cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topical versus Systemic Antimicrobial Therapy for Treating Mildly Infected Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blinded, Multicenter Trial of Pexiganan Cream

Background. Topical antimicrobial therapy of infected diabetic foot ulcers can focus on the wound and avoid the adverse effects of systemic anti-infective agents. We compared the efficacy of outpatient treatment using an investigational topical antimicrobial peptide, pexiganan acetate cream, with the efficacy of systemic therapy using an oral fluoroquinolone antibiotic, ofloxacin, for mildly infected diabetic foot ulcers. Methods. In 2 consecutive, double-blind, controlled trials (study 303 and study 304), we randomized diabetic patients with a mildly infected diabetic foot ulcer to receive the active topical agent or active oral antibiotic, plus a respective inactive placebo. The primary outcome of interest was clinical cure or improvement of the infection. Secondary outcomes included eradication of wound pathogens and wound healing, which was documented by a semiquantitative scoring system. Results. Overall, 835 patients were randomized; those in each treatment arm were similar with regard to demographic and clinical characteristics. Although study 303 failed to demonstrate equivalence, study 304 and the combined data for the 2 trials demonstrated equivalent results (within the 95% confidence interval) for topical pexiganan and oral ofloxacin in clinical improvement rates (85%-90%), overall microbiological eradication rates (42%-47%), and wound healing rates. The incidence of worsening cellulitis (2%-4%) and amputation (2%-3%) did not differ significantly between treatment arms. Bacterial resistance to ofloxacin emerged in some patients who received ofloxacin, but no significant resistance to pexiganan emerged among patients who received pexiganan. Conclusions. Topical pexiganan might be an effective alternative to oral antibiotic therapy in treating diabetic patients with a mildly infected foot ulcer, and might reduce the risk of selecting antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Clinical trials registration. NCT00563394 and NCT00563433.
Rapid and accurate 3D selection by progressive refinement

Issues such as hand and tracker jitter negatively affect user performance with the ray-casting selection technique in 3D environments. This makes it difficult for users to perform tasks that require them to select objects that have a small visible area, since small targets require high levels of precision. We introduce an approach to address this issue that uses progressive refinement of the set of selectable objects to reduce the required precision of the task. We present a design space of progressive refinement techniques and an exemplar technique called Sphere-casting refined by QUAD-menu (SQUAD). We explore the tradeoffs between progressive refinement and immediate selection techniques in an evaluation comparing SQUAD to ray-casting. Both an analytical evaluation based on a distal pointing model and an empirical evaluation demonstrate that progressive refinement selection can be better than immediate selection. SQUAD was much more accurate than ray-casting, and SQUAD was faster than ray-casting with small targets and less cluttered environments.
When Are Monetary Policy Preferences Egocentric? Evidence from American Surveys and an Experiment

This article enters the international/comparative political economy debate about whether individual-level macroeconomic policy preferences are egocentric and, if so, on what basis (factors, sectors, or firms). It argues that contextual information may function as a precondition for the emergence of egocentric preferences. With a focus on the trade-off between using monetary policy for a domestic or an international goal, it presents evidence from three original American surveys using informative vignettes to show how monetary policy preferences exhibit firm-based egocentric variation: Individuals whose employer does most of its business in overseas markets have a lesser preference for domestic monetary autonomy. It also presents evidence from a survey experiment to show how the strength of this egocentric relationship depends on the informative power of the vignette: A more contextually informative vignette produces a stronger relationship between overseas business activity and a preference against domestic monetary autonomy.
Mazon Creek-type fossil assemblages in the U.S. midcontinent Pennsylvanian: their recurrent character and palaeoenvironmental significance

Terrestrial plants, the non-marine Braidwood Fauna, and the euryhaline Essex Fauna, best known from the Francis Creek Shale Member within the Mazon Creek area of northeastern Illinois, are found to recur in analogous deltaic lithofacies elsewhere both in Illinois and in adjacent states. An important new Essex-type fossil locality is reported from deposits coeval with the Francis Creek Member in Missouri, and occurrences of Braidwood animals from additional stratigraphic units are discussed. These assemblages occur in estuarine-deltaic deposits juxtaposed on coals; the significance of the association of these fossils with transgressive inundation of coastal peat swamps is discussed and a predictive model for the occurrence of Mazon Creek-type assemblages is presented. We believe that fossil associations comparable to those at Mazon Creek, occur in certain coastal deposits ranging in age from Pennsylvanian to, at least, the Triassic.
USING JOINT ACTIVITY SCHEDULES TO PROMOTE PEER ENGAGEMENT IN PRESCHOOLERS WITH AUTISM

We assessed the use of a joint activity schedule to increase peer engagement for preschoolers with autism. We taught 3 dyads of preschoolers with autism to follow joint activity schedules that cued both members of the pair to play a sequence of interactive games together. Results indicated that joint activity schedules increased peer engagement and the number of games completed for all dyads. Schedule following was maintained without additional prompting when activities were resequenced and when new games were introduced for 2 of the 3 dyads.
Intermittent Nondaily Dosing Strategies in Patients with Previous Statin-Induced Myopathy

OBJECTIVETo review the safety and efficacy of alternative intermittent statin dosing regimens in patients with previous intolerance due to myopathy.DATA SOURCESLiterature was accessed through MEDLINE (1946 -December 2012) and EMBASE (1966-December 2012) using relevant MeSH and Emtree search terms, including statins, HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors, simvastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin, fluvastatin, pravastatin, pitavastatin, rosuvastatin, myopathy, and myalgias. Web of Science (1955-December 2012) and the aforementioned databases were additionally searched using combinations of the following text words: statin intolerance, alternate dosing, nondaily dosing, weekly dosing, statin-induced myopathy, and intermittent statin dosing. References of identified articles were reviewed for additional citations.STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTIONAll identified English-language peer-reviewed publications were evaluated. Articles (excluding meeting abstracts) specifically addressing nondaily statin use in patients with ...
Infants Get Five Stars on Iconic Memory Tests A Partial-Report Test of 6-Month-Old Infants’ Iconic Memory Capacity

By the late 19th century, tests of adults' shortterm visual memory—how much one retains from a briefly presented display—had acquired a familiar character: An alphanumeric array was presented, removed, and participants were asked to report the items (Wundt, 1912). These ‘whole report’ tests revealed capacities of 3-4 items (Cattell, 1886; Sperling, 1960). However, participants often felt they had seen more items, but forgotten them before report. A crucial innovation was to ask for just a ‘partial report’, cuing participants to sample from their memory (e.g. a high-pitched tone might cue report of the middle of three rows of letters) (Sperling, 1960). If the cue occurs after display offset (a ‘post-cue’) and the sampled subsets are random, then accurate reports mean all the presented items had been stored. This clever methodological change exposed a new—early, high-capacity (∼9 items), and fast-decaying (∼200 ms half-life)—memory system dubbed ‘iconic memory’ (Neisser, 1967). In this sense, then, the study of infants' visual memory is still rooted in the conventions of the 19th century: No one has yet asked infants for a partial report. This leaves a conspicuous gap in our understanding of visual memory development. Research on infants' visual memory has a similarly long history (e.g. Hunter, 1917; Fantz, 1964; Fagan, 1970; for reviews see Nelson, 1995; Rose, Feldman & Jankowski, 2004). And while there has been ample work on infants' short-term memory, for example recency/primacy effects (Olson, 1979; Cornell & Bergstrom, 1983), short-term capacity has been studied only recently (and iconic memory not at all). These studies though have revealed a striking limitation: young infants' short-term memory capacity seems limited to a single object (see Ross-Sheehy, Oakes, & Luck, 2003 for evidence from visual short-term, <300 ms retention interval, memory; Pelphrey et al., 2004 and Kaldy & Leslie, 2005 for evidence from visual working memory). 6-month-olds, then, have sufficiently well-developed visual acuity to distinguish arguably dozens of objects in a single fixation (Teller, 1997), but short-term memory for only one—a curiously inimical constraint unless this object were very well chosen (e.g. by virtue of high salience, task relevance, or cueing). We argue here that iconic memory is the buffer holding the choices.
The Effects of Metformin with Lifestyle Therapy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Double Blind Study

Objective To determine if the combination of lifestyle (caloric restriction and exercise) and metformin (MET) would be superior to lifestyle and placebo (PBO) in improving the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) phenotype. Design Double-blind randomized 6-month trial of MET versus PBO. Setting Two academic medical centers. Patient(s) One hundred fourteen subjects with PCOS were randomized to MET (N = 55) or PBO (N = 59). Intervention(s) Subjects collected urine daily for ovulation monitoring, had monthly monitoring of hormones and weight and determination of body composition by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, glucose tolerance, and were evaluated for quality of life at baseline and completion. Main Outcome Measure(s) Ovulation rates and testosterone levels. Result(s) Dropout rates were high. There was no significant difference in ovulation rates. Testosterone levels were significantly lower compared with baseline in the MET group at 3 mos but not at 6 mos. There were no differences in weight loss between groups, but MET showed a significant decline at 6 months compared with baseline (−3.4 kg, 95% confidence interval −5.3 to −1.5 kg). We noted divergent effects of MET versus PBO on oral glucose tolerance test indices of insulin sensitivity (increased) and secretion (worsened). Total bone mineral density increased significantly in MET. There were no differences in quality of life measures between the groups. The MET group had increased diarrhea and headache, but fewer bladder infections and musculoskeletal complaints. Conclusion(s) The addition of metformin to lifestyle therapy produced little reproductive or glycemic benefit in women with PCOS, although our study had limited power owing to a high dropout rate. It is not possible at baseline to identify women likely to drop out.
Proteomics-based Expression Library Screening (PELS) A Novel Method for Rapidly Defining Microbial Immunoproteomes

Current methodologies for global identification of microbial proteins that elicit host humoral immune responses have several limitations and are not ideally suited for use in the postgenomic era. Here we describe a novel application of proteomics, proteomics-based expression library screening, to rapidly define microbial immunoproteomes. Proteomics-based expression library screening is broadly applicable to any cultivable, sequenced pathogen eliciting host antibody responses and hence is ideal for rapidly mining microbial proteomes for targets with diagnostic, prophylactic, and therapeutic potential. In this report, we demonstrate "proof-of-principle" by identifying 207 proteins of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 immunome in bovine reservoirs in only 3 weeks.
CA-P2P: context-aware proximity-based peer-to-peer wireless communications

Many new wireless applications such as public safety and social networking have been emerging in recent years. Those applications introduce the necessity of direct communications among devices or peers without core network or wireless routers, which is not well supported in current network infrastructures. While some existing technologies can support certain levels of direct peer-to-peer communications, they are contextoblivious and inefficient. This article proposes a context-aware proximity-based P2P (CA-P2P) wireless communication system architecture to enable context awareness for direct P2P communications. The main idea is to systematically incorporate appropriate context information in direct communication protocols to improve overall performance. One of the major features is application-based communication, which connects peers according to their common applications. Accordingly, radio resources can be managed more efficiently among and within different application groups. Specifically, the scheme proposed in this article includes several new mechanisms such as context-aware peer discovery and context-aware peer association. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed context awareness system achieves fast and efficient peer discovery and peer association in terms of latency and overhead.
Netoglitazone is a PPAR-gamma ligand with selective effects on bone and fat.

Thiazolidinediones are effective anti-diabetic drugs that improve insulin sensitivity through the activation of the nuclear receptor and adipocyte-specific transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ). Recent evidence suggests that PPAR-γ also controls bone cell development and bone homeostasis. In mice, PPAR-γ insufficiency results in increased bone mass, whereas administration of the specific PPAR-γ agonist rosiglitazone leads to bone loss and increased bone marrow adiposity. Although the pro-adipocytic and anti-osteoblastic activities of PPAR-γ can be separated in vitro using ligands with distinct chemical structures, little evidence exists supporting this functional separation in vivo. Netoglitazone (MCC-555, RWJ-241947) is a thiazolidinedione, which acts as either a full or partial PPAR-γ agonist, or antagonist, in a cell type specific manner. In this study, the pro-adipocytic and anti-osteoblastic activities of netoglitazone were evaluated in vitro, using both U-33/γ2 cells as a model of marrow mesenchymal cell differentiation under the control of PPAR-γ2 and primary bone marrow cultures, and in vivo in C57BL/6 mice. In vitro, netoglitazone induced adipocyte and inhibited osteoblast formation in a PPAR-γ2-dependent manner; however, it was 100-fold less effective than rosiglitazone. In vivo, the administration of netoglitazone at an effective hyperglycemic dose (10 μg/g body weight/day) did not result in trabecular bone loss. Bone quality parameters such as bone mineral density and bone microarchitecture were not affected in netoglitazone-treated animals. The observed lack of an in vivo effect of netoglitazone on bone was entirely consistent with its low anti-osteoblastic activity in vitro. In contrast to the observed in vitro effects, netoglitazone in vivo effectively induced marrow adipocyte formation and induced changes in the weights of extramedullary fat depots. Consistent with these cell type-specific effects, expression of the adipocyte-specific gene marker FABP4/aP2 was increased, whereas the expression of osteoblast-specific gene markers, Runx2, Dlx5, osteocalcin, and collagen were not affected by netoglitazone. In conclusion, netoglitazone is a member of a new class of PPAR-γ ligands with distinct anti-diabetic, anti-osteoblastic, and pro-adipocytic activities in vivo.
Etiological, Pathological, Epidemiological, and Diagnostical Considerations of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis

AbstractSwimming-associated, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, though a rare disease, has received much attention for its high fatality rate, novel mode of transmission, and its cause—an amoeba which is morphologically indistinguishable from the free-living amoeba Naegleria gruberi commonly found in soil (Sandon, 1927; Singh, 1952), water, and sewage effluent (Chang, 1971, 1972). The enigma of the disease is further deepened by the occurrence of a few non-swimming-associated cases of less fulminating and longer clinical course, and with distinctly different pathological changes (Patras and Andujar, 1966; Jager and Stamm, 1972; Rorke et al., 1971). Even more puzzling is the report of four cases of swimming-associated, fulminating meningoencephalitis caused by mycetamoeba (Mandel et al., 1970). Duma (1972) however, indicated in his personal communication with Dr. P. K. C. Austwick, that the causative agent of these cases was identified as Naegleria.
Motorized dirt bike injuries in children.

BACKGROUND: The number of dirt bike injuries in children in the United States is increasing and poses a public health problem. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to identify the imaging patterns of dirt bike injuries in children and associations with morbidity and mortality. METHODS: The study included 85 children (83 boys, 2 girls) Language: en
Lipid Transfer Reactions: Fluorescence Studies

In cells the transport of lipid molecules from sources of biosynthesis or ingestion to the various membranes and organelles represents an important component of metabolism (Pagano and Sleight, 1985). The analogous problems of protein synthesis, membrane assembly, turnover, and secretion are also being actively studied by cell biologists. The important sites of lipid trafficking include the plasma compartment of blood and the cells of the vascular and extravascular compartment. The lipid composition of these sites includes cholesterol, cholesteryl esters, triglycerides, fatty acids, and phospholipids. Figure 1 schematically illustrates several pathways of lipid transfer in a membrane; these include lateral diffusion of the lipid in the membrane plane, spontaneous desorption into the surrounding aqueous compartment with subsequent uptake by an adjacent membrane surface, and bilayer translocation, which is commonly referred to as flip-flop. This latter mechanism is often accelerated by enzymes termed “translocases”. Other lipid transfer mechanisms not pictured include transient collisional complexes of lipid surfaces with lipid exchange occurring at the contact point, protein mediated transfer between lipid surfaces involving specific lipid-carrier proteins (e. g., phospholipid exchange protein), enzymatic degradation of lipid molecules and subsequent release of soluble lipid fragments from the membrane, and finally, transport of large lipid aggregates, such as lipoproteins, across the cell membrane via endocytosis.
Remainder Estimates for Analytic Functions

A survey is given on contour integration methods for estimating the remainder of quadrature rules involving analytic functions. In addition to historical remarks, recent results are summarized concerning the remainder of Gauss-type formulae.
The Artin Isomorphism

We now define an isomorphism between the class groups H = H{J}= J p /J and G = Gal K/k. It shall do more than map elements of each group into one another; it shall be covariant under automorphisms of the lower field k (over say ℚ). This isomorphism is due to Artin [1924]. It was discovered in an analytic context (which we discuss in the next chapter), but, for now, we see the isomorphism as a unifying point and point of departure for class field theory.
The effects of pediatric community simulation experience on the self-confidence and satisfaction of baccalaureate nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

Summary Objectives Simulation in nursing education is a means to transform student learning and respond to decreasing clinical site availability. This study proposed an innovative simulation experience where students completed community based clinical hours with simulation scenarios. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a pediatric community simulation experience on the self-confidence of nursing students. Bandura's (1977) Self-Efficacy Theory and Jeffries' (2005) Nursing Education Simulation Framework were used. Design This quasi-experimental study collected data using a pre-test and posttest tool. The setting was a private, liberal arts college in the Midwestern United States. Participants Fifty-four baccalaureate nursing students in a convenience sample were the population of interest. The sample was predominantly female with very little exposure to simulation prior to this study. Methods The participants completed a 16-item self-confidence instrument developed for this study which measured students' self-confidence in pediatric community nursing knowledge, skill, communication, and documentation. Results The overall study showed statistically significant results (t = 20.70, p Conclusions The data demonstrate that students who took the Pediatric Community Based Simulation course reported higher self-confidence after the course than before the course. Higher self-confidence scores for simulation participants have been shown to increase quality of care for patients.
That Shape Am I: The Dead, the Rapture and American Identity

In This Republic of Suffering, an examination of the changing views of death during the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust posits that dead American citizens, interpreted as public sacrifices and repositories of a new national identity, achieved ﾓnew public importance.ﾔ I argue that this ﾓpublic importanceﾔ effected wide-ranging policy debates, as a new anachronic language of ghostliness and the uncanny influenced debates on American democracy, empire and immigration. Examining early twentieth century political texts by William James, Henry James and Woodrow Wilson, and evangelical eschatological documents, I trace the development of new discourses on citizenship and temporal alterity that, I argue, continue to shape political debates in our own era.
A Good Idea at the Time: Recent Jurisprudence Under the Service Provider Safe Harbor in Section 512c of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act

The growth of the internet and world wide web, and many of the applications which we take for granted, such as digital audio and video, smartphones with sophisticated cameras and interactive websites inviting our comments and submissions, have been facilitated not merely by technological change, but also by a favorable legal framework. At an early stage of the internet’s development in 1998, Congress enacted legislation known as the safe harbor provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which were intended to protect those developing the technological foundation for large scale, high speed internet access to avoid liability for its misuse by someone who infringes the copyright of a third party. While there has been surprisingly little litigation construing this legislation, two recent cases, involving the prominent Veoh and YouTube websites are worthy of significant attention both for what they teach regarding permissible practice and the weaknesses they reveal in the statutory language and its construction. This article discusses and critiques in detail what the Ninth and Second Circuits did and did not do in these cases, as it impacts both subsequent cases and current practice, and the sort of legislative tweaking that may be warranted. In particular, the author expresses concern as to whether the statutory definition of the term “service provider” which is the threshold provision for availing oneself of the safe harbor supports the current construction.The author also argues for much greater use of a technical device known as digital fingerprinting by both copyright holders and operators of sites where copyrighted material may show up, in an effort to more efficiently screen out infringing material. He also argues for more direct incorporation of such practice into the current safe harbor framework.
Total Weight Loss as the Outcome Measure of Choice After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

Currently, there is no agreement on the best method to describe weight loss (WL) after bariatric surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate short-term outcomes using percent of total body weight loss (%TWL). A single-institution retrospective study of 2420 patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) was performed. Suboptimal WL was defined as %TWL < 20 % at 12 months. Mean preoperative BMI was 46.8 ± 7.8 kg/m2. One year after surgery, patients lost an average 14.1 kg/m2 units of body mass index (BMI), 30.0 ± 8.5 %TWL, and 68.5 ± 22.9 %EWL. At 6 and 12 months after RYGB, mean BMI and percent excess WL (%EWL) significantly improved for all baseline BMI groups (p < 0.01, BMI; p = 0.01, %EWL), whereas mean %TWL was not significantly different among baseline BMI groups (p = 0.9). The regression analysis between each metric outcome and preoperative BMI demonstrated that preoperative BMI did not significantly correlate with %TWL at 1 year (r = 0.04, p = 0.3). On the contrary, preoperative BMI was strongly but negatively associated with the %EWL (r = −0.52, p < 0.01) and positively associated with the BMI units lost at 1 year (r = 0.56, p < 0.01). In total, 11.3 % of subjects achieved <20 %TWL at 12 months and were considered as suboptimal WL patients. The results of our study confirm that %TWL should be the metric of choice when reporting WL because it is less influenced by preoperative BMI. Eleven percent of patients failed to achieve successful WL during the in the first year after RYGB based on our definition.
Quantitative signature of coronary steal in a patient with occluded coronary arteries supported by collateral circulation using dynamic SPECT

Coronary steal (CS) is a physiological process that induces absolute decrease in blood flow in collateralized myocardium compared to resting flow during coronary vasodilation due to redistribution of blood away from collateral-dependent myocardium. Although, CS has been well known for decades, there are very few noninvasive perfusion studies in humans that quantitatively predict the existence of CS. In this study, we show that the quantitative measurement of absolute value of regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) using dynamic single photon emitted computed tomography (SPECT) can help estimate the presence of CS in myocardium with obstructed coronary artery and collateral circulation.
Multicolor mapping of the cardiomyocyte proliferation dynamics that construct the atrium

The orchestrated division of cardiomyocytes assembles heart chambers of distinct morphology. To understand the structural divergence of the cardiac chambers, we determined the contributions of individual embryonic cardiomyocytes to the atrium in zebrafish by multicolor fate-mapping and we compare our analysis to the established proliferation dynamics of ventricular cardiomyocytes. We find that most atrial cardiomyocytes become rod-shaped in the second week of life, generating a single-muscle-cell-thick myocardial wall with a striking webbed morphology. Inner pectinate myofibers form mainly by direct branching, unlike delamination events that create ventricular trabeculae. Thus, muscle clones assembling the atrial chamber can extend from wall to lumen. As zebrafish mature, atrial wall cardiomyocytes proliferate laterally to generate cohesive patches of diverse shapes and sizes, frequently with dominant clones that comprise 20-30% of the wall area. A subpopulation of cardiomyocytes that transiently express atrial myosin heavy chain (amhc) contributes substantially to specific regions of the ventricle, suggesting an unappreciated level of plasticity during chamber formation. Our findings reveal proliferation dynamics and fate decisions of cardiomyocytes that produce the distinct architecture of the atrium.
A Semi-Empirical Model of a Nanosecond Pulsed Plasma Actuator for Flow Control Simulations with LES

A phenomenological model, suitable for coupling to Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of flow control applications, is developed to simulate the effects of a nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NS-DBD) actuator. The model considers various surface and volume heating profiles to reproduce the key qualitative and quantitative features of NSDBD actuators. The model is tuned to match the unique wave shape observed in Schlieren imagery and quantitative wave speed and displacement data. The induced wave structure, comprised of a cylindrical component with a tail, can be reproduced with a spatially varying heating distribution – a Gaussian variation in the direction of the discharge provides accurate results. The instantaneous location of the wave, which propagates at approximately acoustic speed after an initial transient may be matched by considering a volumetric deposition model. Power input estimates in the current model are consistent with those postulated in experimental investigations.
Understanding species richness-productivity relationships: the importance of meta-analyses.

In the above quote, Levins was referring to ‘‘truth’’ and ‘‘lies’’ in model building, however, I believe his comments are relevant to the analysis of empirical data as well. We all recognize that published papers differ in quality, even those that are predominantly descriptive. Whittaker (2010), in his critique of meta-analyses of species richness productivity relationship (SRPRs), argues that few of the studies used in past meta-analyses of SRPRs are fit for the purpose. This leads him to ‘‘call time’’ on any further meta-analyses of SRPRs and to denounce the findings of previous meta-analyses as unreliable. Whittaker (2010:2524) states, ‘‘If the data aren’t appropriate to meta-analysis, it is invalid to proceed with one. The solution [my italics] is to read the literature, think about it, and do one of the following: (1) devise some critical experimental or other rigorous field study that will make a meaningful contribution to the question to hand, (2) undertake a narrative review, or (3) carry out what Slavin (1995) has termed ‘best evidence synthesis.’’’ I would argue, however, that these alternatives do not provide a solution and that the past meta-analyses of SRPRs, despite their weaknesses and disagreements, have significantly advanced our understanding of these relationships. The literature on SRPRs is uneven in quality and heterogeneous in method: on that there is no doubt. But, it is what we have to work with. In the end, we make progress by scrutinizing our ideas in light of the available data. At the risk of sounding extreme, I suggest that even empiricists must look for ‘‘truth’’ at the intersection of independent ‘‘lies.’’ Consider what we ‘‘knew’’ about SRPRs prior to the published meta-analyses.
Multivariate Control Charts for Monitoring Covariance Matrix: A Review

AbstractIn this paper, we review multivariate control charts designed for monitoring changes in a covariance matrix that have been developed in the last 15 years. The focus is on control charts developed for multivariate normal processes, assuming that independent subgroups of observations or independent individual observations are sampled as process monitoring proceeds. Control charts developed between 1990 and 2005 are reviewed according to the types of the control chart: multivariate Shewhart chart, multivariate CUSUM chart and multivariate EWMA chart. In addition to these developments, a new multivariate EWMA control chart is proposed. We also discuss comparisons of chart performance that have been carried out in the literature, as well as the issue of diagnostics. Some potential future research ideas are also given.
Growth Regulated Oncogene-α expression by murine squamous cell carcinoma promotes tumor growth, metastasis, leukocyte infiltration and angiogenesis by a host CXC Receptor-2 dependent mechanism

Growth Regulated Oncogene-α (GRO-α) is an autocrine growth factor in melanoma and is a member of the C-X-C family of chemokines which promote chemotaxis of granulocytes and endothelia through binding to CXC Receptor 2. We found previously that variants of murine squamous cell carcinoma PAM 212 which grow and metastasize more rapidly in vivo constitutively express increased levels of murine GRO-α, designated mGRO-α, or KC. We have examined the possible role of mGRO-α expression in malignant progression of squamous cell carcinoma PAM 212 in homologous BALB/c and BALB CXC Receptor-2 deficient mice. Transfection of the PAM 212 cell line which exhibits low expression of GRO-α and malignant potential with a pActin-KC vector encoding mGRO-α enabled isolation of PAM-KC expressing cell lines. These PAM-KC transfectants displayed an increased rate of growth and metastasis in BALB/c mice, similar to the highly malignant phenotype observed in spontaneously occurring metastatic variants. Furthermore, the PAM-KC tumors showed an increase in infiltration of host leukocytes and CD31+ blood vessels, consistent with increased CXC chemokine activity. The increased growth of PAM-KC cells was attenuated in CXCR-2 deficient mice, indicating that the increased growth was dependent in part upon host cells responsive to the CXC chemokine. Together, these results show that a CXC chemokine such as GRO-α can promote malignant growth of murine squamous cell carcinoma by a host CXCR-2 dependent pathway.
HREM imaging of screw dislocation core structures in bcc metals

Quantitative High Resolution Electron Microscopy (HREM) is used to characterize the in-plane displacements of atoms around a screw dislocation core in bcc molybdenum. The in-plane displacements have an important effect on the bulk mechanical properties of bcc metals and alloys. However, the largest displacements are predicted to be less than 10 pm, requiring that the atom positions in an HREM image be determined to sub-pixel accuracy. In order to calculate the displacements the positions of the atom columns in the undistorted crystal must be determined precisely from the information available in the HREM image. An algorithm for such a task is briefly discussed and the technique applied to several HREM images. It is seen that the atomic displacements are predominantly due to surface relaxation (i.e. Eshelby twist) of a thin TEM foil, thereby masking the finer displacements of the dislocation core. Nye tensor plots, which map the resultant Burgers vector at each point of a distorted crystal, are also used to characterize the core structure. Although the large displacements from the Eshelby twist were completely removed, no signal from the dislocation core region was observed.
Plasma production in Isolated Bubbles

The production of plasma in isolated (i.e., unattached to a physical electrode) air bubbles in liquid water is investigated. Bubble size along with bubble position relative to the pulsed high voltage electrode is considered.
The awkward years: defining and managing famines, 1944–1947

AbstractFamines in the years immediately after World War II occurred during a period of global flux, as international famine response evolved from its ambitious, early twentieth century goals toward more modest, technocratic objectives during the second half of the century. For economists, social scientists and politicians immersed in the world of emergency food aid, these were uncertain, awkward years for famine relief. Herbert Hoover’s idealistic large-scale projects of famine relief that had dominated the first three decades of the century had been proven to be expensive and of limited efficacy, but Cold War loyalties had not yet taken over as the primary logic behind large-scale humanitarian assistance projects. Ultimately, when faced with famine conditions between 1944 and 1947, states and experts balanced a call to action against pragmatism that recognized famines were also politically expedient events that could weaken rural resistance to governance and simplify wartime and postwar administration. ...
Coupling of Low- and High-Frequency Vibrational Modes: Broadening in the Infrared Spectrum of F–(H2O)2

We present ab initio calculations of the infrared (IR) spectra of the strongly anharmonic clusters F–(H2O) and F–(H2O)2 using full-dimensional potential energy and dipole moment surfaces. The full-dimensional F–(H2O)2 potential energy surface is composed of previously published one- and two-body water potentials, a two-body F–H2O potential, and a new three-body F–(H2O)2 potential. The three-body water–fluoride potential is a fit to 16 111 second-order Moller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ) energies using permutationally invariant polynomials. The IR spectrum of F–(H2O)2 is computed using 6-, 8-, 10-, and 13-dimensional VSCF/VCI in order to illustrate the effects of mode coupling and intensity borrowing between the high-frequency intramolecular modes and the low-frequency intermolecular modes. Comparisons with Ar-tagged action spectra are also made.
Optic Organs of Tribolium confusum and T. castaneum and Their Usefulness in Age Determination (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Two pairs of stemmata are present in all larval instars and in the early pupa of T. confusum Jacquelin du Val and T. castaneum (Herbst). They degenerate in the pupa as the compound eyes begin to develop. Larval instars are separable by determining the distance between the two pairs of stemmata. The stemmata are located near the antennae from the first throughout the early part of the last larval instar. With each successive moult the distance between the stemmata increases. During the latter part of the last larval instar, however, the interstemmatal distance decreases as the stemmata migrate to a position near the vertex. The degree of stemmatal migration can be used as an index for determining the ages of last larval instars. The orientation of the stemmata in the latter part of the last larval instar also differs from that seen in other instars. The pupal age can be estimated by counting the number of rows and considering the degree of development of the ommatidia of the compound eyes.
Effect of graded levels of thyrocalcitonin upon thyroid secretion rate, endocrine glands, liver, kidney and spleen weights of female rats.

SummaryFifty mature female rats were divided into 5 groups of 10 animals each on the basis of equal thyroxine secretion rate (TSR). Twenty-eight days after the TSR was determined initially, groups III, IV and V were treated with 30, 60 and 90 MRC mU of thyrocalcitonin (TCT)/100 g body weight twice daily intraperitoneally. Groups I and II acted as normal and vehicle treated groups, respectively. The treatment was started 14 days prior to the start of the TSR estimation and continued until the TSR of the animals was estimated. The animals were then sacrificed and the following glands and organs were removed and weighed: ovaries, adrenals, pituitary, thyroid, uterus, liver, kidneys and spleen. Administration of 30 and 90 mU TCT/100 g body weight twice daily for at least 14 days caused a significant (p < .01) decrease in TSR, but the 60 mU dose of TCT did not. Significant (p < .05) increases in weights of the adrenals and liver were noticed in all the treated groups, whereas kidney weight changes were signifi...
Optimizing the Translational Value of Animal Models of Glomerulonephritis: Insights from Recent Murine Prototypes

Animal models are indispensable for the study of glomerulonephritis, a group of diseases that destroy kidneys but for which specific therapies do not yet exist. Novel interventions are urgently needed, but their rational design requires suitable in vivo platforms to identify and test new candidates. Animal models can recreate the complex immunologic microenvironments that foster human autoimmunity and nephritis and provide access to tissue compartments not readily examined in patients. Study of rat Heymann nephritis identified fundamental disease mechanisms that ultimately revolutionized our understanding of human membranous nephropathy. Significant species differences in expression of a major target antigen, however, and lack of spontaneous autoimmunity in animals remain roadblocks to full exploitation of preclinical models in this disease. For several glomerulonephritides, humanized models have been developed to circumvent cross-species barriers and to study the effects of human genetic risk variants. Herein we review humanized mouse prototypes that provide fresh insight into mediators of IgA nephropathy and origins of antiglomerular basement membrane nephritis and Goodpasture's disease, as well as a means to test novel therapies for ANCA vasculitis. Additional and refined model systems are needed to mirror the full spectrum of human disease in a genetically diverse population, to facilitate development of patient-specific interventions, to determine the origin of nephritogenic autoimmunity, and to define the role of environmental exposures in disease initiation and relapse.
Classification Tree Analysis as a Method for Uncovering Relations Between CHRNA5A3B4 and CHRNB3A6 in Predicting Smoking Progression in Adolescent Smokers

Introduction Prior research suggests the CHRNA5A3B4 and CHRNB3A6 gene clusters have independent effects on smoking progression in young smokers. Here classification tree analysis uncovers conditional relations between these genes. Methods Conditional classification tree and random forest analyses were employed to predict daily smoking at 6-year follow-up in a longitudinal sample of young smokers (N = 480) who had smoked at least one puff at baseline and were of European ancestry. Potential predictors included gender, lifetime smoking, Nicotine Dependence Syndrome Scale (NDSS), and five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging CHRNB3A6 and CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotypes A, B, and C. Conditional random forest analysis was used to calculate variable importance. Results The classification tree identified NDSS, the CHRNB3A6 SNP rs2304297, and the CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotype C SNP rs6495308 as predictive of year 6 daily smoking with the baseline NDSS identified as the strongest predictor. The CHRNB3A6 protective effect was contingent on a lower level of baseline NDSS, whereas the CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotype C protective effect was seen at a higher level of baseline NDSS. A CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotype C protective effect also was observed in participants with low baseline NDSS who had no CHRNB3A6 rs2304297 minor allele. Conclusions The protective effects of CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotype C and CHRNB3A6 on smoking progression are conditional on different levels of baseline cigarette use. Also, duplicate dominant epistasis between SNPs indicated the minor allele of either SNP afforded comparable protective effects in the absence of a minor allele at the other locus. Possible mechanisms underlying these conditional relations are discussed. Implications The substantive contributions of this paper are the demonstration of a difference in the protective effects of CHRNB3A6 and CHRNA5A3B4 Haplotype C in young smokers attributable to level of cigarette use, as well as observation of duplicate dominant epistasis between the two markers. The methodological contribution is demonstrating that classification tree and random forest statistical methods can uncover conditional relations among genetic effects not detected with more common regression methods.
A Long Slog: What a Ten Year Hydroelectric Relicensing Process Demonstrates About Public Participation and Administrative Regulation Theories

There aren’t many ways for the average citizen to become involved in energy regulation. Citizens have little input into any utility docket process; moreover, because the process is so difficult for the average citizen to understand, there is little oversight provided by the public in regular, everyday utility matters. However, one place where citizens have become more involved in regulatory matters is in dockets before the federal government, specifically nuclear and hydroelectric relicensing proceedings. Some theories of administrative regulation would find the increased participation a positive, while others discount the public interest potentially present in regulators’ actions. Finding that an empirical study of citizen input into these proceedings may enlighten whether “enhanced” public participation actually leads to a potentially better outcome for the public, this article summarizes three administrative regulation theories, provides an overview of the consultation process required for hydroelectric licensing, and analyzes the Catawba-Wateree relicensing as a case study. The piece finishes with an analysis of whether the general interests of the public were served by the “enhanced” process used and what can, therefore, be gleaned from the administrative regulation theories. The conclusion indicates how this analysis is relevant to other hydroelectric systems.
Integrating Depression Care Management into Medicare Home Health Reduces Risk of 30- and 60-Day Hospitalization: The Depression Care for Patients at Home Cluster-Randomized Trial

Objectives To determine whether a depression care management intervention in Medicare home health recipients decreases risk of hospitalization. Design Cluster-randomized trial. Nurse teams were randomized to intervention (12 teams) or enhanced usual care (EUC; 9 teams). Setting Six home health agencies from distinct geographic regions. Home health recipients were interviewed at home and over the telephone. Participants Individuals aged 65 and older who screened positive for depression on nurse assessments (N = 755) and a subset who consented to interviews (n = 306). Intervention The Depression CARE for PATients at Home (CAREPATH) guides nurses in managing depression during routine home visits. Clinical functions include weekly symptom assessment, medication management, care coordination, patient education, and goal setting. Researchers conducted telephone conferences with team supervisors every 2 weeks. Measurements Hospitalization while receiving home health services was assessed using data from the home health record. Hospitalization within 30 days of starting home health, regardless of how long recipients received home health services, was assessed using data from the home care record and research assessments. Results The relative hazard of being admitted to the hospital directly from home health was 35% lower within 30 days of starting home health care (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65, P = .01) and 28% lower within 60 days (HR = 0.72, P = .03) for CAREPATH participants than for participants receiving EUC. In participants referred to home health directly from the hospital, the relative hazard of being rehospitalized was approximately 55% lower (HR = 0.45, P = .001) for CAREPATH participants. Conclusion Integrating CAREPATH depression care management into routine nursing practice reduces hospitalization and rehospitalization risk in older adults receiving Medicare home health nursing services.
Buying a connection. Private practice in public health care – the case of a Serbian maternity hospital

Informal relations have been widely studied in post-socialist and socialist Eastern Europe. These personal connections represent social capital useable to gain access to social provisions, such as public health care. Drawing on a case study of a large maternity hospital in Serbia, in this article I show that some pregnant women, when they did not have a usable network of informal relations and personal connections ( veze in Serbian) to gain better maternal care and birthing experience in the public hospital, resorted to paying for private prenatal care with the OB/GYNs who are simultaneously employed in both the maternity hospital and private prenatal care clinics. By paying additionally for private care, these women were able to establish alternative, institutionalized relationships with the same medical staff which allowed them to transfer those relationship into personal connections in the public maternity hospital setting.