cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Orthopair Fuzzy Sets

We note that orthopair fuzzy subsets are such that that their membership grades are pairs of values, from the unit interval, one indicating the degree of support for membership in the fuzzy set and the other support against membership. We discuss two examples, Atanassov's classic intuitionistic sets and a second kind of intuitionistic set called Pythagorean. We note that for classic intuitionistic sets the sum of the support for and against is bounded by one, while for the second kind, Pythagorean, the sum of the squares of the support for and against is bounded by one. Here we introduce a general class of these sets called q-rung orthopair fuzzy sets in which the sum of the ${\rm{q}}$ th power of the support for and the ${\rm{q}}$ th power of the support against is bonded by one. We note that as q increases the space of acceptable orthopairs increases and thus gives the user more freedom in expressing their belief about membership grade. We investigate various set operations as well as aggregation operations involving these types of sets.
Scaling Limit of CMOS Supply Voltage from Noise Margin Considerations

This paper investigates the scaling limit of CMOS supply voltage for maintaining the noise margin of NAND circuits subject to process tolerance induced threshold voltage variation. It is shown that for high performance (Vt/Vdd<1/3) decananometer CMOS devices with plusmn20% gate length tolerance and corresponding short-channel threshold roll-off, the supply voltage cannot be lower than 0.5 V in order to keep logic state consistency in the worst-case switching scenario
Successful Resolution of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection using Freeze-Dried, Encapsulated Fecal Microbiota; Pragmatic Cohort Study

Successful Resolution of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection using Freeze-Dried, Encapsulated Fecal Microbiota; Pragmatic Cohort Study
Effects of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Deprivation on the Performance of Rats in a T-Maze

The effects of REM sleep deprivation on the performance of rats in a T-maze were measured. Amount of REM deprivation showed a significant inverse effect on latency but did not have a significant effect on accuracy. These data tend to support the contention that REM deprivation increases generalized drive.
Persistence of MS-2 Bacteriophage Within Eastern Oysters.

Male-specific bacteriophages have been proposed as human enteric virus indicators for shellfish. In this study, Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) were individually exposed to 5.6 × 1010 PFU of MS-2 for 48 h at 15 °C followed by collective maintenance in continuously UV-sterilized seawater for 0–6 weeks at either 7, 15, or 24 °C. Initial contamination levels of MS-2 were >6 log PFU. Assessment of weekly declines of viable MS-2 indicated that cooler temperatures dramatically enhanced the persistence of MS-2 within oyster tissues. At 3 weeks, the average log PFU reductions for MS-2 within oysters were 2.28, 2.90, and 4.57 for oysters held at 7, 15, and 24 °C, respectively. Fitting temporal survival data with linear and nonlinear Weibull models indicated that the Weibull model best fit the observed reductions. In total, these data can serve as a guideline for regulatory agencies regarding the influence of water temperature on indicator phage after episodic sewage exposure.
Dynamics of Activity Time-of-Day Choice

This study explored travelers’ decision behavior in selecting activity start times. The study examined the problem in the context of the Agent-based Dynamic Activity Planning and Travel Simulation (ADAPTS) activity-based travel demand model for the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area. A unique feature of the ADAPTS framework is its consideration of planning horizons for various activity attributes. Naturally, the various attributes of an activity—such as start time, duration, location, party involvement, and mode of travel—can be planned in different time horizons. An attribute that is planned affects the choice of other activity attributes. Therefore, developing a true behavioral time-of-day choice model would not be possible unless the planning order of activity attributes and the dynamics of travelers’ decision-making processes are taken into account. Similarly, it can be argued that there should be fundamental differences in the time-of-day decision process when other attributes of the activity are n...
The Problems With Fixating on Consciousness in Disorders of Consciousness

Distinguishing between disorders of consciousness, particularly between the vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (VS/UWS) and the minimally conscious state (MCS), has been a growing c...
Citation metrics of excellence in sports biomechanics research.

AbstractThis study extended research on key citation metrics of winners of two career scholar awards in sports biomechanics. Google Scholar (GS) was searched using Harzing’s Publish or Perish software for the 13 most recent winners of the ISBS Geoffrey Dyson Award and the ASB Jim Hay Memorial Award. Returned records were corrected for author, and publications excluded for all but peer-reviewed journal articles, proceedings articles, chapters and books in English. These recent award winners had published about 150 publications that had been cited typically 4,082 and 6,648 times over a 26- and 28-year period before receiving these career awards for sports biomechanics research. Estimated median citations at time of their awards were 2,927 and 4,907 for the Dyson and Hay awards, respectively. Award winners had mean Hirsh indexes of 32–45 and mean hi of 19–28. Their mean g indexes (59–84) and their numerous citation classics (C > 100) indicated that they had many influential publications. The citation metrics...
Investigation on anti-interference of Rogowski coil current transformers in smart substations

The Rogowski coil current transformer is typically influenced by the high-frequency transient current generated during switching operations or short-circuit fault. This paper investigated the mass change process in a Rogowski coil transformer (differential, filtering, sampling, and integration) and analyzed the mechanism of the abnormal waveform generated in the transformer. Results showed that appropriate configuration of a low-pass filter placed before the collector reduced the amplitude of the high frequency component in the signal, resulting in attenuated amplitude of frequency components after aliasing. The filter also inhibited abnormal waveforms by increasing the sampling frequency of the sampler. Simulation results showed that the use of a fourth-order Bessel filter to suppress high frequency signals and increase sampling rate to 100kHz is feasible and effective. The approach proposed in this study is shown to improve the operational reliability of Rogowski coil transformers.
A review of climate and culture research in selling and sales management

Despite the extensive literature on organizational climate and culture and their impact on an organization's sales activities, the diversity of theoretical perspectives makes it difficult for sales professionals and scholars to understand the effect of specific climate- and culture-related factors on the performance of salespeople and sales units in an organization. The objective of this article is to clarify the conceptual underpinnings of organizational climate and culture research within the sales context through an extensive review of extant literature. In doing so, we offer a critical review of research on organizational climate and culture, a conceptual frame for viewing the literature across different levels of analysis, and specific questions to guide future research. We also make a case for more research on industry-level climate and culture in the sales context.
The Impact of a Health Information Technology-Focused Patient-centered Medical Neighborhood Program Among Medicare Beneficiaries in Primary Care Practices: The Effect on Patient Outcomes and Spending.

Background The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) tests new models of paying for or delivering health care services and expands models that improve health outcomes while lowering medical spending. CMMI gave TransforMED, a national learning and dissemination contractor, a 3-year Health Care Innovation Award (HCIA) to integrate health information technology systems into physician practices. This paper estimates impacts of TransforMED's HCIA-funded program on patient outcomes and Medicare parts A and B spending. Research design We compared outcomes for Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries served by 87 treatment practices to outcomes for Medicare FFS beneficiaries served by 286 matched comparison practices, adjusting for differences in outcomes between the 2 groups during a 1-year baseline period. We estimated impacts in 3 evaluation outcome domains: quality-of-care processes, service use, and spending. Results We estimated the program led to a 7.1% reduction in inpatient admissions and a 5.7% decrease in the outpatient emergency department visits. However, there was no evidence of statistically significant effects in outcomes in either the quality-of-care processes or spending domains. Conclusions These results indicate that TransforMED's program reduced service use for Medicare FFS beneficiaries, but also show that the program did not have statistically significant favorable impacts in the quality-of-care processes or spending domains. These results suggest that providing practices with population health management and cost-reporting software-along with technical assistance for how to use them-can complement practices' own patient-centered medical home transformation efforts and add meaningfully to their impacts on service use.
Sensitive periods for white matter plasticity in human

As a child matures, some brain circuits stabilize while others remain plastic. However, the literature on maturational changes in the brain's capacity for experience-dependent plasticity is primarily based on experiments in animals that mature over dramatically different time-scales than humans. Moreover, while principles of plasticity for sensory and motor systems might be conserved across species, the myriad of late-developing and uniquely human cognitive functions such as literacy cannot be studied with animal models. Here we use an intensive reading intervention program, in combination with longitudinal diffusion MRI measurements in school-aged children with dyslexia, to model the sensitive period for white matter plasticity and literacy learning.
Pyoderma gangrenosum-like ulceration of the lower extremity secondary to sunitinib therapy: a case report

Sunitinib is a multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for the treatment of multiple different types of malignancies. Serious grade 3-4 adverse events occur in <10% of the patient population and usually improve with dose reduction. One of the more rarely reported side effects of sunitinib therapy is the development of pyoderma gangrenosum-like ulcerations in the lower extremities. These pyoderma gangrenosum-like ulcerations are difficult to treat and distinguish from similar-appearing dermatological diagnoses. We present a patient with refractory lung carcinoma and a past medical history of squamous cell carcinoma of the lower extremity, who developed a non-healing ulceration at the previous site of her skin cancer while undergoing therapy with sunitinib. At the time of the initial evaluation, the ulceration mimicked recurrent squamous cell carcinoma, posing a diagnostic challenge. Histopathological findings showed epidermal hyperplasia, ulceration, and dense acute inflammation. Despite meticulous wound care and treatment of infection, the ulcer only improved with cessation of sunitinib.
Molecular and structural perspectives on cytochrome P450s in plants

Abstract From a biochemical perspective, the ability to incorporate oxygen at very specific points in a substrate's structure is essential to numerous synthetic and catabolic plant pathways that involve simple alkyl and aromatic hydroxylations or more complex epoxidations, aryl migrations, decarboxylations and carbon–carbon bond cleavages. Because of the restricted substrate specificities of many cytochrome P450 monooxygenases and the chemical versatility of the entire group of P450s existing in plants, significant interest exists in defining functions for those not yet characterized, in understanding catalytic-site constraints of those in biologically important pathways and in modifying them for crop improvement and biopharmaceutical production. From genomics and structural perspectives, these goals are especially challenging since P450 gene families have duplicated and diverged to unprecedented degrees as new plant pathways have evolved for the synthesis of defence toxins and other secondary metabolites. Phylogenetic comparisons based solely on primary sequences have facilitated grouping of the many, often divergent, sequences into families and subfamilies that can be compared within and between plant species. Within these individual groupings, mapping of variations that have accumulated in different regions of P450 proteins has shown that they can have drastically different effects on enzymatic functions with some affecting substrate recognition, others affecting interactions with electron-transfer partners and others not affecting activity at all. Bringing together biochemical, molecular and structural perspectives, it is now becoming possible to provide cohesive models of many functionally characterized P450s and to extend these models to related but uncharacterized P450s. Using examples taken from the sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa genomes and some functionally characterized P450s in other plant species, this review highlights their phylogenetic relationships and predicted structural similarities and differences that are likely or not likely to affect catalytic functions. Combinations of primary and tertiary structure analyses such as these can now allow researchers to better understand the evolutionary relationships among plant P450s in secondary metabolic pathways and assign tentative functions to those not yet functionally characterized. With the number of annotated plant P450 sequences exponentially increasing as genomes for medicinally important plants are being sequenced, these dual level assessments will become increasingly important for discriminating among the P450s needing to be functionally characterized.
Introduction: The Contours of a Field

The introduction establishes the geographical scope and disciplinary breadth of a new field of study we might call Early Modern Black Diaspora Studies. It discusses the origins of Black Studies and reviews some of the scholarship in the field of Early Modern Studies relevant to race and the black diaspora.
Functional Analysis is Dead: Long Live Functional Analysis.

In this rejoinder, we discuss the commonalities and differences of the commentaries to our target article. Each commentary agreed with our basic message that intervention science needs to move from...
Beyond the abacus: Leveraging the electronic medical record for central line day surveillance

Manual counting is considered the gold standard for device day recording by the National Health Safety Network. We describe the development of a process for an electronic count of central line days across our ten-hospital health care system. Our validation process identified discordance between the electronic count and the manual count for 71% of patient care units. Adjudication of the count differences by chart review identified the electronic count to be correct 97% of the time.
Optimal Design of Cluster- and Multisite-Randomized Studies Using Fallible Outcome Measures.

Background:Evaluation studies frequently draw on fallible outcomes that contain significant measurement error. Ignoring outcome measurement error in the planning stages can undermine the sufficienc...
Separation and Detention of Parents and Children at the Border: Lessons from Impacts of Parental Incarceration on Children and Families

The crisis of family separation precipitated by the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy on the southern border has focused the nation’s attention sharply on the negative short- and long-term consequences of separating children from their parents. The negative outcomes of separating children from their parents have been documented through decades of rigorous research, with public awareness and subsequent action occurring to change practices around separation in children’s hospitals, military bases, orphanages, and child care settings. However, there is much less public awareness of the impacts of parental incarceration on children, although the numbers of children affected have increased dramatically over the past 30 years due to both criminal justice and immigration policies. This chapter will summarize recent research findings related to the detrimental impacts of parental incarceration on children and families, delineate factors that most directly relate to negative outcomes in children, establish the connection to detention of immigrant parents and effects on children, and conclude with recommendations for relevant policy and practice.
Disease Severity Linked to Increase in Autoantibody Diversity in IgG4-Related Disease.

Objective Four autoantigens have been described recently in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD): prohibitin, annexin A11, laminin 511-E8, and galectin-3. However, no external validation has been performed, and the possibility that some individuals break tolerance to more than 1 autoantigen has not been explored. We undertook this study to evaluate the relative frequencies of antibody responses against these autoantigens in order to explore the role of adaptive immune response in IgG4-RD. Methods Autoantibody responses against prohibitin, annexin A11, and laminin 511-E8 were measured among a clinically diverse cohort of IgG4-RD patients (n = 100) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Autoantibody responses were correlated with disease severity and organ distribution. Results The frequencies of IgG4 autoantibody responses against prohibitin (10%), annexin A11 (12%), and laminin 511-E8 (7%) were not significantly different from those of controls. A portion of the cohort (n = 86) had been analyzed previously at our center for anti-galectin-3 antibody responses, with 25 patients (29%) having IgG4 anti-galectin-3 antibodies. Of these 86 patients, 32 (37%) had IgG4 antibodies to ≥1 of the 4 autoantigens and 12 (14%) showed reactivity with ≥2 of the tested antigens. The subset of patients with ≥2 autoantibodies had higher total levels of IgG1, IgG2, IgG4, and C-reactive protein, were more commonly hypocomplementemic, and were more likely to have visceral organ involvement. Conclusion Antibodies against prohibitin, annexin A11, and laminin 511-E8 were found in only a small portion of patients with IgG4-RD. A subset of IgG4-RD patients, however, had IgG4 antibodies against ≥2 autoantigens. These patients presented with robust IgG subclass elevations, complement consumption, and visceral organ involvement. This broader break in immunologic tolerance in IgG4-RD was associated with more severe disease.
An Android application development class

This paper describes the experience of developing and teaching a course on Android Application Development. While some APIs or languages change relatively slowly (for example C, C++, and the Standard Template Library), the Android system is an extremely dynamic and fast changing environment. The rate of change of Android poses challenges to the design and execution of a course, while the richness of the Android APIs offers significant opportunities for the students to develop interesting, educational, and entertaining applications.
Development of rolled scaffold for high-density adherent cell culture

Bioreactors for large-scale culture of mammalian cells are playing vital roles in biotechnology and bioengineering. Various bioreactors have been developed, but their capacity and efficiency are often limited by insufficient mass transfer rate and high shear stress. A rolled scaffold (RS) is a fully defined scaffold for high-density adherent culture of mammalian cells. The RS is a polymer film with spacers, that is rolled into a cylinder with a pre-determined gap between each turn. Cells are cultured on its inner surfaces, while media flows through the gap. The RS exhibits high surface-area-to-volume ratio over 100 cm2/mL and can transport nutrients and gases with significantly reduced shear stress via convection in a unidirectional laminar flow, rather than diffusion and random turbulent flow as in stirred-tank bioreactors. In this paper, we expanded Chinese Hamster Ovary cells with RS bioreactors and demonstrated cell culture density over 60 million cells/mL with a growth rate higher than conventional suspension culture. Besides, murine embryonic stem cells were successfully expanded without losing their pluripotency. The RS will provide an affordable, scalable, and reliable platform for large-scale culture of recombinant cells in biopharmaceutical industries and shear-sensitive stem cells for tissue engineering.
Engineered bacteriophages as programmable biocontrol agents.

Bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) can be potent biocontrol agents but their potential has not been fully realized due to inherent limitations of natural phages. By leveraging new tools in synthetic biology, natural phages can be engineered to overcome these limitations to markedly improve their efficacy and programmability. Engineered phages can be used for targeted detection and removal of pathogens, in situ microbiome editing, gene delivery and programmable control of phage-bacterial interactions. In this mini review we examine different ways natural phages can be engineered as effective biocontrol agents through a design-build-test-learn platform and identify novel applications of engineered phages in food biotechnology.
Real-time shared control system for space telerobotics

The shared control system is a modular real-time system designed to execute complex tasks through the intelligent coordination of task modules. A state machine is used to control task sequencing, and due to the automatic switching, the accuracy and reliability with which tasks are executed, is greatly improved. Tasks consist of sets of independent, modular, and reusable subtasks whose outputs are combined to create the control. This system has proved itself useful for rapid development of reliable high level multiple sensor based manipulation and control tasks. Additionally, we have integrated a neural network based visual servoing system, a semi-compliant Cartesian trajectory following heuristics, and a real-time graphical user interface in the system. The shared control system was implemented for the Self-Mobile Space Manipulator (SM 2) to handle a range of tasks associated with locomotion, manipulation, and material transportation on Space-Station Freedom.
Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome

The upper airway resistance syndrome describes a constellation of symptoms, namely, fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, attributable to polysomnographic findings of prolonged inspiratory flow limitation and repeated arousals from sleep due to increased upper airway resistive events that do not meet the criteria for apneas or hypopneas. While now subsumed under the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea as a clinical entity, the term remains in use in the sleep medicine community necessitating that practitioners of sleep medicine be familiar with it. This chapter uses a representative case to discuss the history, epidemiology, polysomnographic findings, and treatment approach for this often misunderstood syndrome.
Institutions, Inculcation, and Black Racial Identity: Pigmentocracy vs. Rule of Hypodescent

In this paper, I study the effect political institutions have on the construction of black racial identity. In particular, I study individual inculcation in contexts where political institutions institutionalize either of two forms of racial social structures - a pigmentocracy (the Dominican Republic), or the rule of hypodescent (the U.S. South), and the effect such inculcation has on black racial identity. I sampled 101 respondents from the Dominican Republic and 102 from the state of Mississippi, U.S.A. Consistent with the basic assumptions of my hypotheses, respondents in the Dominican Republic study sites showed a weaker degree of identification with blackness vis-a-vis something "whiter." I also found that respondents in the Dominican Republic sites demonstrated a stronger identification with blackness than what most conventional observers would have anticipated. Respondents in the Mississippi study sites showed a stronger sense of identification with blackness but demonstrated a larger degree of neutrality than expected in their belief of being of a mixed racial heritage rather than just a black African heritage.
Degenerate Curve Bifurcations in 3D Linear Symmetric Tensor Fields

3D symmetric tensor fields have a wide range of applications in medicine, science, and engineering. The topology of tensor fields can provide key insight into their structures. In this paper we study the number of possible topological bifurcations in 3D linear tensor fields. Using the linearity/planarity classification and wedge/trisector classification, we explore four types of bifurcations that can change the number and connectivity in the degenerate curves as well as the number and location of transition points on these degenerate curves. This leads to four types of bifurcations among nine scenarios of 3D linear tensor fields.
Sex-based differences in helmet performance in bicycle trauma.

Objectives To determine the existence of sex-based differences in the protective effects of helmets against common injuries in bicycle trauma. Methods In a retrospective cohort study, we identified patients 18 years or older in the 2017 National Trauma Database presenting after bicycle crash. Sex-disaggregated and sex-combined multivariable logistic regression models were calculated for short-term outcomes that included age, involvement with motor vehicle collision, anticoagulant use, bleeding disorder and helmet use. The sex-combined model included an interaction term for sex and helmet use. The resulting exponentiated model parameter yields an adjusted OR ratio of the effects of helmet use for females compared with males. Results In total, 18 604 patients of average age 48.1 were identified, and 18% were female. Helmet use was greater in females than males (48.0% vs 34.2%, p Conclusions Bicycle helmets may offer less protection to females compared with males. The cause of this sex or gender-based difference is uncertain, but there may be intrinsic incompatibility between available helmets and female anatomy and/or sex disparity in helmet testing standards.
Measuring price fairness and its impact on consumers’ trust and switching intentions in microfinance institutions

Although price fairness has been intensively studied for decades, the measurement of its multidimensionality has not yet reached any consensus. Its impact on consumers’ trust and switching intentions in financial institutions has been less frequently analysed. This paper fills both gaps and has two objectives. First, it aims to develop a reliable and valid measurement scale for price fairness in microfinance. Second, following the equity and social exchange theories, it tests the impact of price fairness on consumers’ trust and switching intentions. Data were collected from 324 customers in six microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as structural equation modelling. The results confirm that price fairness is a multidimensional construct with six dimensions, revealing that the construct has not been comprehensively captured in prior research. Furthermore, findings suggest that price fairness significantly affects customer trust and satisfaction, and that both variables mediate the relationship between price fairness and customer switching intentions. These results confer a strategic role of price fairness, trust and switching intention in the microfinance industry, which is currently subject to customer sensitivity to interest rates and mistrust towards MFIs.
Correction: In situ electrochemical H2 production for efficient and stable power-to-gas electromethanogenesis

Correction for ‘In situ electrochemical H2 production for efficient and stable power-to-gas electromethanogenesis’ by Frauke Kracke et al., Green Chem., 2020, 22, 6194–6203, DOI: 10.1039/D0GC01894E.
Resources to Enhance the Geotechnical Educational Experience

In 2016, I joined the ASCE Minnesota Section’s (ASCE-MN) inaugural infrastructure Report Card Committee at a time in my career when I was curious about the role civil engineering had to play in the...
Palliation of malignant gastric outlet obstruction with simultaneous endoscopic insertion of afferent and efferent jejunal limb enteral stents in patients with recurrent malignancy.

Patients with prior pancreaticobiliary or distal gastric cancer treated surgically may have local anastomotic recurrence with obstruction of the afferent and efferent jejunal limbs. This report describes the efficacy and safety of simultaneous endoscopic insertion of self-expanding metal stents into the afferent and efferent jejunal limbs in patients with gastric outlet obstruction (GOO) of post-surgical anatomy for palliation of recurrent malignancy. Patients were identified from an endoscopic database at a specialized cancer center between September 2007 and March 2014. Technical success was defined as single-session insertion of afferent and efferent jejunal limb enteral stents. Clinical success was defined as immediate symptom relief and ability to advance diet. A durable response was defined as symptom relief of at least 60 days or until hospice placement or death. Twenty-three patients were identified who underwent insertion of two 22-mm-diameter uncovered duodenal stents. Stent length varied from 60 to 120 mm. Stents were placed under endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. Three patients required balloon dilation to facilitate stent insertion. Average procedure time was 58.8 min (range 28–120). Technical success was achieved in 23/24 (96 %) patients. Clinical success was achieved in 19/23 (83 %) patients. Following initial stent insertion and prior to subsequent re-intervention, 11/19 (58 %) patients had a durable response with a median duration of 70 days (range 4–315). Eight (42 %) patients underwent subsequent re-intervention at a median of 22 days (range 11–315). Five patients had stent revision and were able to tolerate oral intake. Two patients had percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy/jejunostomy insertion. One patient required surgical diversion for persistent obstruction. Complications included stent migration and post-stent insertion bacteremia due to food bolus obstruction. Recurrent malignant GOO in patients with post-surgical anatomy treated with simultaneous endoscopic enteral stenting of afferent and efferent jejunal limbs has a high rate of technical and clinical success and low rate of complications and provides effective palliation.
The Role of the Christian Legal Scholar: The Call for a Modern Saint Benedict

In his book, After Virtue, the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre issued a stinging indictment of modern society. In the famous last sentence of After Virtue, MacIntyre stated that [w]e, our society, are waiting . . . for another - doubtless very different - St. Benedict. I want to propose that Christian law professors should see themselves and their role in accord with MacIntyre's call. In this Article I will try to explain why. First, I will review St. Benedict's life and argue that he created the institution, the form of community - Western monasticism - that preserved much of classical civilization and which was instrumental in synthesizing a new, Christian civilization. Second, I will discuss the state of American culture as diagnosed by MacIntyre. I will then propose how Christian legal scholars should respond: what our role is in American society. I will argue that Christian law professors have three analytically distinct possible roles: building Christian law schools, rebuilding Christian law schools, and what I will label engaging in the debate. Scholars may assume different roles over their careers and aspects of more than one role concurrently. Then I will briefly discuss how one can know what role(s) one should assume, as a Christian legal scholar. Lastly, I will return to St. Benedict and how his legacy of preserving and creating offers a model for Christian law professors fifteen hundred years later.
Colon Resection for Cancer

Considerable data have been reported by Turnbull et al. and by Stearns and Schottenfeld suggesting that wide resection of colon neoplasms results in a higher percentage of 5-year survivals than does conservative excision. This is especially true of Duke’s stage C lesions, those that have histologically positive lymph nodes. It is not that the length of colon removed results in increased survival, but that wide resection permits higher dissection of the mesentery and its lymphovascular complex. Because the lymphatic network tends to follow the course of the veins, a more extensive dissection of the lymph nodes requires a concomitant extensive resection of the blood vessels. Thus an additional length of colon must be removed.
Ion Channels in the Heart: Cellular and Molecular Properties of Cardiac Na, Ca, and K Channels

The sections in this article are: 1 Calcium Channels 2 Sodium Channels 2.1 Primary Structure of the Voltage-Gated Na+ Channel 2.2 Molecular Pharmacology of Na+ Channels 2.3 Molecular Pharmacology of an Inherited Disease 3 Potassium Channels 3.1 Voltage-Dependent K+ Channels 3.2 Inward Rectifier K Channels 4 Summary
Social and Environmental Determinants of Child Physical Activity in a Rural Mexican-Origin Community.

California's rural agricultural communities face an increased burden of obesity and metabolic disease. The present objective is to define the social and environmental influences to child obesity and physical activity within Mexican-origin communities in California's Central Valley. A range of data (anthropometric, socioeconomic, demographic, cultural and environmental) were collected on more than 650 children enrolled in Ninos Sanos, Familia Sana. Physical activity data were gathered from a subsample of children 4-7 years of age (n = 148) via accelerometer. Cross sectional analyses explored the relationship between BMI and physical activity and the influence of numerous social and environmental variables. In this sample 45 % of children were determined to be overweight or obese. Boys had a higher daily average moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than girls (p = 0.008). Chi square analyses showed weight status was associated with activity level in girls (p = 0.03) but not boys. Multivariate regression revealed several social and environmental indicators influenced BMI and physical activity (p = 0.004). In this population of school-age children of Mexican-origin, girls may benefit more from targeted efforts to increase MVPA. Family and community support systems may also boost child participation in physical activities.
Hydrocarbons in the intertidal environment of Kachemak Bay, Alaska☆

Intertidal animals and sediment from Kachemak Bay, Alaska were analysed to determine the concentrations of hydrocarbons. At Coal Point the herbivorous limpet Collisella pelta contained petroleum within its tissues while intertidal algae of the area have previously been shown to accumulate petroleum as a surface coating. At Coal Bay, a locality where both petroleum and coal are present, the filter feeding mussel Mytilus edulis contained petroleum hydrocarbons whereas the deposit feeding clam Macoma balthica contained an array of hydrocarbons suggesting detrital coal as the source. Animals higher in the food web including the gastropod Nucella lima and the urchin Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis showed no evidence of petroleum. All samples contained biogenic hydrocarbons of algal and planktonic origin.
Long-term effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the size of the whisker representation in juvenile and adult rat barrel cortex

Children of mothers who abused alcohol during pregnancy are often reported to suffer from growth retardation and central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities. The use of prenatal alcohol exposed (PAE) animal models has revealed reductions in body and brain weights as well as regional specific brain deficits in neonatal pups. Recently, we and others reported reductions in the size of the posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF) in first somatosensory cortex (SI) associated with the representation of the large mystacial vibrissae in neonatal rats and mice that were exposed to alcohol at various times during gestation. While these reductions in barrel field size were reported in neonates, it was unclear whether similar reductions persisted later in life or whether some catch-up might take place in older animals. In the present study, we examined the effect of PAE on measures of barrel field size in juvenile (6 weeks of age) and adult (7 months of age) rats; body and brain weights were also measured. Pregnant rats (Sprague-Dawley) were intragastrically gavaged during gestational days 1-20 with alcohol (6 g/kg) to simulate a binge-like pattern of alcohol consumption (Alc); 6 g/kg alcohol produced blood alcohol levels ranging between 207.4 and 478.6 mg/dl. Chow-fed (CF), pair-fed (PF), and cross-foster (XF) groups served as normal, nutritional/stress, and maternal controls, respectively, for juvenile rats; an XF group was not included for adult rats. The major findings in the present study are (i) PAE significantly reduced the size of the total barrel field in Alc juvenile rats (13%) and adult rats (9%) compared to CF controls, (ii) PAE significantly reduced the total averaged sizes of individual PMBSF barrels in juvenile (14%) and adult (13%) rats, (iii) PAE did not significantly alter the septal area between barrels or the barrel pattern, (iv) PAE significantly reduced body weight of juvenile rats but only in comparison to PF controls (18%), (v) PAE significantly reduced whole brain (8%) and forebrain (7%) weights of juvenile rats but not adult rats, (vi) no differences were observed in forebrain/PMBSF body ratios nor was forebrain weight correlated with PMBSF area, and (vii) PAE resulted in a greater reduction in anterior barrels compared to posterior barrels. These results suggest that the effects of PAE previously reported in neonate PMBSF areas persist into adulthood.
The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder, childhood trauma and alexithymia in an outpatient sample

One aim of this study was to examine the strength of association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alexithymia relative to other psychiatric disorders in a sample of 252 treatment-seeking psychiatric patients. The other aim of this study was to explore which type of childhood trauma was associated with a greater level of adult alexithymia. The study found that PTSD and borderline personality disorder (BPD) were the two disorders among selected psychiatric disorders to contribute independently to a higher degree of alexithymia. Another finding was that a greater severity of emotional neglect and physical neglect, rather than abuse, was significantly related to higher levels of alexithymia. In addition, the study found that among these variables, BPD had the strongest relationship to alexithymia.
Effects of Electromyographic Biofeedback on Quadriceps Strength: A Systematic Review

Quadriceps strength is a vital component to lower extremity function and is often the focus in resistance training interventions and injury rehabilitation. Electromyographic biofeedback (EMGBF) is frequently used to supplement strength gains; however, the true effect remains unknown. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to determine the magnitude of the treatment effect for EMGBF on quadriceps strength compared with that of placebo and traditional exercise interventions in both healthy and pathological populations. Web of Science and ProQuest databases were searched, and bibliographies of relevant articles were crossreferenced. Six articles measuring isometric quadriceps strength in response to EMGBF training were included and methodologically assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro). Standardized effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated from preintervention and postintervention measures for EMGBF, placebo, and exercise-only interventions. Separate comparisons were made between studies assessing different intervention length (<4 and ≥4 weeks) and patient populations (pathological and healthy). Articles included received an average PEDro score of 6.5 ± 0.84. Homogeneous EMGBF effect sizes were found in all 6 studies (d = 0.01-5.56), with 4 studies reporting CI that crossed 0. A heterogeneous collection of effect sizes was found for exercise alone (d = -0.12 to 1.18) and placebo (d = -0.2 to 1.38), with 4 and 1 studies having a CI that crossed 0, respectively. The greatest EMGBF effects were found in pathological populations (d = 0.01-5.56), with the strongest effect found in the subjects with knee osteoarthritis (d = 5.56, CI = 4.26-6.68). As a group, effects were the strongest for EMGBF compared with that of placebo and exercise-only interventions, yet definitive evidence that EMGBF is beneficial for increasing quadriceps strength could not be concluded because of the 4 studies demonstrating a wide CI.
Does A Placebo Tablet Affect Psychotherapeutic Treatment Outcome? Results from the Pittsburgh Study of Maintenance Therapies in Recurrent Depression

Since combinations of medication and psychotherapy are being increasingly used in randomized clinical trials, an important issue is whether psychotherapy administered with a double-blind placebo tablet is different from psychotherapy unaccompanied by pill-taking. This study reports no significant differences in these two treatment conditions for patients with recurrent depression entered into a long-term maintenance trial with respect to either treatment outcome (e.g., recurrence, restabilization, attrition), psychobiological parameters (e.g., sleep physiology in recovery), or treatment specificity ratings. Our findings suggest that either a psychotherapy with placebo tablet condition or a more ecologically valid psychotherapy without placebo tablet may be suitable in long-term maintenance treatment trials of recurrent depression. Whether these results can be generalized to acute treatment trials or to long-term studies of other disorders remains an open question.
Male Retirement Behavior in the United States, 1930–1950

Explanations for the recent decline in the labor force attachment of males 65 years of age and older include the introduction of Old Age and Survivors Insurance and the growth in private pension programs. Neither hypothesis can explain the sizable decline that occurred between 1930 and 1950, when aggregate social security and private pension payments were small. Estimates from pooled state aggregate data indicate that the means-tested Old Age Assistance program established by the Social Security Act of 1935 significantly increased retirement activity in this period, particularly among low-income individuals.
Impact of fatness, insulin, and gynecological age on luteinizing hormone secretory dynamics in adolescent females.

Objective To study the link between fatness and gonadotropin secretion. Overweight status is linked to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in adolescents. We postulated that heavier adolescents without symptoms would secrete LH with: [1] increased pulse frequency (LHPF) and [2] exaggerated integrated concentrations (LHAUC). Design Cross-sectional. Setting General clinical research center. Patient(s) Eighty-seven postmenarcheal cyclic adolescents from lean to overweight recruited during the follicular phase. Intervention(s) Luteinizing hormone sampling: [1] every 10 minutes/24 hours; [2] at 20-minute intervals after a GnRH challenge. Main Outcome Measure(s) The LHPF and LHAUC (calculated by the CLUSTER algorithm). Hormonal and metabolic covariates included percent body fat (PercentBF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), fasting insulin, and the insulin resistance index HOMA-IR. The SAS software was used for analyses. Result(s) The PercentBF and younger gynecological age predicted faster LHPF. Fatness was negatively linked to LHAUC, which was best predicted by PercentBF and IGF-1 in multivariate modeling ( R 2 = 0.25). The PercentBF and insulin predicted a lower 20-minute LH response to GnRH. Conclusion(s) [1] Higher adiposity and younger gynecological age predict rapid LHPF. [2] The early years after menarche represent a vulnerable window for an exaggerated LHPF with weight gain. [3] In healthy adolescents, higher adiposity is linked to lower LHAUC, thereby preserving pituitary stores.
A prospective study of suramin-induced peripheral neuropathy

Suramin is an investigational drug that has shown therapeutic activity in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer in Phase I/II trials. Dose-limiting neurotoxicity remains the most serious complication of suramin treatment. We performed a prospective study to define the incidence, severity, characteristics, and dose relationships of suramin-induced peripheral neuropathy. Twenty-two patients who received suramin in a Phase-I trial underwent baseline and serial follow-up neurological evaluations consisting of history, examination, nerve conduction studies and quantitative sensory testing (QST). Suramin was administered intravenously in escalating dosages by using a 5-day schedule (repeated monthly), with the dose, determined by a population pharmacokinetic model, to accomplish 30-min post-infusion concentrations of 300 μg ml−1 (cohort I), 350 μg m−1 (cohort II) and 400 μg ml−1 (cohort III). Twelve patients developed a mild, axonal, length-dependent, sensory-motor polyneuropathy. Three other patients developed a subacutely progressive, functionally disabling, demyelinating neuropathy; sural nerve biopsy in two patients showed lymphocytic inflammation. These three patients improved after drug discontinuation and plasmapheresis. Although there was no apparent correlation between the cumulative dose and the severity of the neuropathy, no patient from cohort I, but 88% of patients from cohorts II and III, developed neuropathy. We conclude that when suramin is used at peak concentrations of ⋛350 μg ml−1 its administration is associated with two patterns of neuropathy, a distal axonal neuropathy and an inflammatory demyelinating neuropathy that is partially reversible. Neurological monitoring for development of neuropathy will improve the safety of suramin use in future clinical studies.