infarction and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). Rarely, they can be idiopathic and seen in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM). We present an unusual case of LVA due to myocardial bridging. 70-year-old female
Military Service: A Pathway to Conformity or a School for Deviance?:

Military service has been shown to affect individuals’ criminal and deviant tendencies. Studies on military service and deviance, however, has generally focused on combat veterans, utilized cross-s...
Frequency Staggered Accelerometer Array for Improved Ringdown Behavior

A method of improving the measurement bandwidth in high-g accelerometer introduces small increments in the resonance frequencies of individual accelerometer cells in a parallel array. The tradeoff between the ensemble impulse response and the sensitivity is captured by defining the figure of merit (FOM) as the ratio of the squared peak effective displacement of the proof mass to the energy under the ring-down curve. An arrayed accelerometer design is shown to have an inherently higher FOM compared to a single-mass design. Resonant frequency staggering in an array of 336 cells improves the estimated FOM by an order of magnitude with only 2.4 times reduction in expected sensitivity.
Aqueous geochemistry of rare earth elements and yttrium. XII: Potentiometric stability constant determination of bis-tris complexes with La, Nd, Eu, Gd, Yb, Dy, Er, Lu, and Y

Conditional stability constants of 2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)amino]-2(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (BT) complexes of trivalent rare earth element (Ln) ions (La, Nd, Eu, Gd, Yb, Dy, Er, Lu) and Y were determined potentiometrically in aqueous NaCl solutions at 30°C and 0.1 M ionic strength. Least-squares fitting shows that, at <0.04 molal BT, the complex LnBT3+ is dominant, with LnBT23+ forming a secondary complex, where: $$\begin{gathered} { Ln}^{{3 + }} + {BT} \leftrightarrow {LnBT}^{{3 + }} { }\beta _{11} \hfill \\ {Ln}^{{3 + }} + 2{BT} \leftrightarrow {Ln(BT)}_{2}^{{3 + }} { }\beta _{21} \hfill \\ \end{gathered}$$ Conditional stability constants appear to be directly related to the ionic radius of the trivalent ion in question. The optimal ionic radius, 104–105 pm, yields values of log \(\beta _{{21}}^{*} = 10.93 \pm 0.63\) (Gd) and \(\beta _{{11}}^{*} = 6.83 \pm 0.14\) (Yb). Complexation drops off steeply on either side of the ideal ionic radius. In relating the stability constants to ionic radius, it is assumed that BT complexes with Gd, Dy, Er, and Lu have coordination number eight, whereas those with La, Nd, and Eu have coordination number nine. The smoothest trend of stability constants with ionic radius is obtained if Yb–BT complexes are assumed to have coordination number nine. These results may reflect the ability of BT to form an ionic radius-specific chelate structure.
Robot Motion Risk Reasoning Framework.

This paper presents a formal and comprehensive reasoning framework for robot motion risk, with a focus on locomotion in challenging unstructured or confined environments. Risk which locomoting robots face in physical spaces was not formally defined in the robotics literature. Safety or risk concerns were addressed in an ad hoc fashion, depending only on the specific application of interest. Without a formal definition, certain properties of risk were simply assumed but ill-supported, such as additivity or being Markovian. The only contributing adverse effect being considered is related with obstacles. This work proposes a formal definition of robot motion risk using propositional logic and probability theory. It presents a universe of risk elements within three major risk categories and unifies them into one single metric. True properties of risk are revealed with formal reasoning, such as non-additivity or history-dependency. Risk representation which encompasses risk effects from both temporal and spatial domain is presented. The resulted risk framework provides a formal approach to reason about robot motion risk. Safety of robot locomotion could be explicitly reasoned, quantified, and compared. It could be used for risk-aware planning and reasoning by both human and robotic agents.
Whole-genome sequencing of a new sequence type (ST5352) strain of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from a hospital in Pakistan.

Abstract Objectives Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important drug-resistant pathogen causing a number of diseases, resulting in increased mortality. Therefore, whole-genome sequencing of an MRSA strain isolated from a patient admitted to a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, was performed to better characterise the strain and to understand the genetic components of antimicrobial resistance and virulence. Methods MRSA isolate Lr12 was sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform. The genome was assembled with SPAdes and was annotated using PGAP v.4.3. The strain was characterised using spaTyper 1.0, SCCmecFinder v.1.2 and MLST 2.0 server. Plasmids, antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence factors were identified using PlasmidFinder v.2.0, CARD and VFDB, respectively. Results MRSA strain Lr12 has an estimated genome size of 2 769 144 bp with a GC content of 32.7% and harbours 1 plasmid, 2 prophages, 11 antimicrobial resistance determinants and several virulence factors. The allelic profile of seven housekeeping genes was unique and the sequence type (ST) was classified as unknown, hence a novel sequence type (ST5352) was assigned. Conclusion MRSA strain Lr12 has a novel sequence type (ST5352) and could be used as a reference strain for comparative genomic analysis of other MRSA strains belong to ST5352.
Neuroplasticity in the Hippocampal Formation

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the evidences indicating that the neural circuitries of the rat hippocampal formation possess remarkable capacities for both functional and structural changes. It discusses anatomical and physiological features of the hippocampus with an emphasis on the unique advantages possessed by this structure for the studies of plasticity. Circuits in the hippocampus can be made to increase their functional strength rapidly and for indefinite period. Further, evidence indicates that these fiber systems can grow new synapses and terminals and that it is likely that these are functional. The chapter also analyzes the behavior of the circuits of the hippocampus as the rat acquires and uses specific memories. A recent study has provided an analysis of the operation of the perforant path-granule cell circuit during learning. In these experiments, recording microelectrodes were lowered into the termination zone of the entorhinal projections to the dentate. When microelectrodes were lowered into the granule cell layer, it was found that the neurons did not reliably respond to the signal. If, however, a second tone—that was negative in which the animal was not rewarded for a response—was added to the paradigm, then both cues evoked field responses in the entorhinal zone, and consistently drove the granule cells. Eventually, as the rat learned to respond only to the correct signal, the cell discharge patterns to the two cues changed dramatically; a long burst of cell firing was elicited by the positive cue, but only a short burst followed the incorrect tone.
On Storage Control Strategies

This chapter discusses the storage control strategies. De-allocation is close-coupled with program-block or procedure-block exit in the current B6700 implementation. This implies a discipline for recovery of all no-longer-needed storage resources and explicit adjustment to prevent “dangling pointers.” A dangling pointer is any reference to an information object—that is, an array, an I/O buffer area, and an activation record—that has been deleted from the address space of the computation. This type of resource management is done at block exit time and is the responsibility of system routines, calls to which are generated by the compilers at block exit and procedure return points in the algorithm. If an activation record that is being de-allocated contains one or more interrupt queue entries, then one or more of such interrupt queue chains would be severed leaving dangling pointers, possibly in the stack—when de-allocating a software interrupt queue entry, or in other stacks—when de-allocating an event interrupt queue entry.
A CRT-Informed Model to Enhance Experiences and Outcomes of Racially Minoritized Students

Racial inequities in retention and graduation rates are a top concern in higher education, yet scholars and practitioners rarely look to racism to explain these disparities. Critical Race Theory (C...
Wheels For All: Addressing Social Determinants of Health One Bicycle at a Time.

BACKGROUND Wheels For All provides bicycles to individuals in La Crosse, Wisconsin to address the transportation barrier that often inhibits low-income individuals' ability to access community resources. METHODS Recipients are referred by social service, health care, or other community agencies based on their need for transportation or exercise. Donated bicycles are matched to a recipient, repaired, and delivered personally by volunteers. RESULTS Through collaboration with social service agencies, health care systems, and the community at-large, Wheels For All received referrals from 21 different sources and provided 101 recipients with bicycles from April 2015 to July 2017. CONCLUSION Using a cost-effective, community-engagement model, Wheels For All provides a means of transportation for recipients, resulting in an enhanced ability to access community resources.
Enhanced Internal Reflectance of Emission in Solar Cells with Angle- and Energy-selective Reflectors

The open-circuit voltage of solar cells benefits from highly internally reflective surfaces on the front and rear of the cells that restrict radiative recombination current losses and lead to maximum device efficiency. While the back reflector reflects emitted photons broadly, an energy-selective front reflector is tailored to reflect photons with energies below the designed energy and can be energetically situated just above the solar cell absorber bandgap. Devices with an energy of restriction $E_{R} > E_{g}$ show a maximum V OC analogous to blue-shifting the absorption and emission spectra to that of a solar cell with a bandgap $E_{g}=E_{R}$ . Devices that incorporate both angle- and energy-selectivity benefit from reduced radiative recombination current losses due to etendue expansion loss reduction and reduced blackbody emission absorption, respectively. Resulting V OC gains of several hundred meV are expected for low-bandgap solar cells, corresponding with up to 15% absolute efficiency increase for $\mathrm{E}_{g} and $E_{R}$ between 1.1 and 1.2 eV.
Impact of industrial atmospheric emissions on ambient air quality in Arzew area, Algeria

This work focuses on identifying the source of BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene) emissions generated by hydrocarbon-related industrial activities and evaluation of its impact on ambient air quality according to European Union (EU) regulations during 2019. The spatial distribution of BTEX concentrations suggest that massive emissions are mainly due to the oil refining activity. BTEX concentration levels at the sampling sites show that benzene was more dominant. Considering the level of atmospheric pollution relative to the indicative value (2 µg/m 3 ) recommended by the EU, the ambient air is considered to be quite polluted with benzene content (5.36 µg/m 3 ) produced mainly by emissions from the oil refining industrial complex.
An Adaptable Computed Tomography-Derived Three-Dimensional-Printed Alignment Fixture Minimizes Errors in Radius Biomechanical Testing.

Biomechanical testing of long bones can be susceptible to errors and uncertainty due to malalignment of specimens with respect to the mechanical axis of the test frame. To solve this problem, we designed a novel, customizable alignment and potting fixture for long bone testing. The fixture consists of three-dimensional-printed components modeled from specimen-specific computed tomography (CT) scans to achieve a predetermined specimen alignment. We demonstrated the functionality of this fixture by comparing benchtop torsional test results to specimen-matched finite element models and found a strong correlation (R2 = 0.95, p < 0.001). Additional computational models were used to estimate the impact of malalignment on mechanical behavior in both torsion and axial compression. Results confirmed that torsion testing is relatively robust to alignment artifacts, with absolute percent errors less than 8% in all malalignment scenarios. In contrast, axial testing was highly sensitive to setup errors, experiencing absolute percent errors up to 50% with off-center malalignment and up to 170% with angular malalignment. This suggests that whenever appropriate, torsion tests should be used preferentially as a summary mechanical measure. When more challenging modes of loading are required, pretest clinical-resolution CT scanning can be effectively used to create potting fixtures that allow for precise preplanned specimen alignment. This may be particularly important for more sensitive biomechanical tests (e.g., axial compressive tests) that may be needed for industrial applications, such as orthopedic implant design.
Phase I/Ib Study of the Efficacy and Safety of Buparlisib and Ibrutinib Therapy in MCL, FL, and DLBCL with Serial Cell-Free DNA Monitoring.

Purpose: Activation of Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) represent parallel, synergistic pathways in lymphoma pathogenesis. As predominant PI3Kδ inhibition is a possible mechanism of tumor escape, we proposed a clinical trial of dual BTK and pan-PI3K inhibition. Patients and Methods: We conducted a single-center phase I/Ib trial combining a BTK inhibitor (ibrutinib) and a pan-PI3K inhibitor (buparlisib) in 37 patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell lymphoma. Buparlisib and ibrutinib were administered orally, once daily in 28-day cycles until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The clinical trial is registered with clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02756247. Results: Patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) receiving the combination had a 94% overall response rate (ORR) and 33-month median progression-free survival; ORR of 31% and 20% were observed in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, respectively. The maximum tolerated dose was ibrutinib 560 mg plus buparlisib 100 mg and the recommended phase II dose was ibrutinib 560 mg plus buparlisib 80 mg. The most common grade 3 adverse events were rash/pruritis/dermatitis (19%), diarrhea (11%), hyperglycemia (11%), and hypertension (11%). All grade mood disturbances ranging from anxiety, depression, to agitation were observed in 22% of patients. Results from serial monitoring of cell-free DNA samples corresponded to radiographic resolution of disease and tracked the emergence of mutations known to promote BTK inhibitor resistance. Conclusions: BTK and pan-PI3K inhibition in mantle cell lymphoma demonstrates a promising efficacy signal. Addition of BCL2 inhibitors to a BTK and pan-PI3K combination remain suitable for further development in mantle cell lymphoma.
Legislative-Executive Conflict and Private Statutory Litigation in the United States: Evidence from Labor, Civil Rights, and Environmental Law

Examining qualitative historical evidence from cases of federal regulation in the areas of labor, civil rights, and environmental policy, this article provides support for the hypothesis that divergence between legislative and executive preferences—a core and distinctive feature of the American constitutional order—creates an incentive for Congress to rely upon private lawsuits, as an alternative to administrative power, to achieve its regulatory goals. It also shows that this mechanism encouraging statutory mobilization of private litigants had been operative long before its powerful growth started in the late 1960s, that it operated in similar fashion with Republican legislators facing Democratic presidents and Democratic legislators facing Republican presidents, and that it remained a source of controversy and an active influence on congressional decision making throughout the half century covering the 1940s through the 1980s.
Antithymocyte globulin exposure in CD34+ T-cell depleted allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Traditional weight-based dosing results in variable rabbit anti-thymocyte-globulin (rATG) clearance that can delay CD4+ T-cell immune reconstitution (CD4+IR) leading to higher mortality. In a retrospective, pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic analysis of patients undergoing their first CD34+ T-cell depleted (TCD) Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) after myeloablative conditioning with rATG, we estimated post-HCT rATG exposure as area-under-the-curve (AUC;AU*d/L) using a validated population-PK model. We related rATG exposure to non-relapse mortality (NRM), CD4+IR (CD4+ ≥50/µL at 2 consecutive measures within 100 days after HCT), overall survival, relapse, and acute-graft versus host disease (GVHD) to deﬁne an optimal rATG-exposure. Cox-proportional hazard models, and multi-state competing risk models were used. 554 patients were included (age 0.1-73 years). Median post-HCT rATG exposure was 47AU*d/L (range 0-101). Low post-HCT AUC ( 55AU*d/L and 30-55AU*d/L groups, respectively, compared to <30AU*d/L group. Post-HCT rATG exposure ≥55AU*d/L was associated with higher risk of acute GVHD (HR 2.28,95%CI 1.01-5.16). High post-HCT rATG-exposure is associated with higher NRM secondary to poor CD4+IR after TCD-HCT. Using personalized PK-directed rATG dosing to achieve optimal exposure may improve survival after HCT.
Standardization of the End-Notched Flexure Test for Mode II Interlaminar Fracture Toughness Determination of Unidirectional Laminated Composites

Research is described that supports the approach used in the new ASTM International standard for the determination of the mode II interlaminar fracture toughness of unidirectional polymer matrix composites. Reasons for choosing the end-notched flexure (ENF) test over other candidate methods are first presented. This is followed by results from a combined numerical and experimental study that led to a compliance calibration method being chosen for data reduction, as well as two subsequent studies to determine the delamination lengths used for the calibration tests. The development of a method of creating static mode II precracks is described, and validation studies are presented. Other considerations that went into finalizing the test standard, including the determination of span length, range of allowable thicknesses, method of locating the delamination tip after precracking, and load levels to be used during compliance calibration, are then discussed. Results from an interlaboratory study are presented, which illustrates that the variation in test results that are observed in the ENF test using the standardized test method are quite small by historical standards. This indicates that the new standard is appropriate for general use and provides a welcome complement to the existing ASTM International standards for determination of the mode I and mixed-mode I-II interlaminar fracture toughness.
Using cointegration methods to estimate the interconnectedness of intangible strategic assets

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to advocate and implement cointegration methods for the estimation of interconnectedness of service quality and customer loyalty as intangible strategic assets within management decision.Design/methodology/approach – Using longitudinal time series quarterly data on loyalty and service quality, the paper uses cointegration methods to empirically estimate the weight of interconnectedness of customer loyalty and service quality as intangible strategic assets.Findings – The research evidence suggests that customer loyalty and service quality are interconnected intangible strategic assets that managers can develop, accumulate, estimate and deploy for superior competitive advantage.Originality/value – To the extent that the global economies are increasingly service‐driven, managerial capability to estimate intangible strategic assets as drivers of superior competitive advantage will remain strategically important. Assumedly, this paper is the first to illustrate how cointegrat...
Structure of human peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase FKBP22 containing two EF-hand motifs.

The FK506-binding protein (FKBP) family consists of proteins with a variety of protein–protein interaction domains and versatile cellular functions. It is assumed that all members are peptidyl-prolyl cis–trans isomerases with the enzymatic function attributed to the FKBP domain. Six members of this family localize to the mammalian endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Four of them, FKBP22 (encoded by the FKBP14 gene), FKBP23 (FKBP7), FKBP60 (FKBP9), and FKBP65 (FKBP10), are unique among all FKBPs as they contain the EF-hand motifs. Little is known about the biological roles of these proteins, but emerging genetics studies are attracting great interest to the ER resident FKBPs, as mutations in genes encoding FKBP10 and FKBP14 were shown to cause a variety of matrix disorders. Although the structural organization of the FKBP-type domain as well as of the EF-hand motif has been known for a while, it is difficult to conclude how these structures are combined and how it affects the protein functionality. We have determined a unique 1.9 A resolution crystal structure for human FKBP22, which can serve as a prototype for other EF hand-containing FKBPs. The EF-hand motifs of two FKBP22 molecules form a dimeric complex with an elongated and predominantly hydrophobic cavity that can potentially be occupied by an aliphatic ligand. The FKBP-type domains are separated by a cleft and their putative active sites can catalyze isomerazation of two bonds within a polypeptide chain in extended conformation. These structural results are of prime interest for understanding biological functions of ER resident FKBPs containing EF-hand motifs.
Educational needs as perceived by IS and end-user personnel: a survey of knowledge and skill requirements

One of the fundamental issues inherent to both practice and academia emanates from the need to know what knowledge and skills personnel must possess to successfully perform their jobs. This article addresses this issue by performing an educational needs assessment, one that considers the deficiencies of both IS and end-user personnel. To this end, an instrument has been developed, tested, and completed by 275 employees within eight different organizations. The findings of this study suggest that among six different knowledge and skill areas, both IS and end-user personnel are most deficient in the area of "general IS knowledge" (e.g., IS policies and plans, fit between IS and organization, etc.). In addition, IS personnel appear to be in need of more "organizational knowledge" (e.g., organizational goals and objectives, critical success factors, etc.). End users, on the other hand, seem to require more IS-related skills (e.g., data access, use of software packages, etc.). The implications of these findings for practitioners and academicians focus on finding ways to improve the education and training programs currently in place.
High-Mobility Group Box 1: A Novel Target for Treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis

High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a prototypic alarmin, mediates the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Treatment with vasoactive intestinal peptide, an anti-inflammatory neuropeptide, downregulates proinflammatory cytokines and promotes healing in a susceptible (cornea perforates) model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis, and also significantly downregulates HMGB1 expression. Therefore, we examined targeting HMGB1 for the treatment of P. aeruginosa keratitis to avoid delivery and other issues associated with vasoactive intestinal peptide. For this, HMGB1 was silenced using small interfering RNA, whereas controls were treated with a nonspecific scrambled sequence small interfering RNA. Less disease was seen postinfection in siHMGB1 compared with control mice and was documented by clinical score and photographs with a slit lamp. Real-time RT-PCR and ELISA confirmed HMGB1 knockdown. RT-PCR analysis also revealed reduced mRNA levels of IL-1β, MIP-2, TNF-α, TLR4, and receptor for advanced glycation end products, whereas mRNA levels of anti-inflammatory TLRs single Ig IL-1-related receptor and ST2 were increased significantly. HMGB1 knockdown also decreased IL-1β and MIP-2 proteins, reducing polymorphonuclear cell number in the infected cornea. mRNA and protein levels of CXCL12 and CXCR4, as well as mononuclear cells, were reduced significantly after HMGB1 knockdown. Ab neutralization of HMGB1, infection with a clinical isolate, and recombinant HMGB1 treatment of resistant mice supported the silencing studies. These data provide evidence that silencing HMGB1 promotes better resolution of P. aeruginosa keratitis by decreasing levels of proinflammatory mediators (decreasing polymorphonuclear cell infiltration), increasing anti-inflammatory TLRs, reducing CXCL12 (preventing HMGB1/CXCL12 heterodimer formation), and signaling through CXCR4, reducing monocyte/macrophage infiltration.
Dewey on Religion in Public Schools

FEINBERG’S INTERPRETATION OF DEWEY ON RELIGION AND EDUCATION Feinberg uses two main sources for his interpretation of Dewey’s views on religion and education. First, he cites a Dewey essay from the Hibbert Journal in 1908 entitled “Religion and Our Schools.” Citing one passage from this article, Feinberg concludes that there is evidence that Dewey was “categorical in his rejection of religion education in the public schools.” This source is interesting and problematic in two ways. First, Feinberg correctly recognizes that Dewey’s writings were a response to a particular historical moment and have to be understood in context. There is a well-known body of scholarship on Dewey’s changing perspectives on religion. For example, we know that in 1884 he wrote of the “obligation to know God.” In 1887 he wrote that the “cause of theology and morals is one and that whatever banishes God from the heart of things...excludes the ideal, the ethical, from the life of man.” We also know that by 1903 he had developed an account of religious education in which the particular subject matter is irrelevant. He writes, “it is possible to approach the subject of religious instruction in the reverent spirit of science, making the same sort of study of this problem that is made in any other educational problem.” In later years, Dewey was particularly worried about the role of the Catholic Church as a conservative force in the Polish community. This wrestling with religion never left him. In the autobiographical essay “From Absolutism to Experimentalism”, Dewey writes dramatically and poignantly about the tension experienced his whole life between pious belief and critical reason. He uses powerful religious terms to describe this tension existentially as an “inward laceration” that left a “stigmata.”
Application of the phase extension method in virus crystallography.

The procedure for phase extension (PX) involves gradually extending the initial phases from low resolution (e.g. ∼8 A) to the high-resolution limit of a diffraction data set. Structural redundancy present in the viral capsids that display icosahedral symmetry results in a high degree of non-crystallographic symmetry (NCS), which in turn translates into higher phasing power and is critical for improving and extending phases to higher resolution. Greater completeness of the diffraction data and determination of a molecular replacement solution, which entails accurately identifying the virus particle orientation(s) and position(s), are important for the smooth progression of the PX procedure. In addition, proper definition of a molecular mask (envelope) around the NCS-asymmetric unit has been found to be important for the success of density modification procedures, such as density averaging and solvent flattening. Regardless of the degree of NCS, the PX method appears to work well in all space groups, provid...
TI-Strate-a new substrate for automotive power electronics

The thermal, dielectric, mechanical, and automotive application related properties of a substrate called TI-Strate, formed by a laminate of a metal, a polymer and a metal are studied. Aspects are examined of the interaction between the materials used in the system and the processing and environmental parameters and their effect on the properties of the substrate. Data presented show the resistance of TI-Strate to a variety of fluids, chemicals, and processing conditions found in the automotive industry. >
First Record of Pughead Deformity in Blue Catfish

AbstractPugheaded fish exhibit anomalous bone structure, often characterized by a steep, bulging forehead and incomplete closure of the mouth. While the pughead deformity has been observed in many species of fish, thescientific literature contains no documented instances of pugheadedness in Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus. Pugheadedness is rare, particularly in tidal systems, and most recorded instances have been based on single specimens. We captured several pugheaded Blue Catfish (N = 18) in the tidal Rappahannock River in eastern Virginia, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. While Blue Catfish sampling was extensive in the James, Pamunkey, and Mattaponi rivers (N = 4,357 fish at 163 sites), pugheaded specimens were encountered at only six sampling sites within the upper tidal zone of the Rappahannock River, an area known to be susceptible to summertime hypoxia. We encountered pugheaded individuals at a higher rate than reported in most published studies, ranging between 1.89% and 3.68%, much higher than...
Surgical Treatment of Patients with Mildly Elevated Parathormone and Calcium Levels

Patients with mildly elevated parathormone (PTH) and calcium levels consistent for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) may present with more underlying multiglandular disease (MGD) and higher operative failure and recurrence rates than those with conventional, or “classic” pHPT. This study compared the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of patients with biochemically mild versus conventional pHPT. A series of 707 consecutive patients underwent initial targeted parathyroidectomy with intraoperative parathormone monitoring (IPM) at a single institution. Biochemically mild (BM) pHPT was defined as PTH > 65 and 10.4 and <11 mg/dl. Conventional pHPT was defined as calcium ≥11 mg/dl and PTH ≥ 100 pg/ml. Prospectively collected data for all patients, including operative indication, preoperative laboratory values, imaging, IPM dynamics, and postoperative laboratory values were retrospectively reviewed. Additional assessments included presence of MGD, bilateral neck exploration (BNE), single-gland volume, and operative failure or success, and recurrence. Of 60 patients with BM-pHPT, 46 reported preoperative bone pain, kidney stones, fatigue, and/or mental disturbances. The remaining 14 BM-pHPT patients underwent parathyroidectomy based on published asymptomatic guidelines. Patients with BM-pHPT had significantly more kidney stones, MGD, and BNE. Average single-gland volume and postoperative PTH levels were significantly lower in BM-pHPT patients. There were no significant differences between groups regarding preoperative localization accuracy, IPM dynamics, or operative success/failure, recurrence rates. BM-pHPT patients had more MGD requiring BNE but achieved operative success rates similar to those of patients with conventional disease. IPM successfully identifies MGD in BM-pHPT patients, who should be counseled regarding more extensive operations than limited parathyroidectomy.
Characterization of polyesterurethane degradation products

Microthane foam, a poly(ester)urethane, used as a covering of some breast implants (Meme or Replicon by Surgitek) degrades readily in phosphate buffer pH 7.4 producing multiple unknown products in addition to 2,4 and 2,6 toluenediamine (TDA). The cumulative weight loss of the foam in buffer was 1.5% at 1 week and 2% at 2 weeks. Multiple peak molecular weights from 105 to 665 000 were found in the aqueous foam extracts following 2 weeks of incubation at 37°C using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). TDA was measured in the foam buffer extracts by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). The total cumulative levels of 2,4 TDA and 2,6 TDA measured were 3 ± 0.65 μg/g of foam and 1.13 ± 0.19 μg/g of foam following 36 days of incubation at 37 °C. Higher amounts, 8.96 μg/g of 2,4 TDA and 3.3 μg/g of 2,6 TDA, were obtained at 50 °C. The cumulative release of TDA in aqueous extracts was found to correlate linearly with time suggesting a slow but continuous production of TDA under neutral conditions. However, less than 0.2 μg/g of TDA was detected as residual TDA in the methylene chloride extracts following up to 60 days at 37 °C. PU foam extracted with methylene chloride under similar conditions showed higher foam weight loss, 4.4 and 5% at 1 and 2 weeks, respectively. The results presented in this study provide further evidence that Microthane undergoes hydrolysis under neutral conditions in aqueous solutions producing TDA and other unknown low molecular weight components and oligomers. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Design and development of a family of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots

Across many consumer product industries, the prevailing practice is to design families of product variants that exploit commonality to provide the ability to easily customize a base platform for particular uses and to take advantage of commonality for streamlining design, manufacturing, maintenance and logistic; examples include Black & Decker, Seagate, and Volkswagen. This paper describes the application of product family concepts to the design and development of a family of robots to satisfy requirements for explosive ordnance disposal. To facilitate this process, we have developed a market segmentation grid that plots the desired capabilities and cost versus the target use cases. The product family design trade space is presented using a multi-dimensional trade space visualization tool which helps identify dependencies between different design variables and identify Pareto frontiers along which optimal design choices will lie. The EOD robot product family designs share common components and subsystems yet are modularized and scalable to provide functionality to satisfy a range of user requirements. This approach has been shown to significantly reduce development time and costs, manufacturing costs, maintenance and spare parts inventory, and operator and maintainer training.
Correction of congenital choanal atresia in children and adults

Congenital choanal atresia occurs once in 7,000 to 8,000 births. The atresia is bony in most cases, more common in females, and more often right-sided in patients with unilateral atresia. The incidence of associated congenital anomalies is relatively high. During the 25-year period 1951 to 1976, 36 patients with choanal atresia were treated at the Mayo Clinic; 19 were females and 17 were males. The ages at the time of surgical treatment ranged from 1 day to 58 years. Twenty-four patients had unilateral obstruction, and 12 had bilateral obstruction. Six patients (17%) had other associated congenital anomalies. Intranasal perforation and transpalatal correction were most commonly employed in children who were less than 8 years old, and transseptal correction was most often carried out in older patients. The nature of the stenting material and the age of the patient have important bearing on the outcome of the operation. Congenital choanal atresia is a bony or membranous closure of the posterior choana. It may be complete or incomplete and unilateral or bilateral. We wish to report on a series of children and adults who were treated for congenital choanal atresia at the Mayo Clinic during a 25-year period and to describe a transseptal method of correction that may be performed concurrently with septal reconstruction and external nasal surgery in older children and adults.
Maturation antigens present in epididymis of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

PROBLEM: The present study was carried out to evaluate the changes in morphology and motility of spermatozoa retrieved from different regions of the epididymis of the cynomolgus monkey. The role of the epididymis in sperm maturation is assessed by assaying protein synthesis within different regions of the epididymis and by correlating these with changes in spermatozoal membrane surface components. METHOD: Spermatozoa retrieved from proximal caput (CP), midcorpus (CO), and distal cauda (CD) were assessed by morphological evaluation and computerized motion analysis. Membrane surface proteins of spermatozoa of different epididymal regions were extracted and separated on SDS-PAGE. Protein synthesis of different regions of the epididymis were assayed in vitro by [35S]-methionine incorporation. RESULTS: Spermatozoa obtained from different regions of the epididymis differed morphologically only in the location of the cytoplasmic droplet. Specifically, from caput to corpus to cauda, sperm steadily exhibited a more distal cytoplasmic droplet. When the motion parameters of velocity and amplitude of the lateral head were examined, CP spermatozoa were not progressively motile, and poor duration of movement was most noticeable for CO spermatozoa compared with CD spermatozoa. Membrane extracts from CP, CO, and CD epididymal monkey spermatozoa differed in only several protein bands. Three major polypeptide bands (19, 30, and 60 kD) that were absent from CP sperm were present in CO and CD sperm, with the latter showing increased intensity. Several polypeptides were lost from the sperm during epididymal transit: a 25-kD band was lost in CD sperm; and bands at 27 kD, 50–52 kD, and 90 kD were only present for CP sperm. Additionally, regional differences exist for proteins secreted by the cynomolgus monkey epididymis. Proteins (15, 25 kD) were only secreted in the CP region; a 38-kD protein increased in intensity from the CP to CD regions, whereas a 21-kD protein was absent from CD-secreted medium. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings permitted the identification of several “maturational antigens” for cynomolgus monkey spermatozoa. Further characterization of these antigens that are modified during epididymal transit is warranted to determine their significance in the acquisition of progressive motility and fertilizing ability by epididymal spermatozoa.