cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phospholipase D confers rapamycin resistance in human breast cancer cells

mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) is a protein kinase that regulates cell cycle progression and cell growth. Rapamycin is a highly specific inhibitor of mTOR in clinical trials for the treatment of breast and other cancers. mTOR signaling was reported to require phosphatidic acid (PA), the metabolic product of phospholipase D (PLD). PLD, like mTOR, has been implicated in survival signaling and the regulation of cell cycle progression. PLD activity is frequently elevated in breast cancer. We have investigated the effect of rapamycin on breast cancer cell lines with different levels of PLD activity. MCF-7 cells, with relatively low levels of PLD activity, were highly sensitive to the growth-arresting effects of rapamycin, whereas MDA-MB-231 cells, with a 10-fold higher PLD activity than MCF-7 cells, were highly resistant to rapamycin. Elevating PLD activity in MCF-7 cells led to rapamycin resistance; and inhibition of PLD activity in MDA-MB-231 cells increased rapamycin sensitivity. Elevated PLD activity in MCF-7 cells also caused rapamycin resistance for S6 kinase phosphorylation and serum-induced Myc expression. These data implicate mTOR as a critical target for survival signals generated by PLD and suggest that PLD levels in breast cancer could be a valuable indicator of the likely efficacy of rapamycin treatment.
Wave fields measured inside a negative refractive index metamaterial

Measured spatial variations of field phase and amplitude versus position inside a wire/split ring resonator negative refractive index metamaterial are presented that show that the phase velocity inside a negative index material points toward the source and consequently that phase velocity and energy flow are reversed in such a medium. These measurements directly demonstrate the fundamental behavior of electromagnetic waves in a negative refractive index material. The same internal field measurements are also used to accurately and reliably measure the effective bulk properties of the negative index metamaterial.
The Role of Initial Uncertainties in Predicion

Abstract When the initial values, or the parameters, of prognostic equations are not known with certainty, there must also be errors in the solution. The initial conditions may be represented by an ensemble, each member of which is consistent with all available knowledge. The mean of this ensemble is a reasonable "best" solution to the prognostic equation. Following Gleeson, we have examined the behavior of the error in the forecast, as represented by the rms deviation of the ensemble members from their mean, for a few simple equations. We have further examined the time-dependent behavior of the ensemble mean, as opposed to the solution obtained by applying the prognostic equation to the original mean values. These are, in general, different. It is concluded that optimum procedures for forecasting, i.e., solving prognostic equations, require includingterms in the equations to represent the influence of the initial uncertainties. Since the nature of these uncertainties may also have profound influences on ...
Liquid scintillation alpha spectrometry techniques

Abstract Accurate, quantitative determinations of alpha emitting nuclides by conventional plate counting methods are difficult, because of sample self-absorption problems in counting and because of non-reproducible losses in conventional sample separation methods. Liquid scintillation alpha spectrometry offers an attractive alternative with no sample self-absorption or geometry problems and with 100% counting efficiency. Sample preparation may include extraction of the alpha emitter of interest by a specific organic phase-soluble compound directly into the liquid scintillation counting medium. Detection electronics use energy and pulse-shape discrimination, to yield alpha spectra without beta and gamma background interference. Specific procedures have been developed for gross alpha, uranium, plutonium, thorium and polonium assay. Possibilities for a large number of other applications exist. Accuracy and reproducibility are typically in the 1% range. Backgrounds of the order of 0.01 cpm are readily achievable. The paper will present an overview of liquid scintillation alpha counting techniques and some of the results achieved for specific applications.
Regression-based label fusion for multi-atlas segmentation

Automatic segmentation using multi-atlas label fusion has been widely applied in medical image analysis. To simplify the label fusion problem, most methods implicitly make a strong assumption that the segmentation errors produced by different atlases are uncorrelated. We show that violating this assumption significantly reduces the efficiency of multi-atlas segmentation. To address this problem, we propose a regression-based approach for label fusion. Our experiments on segmenting the hippocampus in magnetic resonance images (MRI) show significant improvement over previous label fusion techniques.
Intramolecular photoaddition reactions of (aminoalkyl)styrylamides

Abstract The photochemical reactions of a family of styrene—spacer—amine molecules in which the spacer consists of a rigid amide group in the middle of a flexible alkane chain have been investigated. Our study of the photophysics of these molecules has shown that the amide linker can facilitate intramolecular styrene—amine exciplex formation (J. Phys. Chem., in press). We report here the photochemical behavior of these amide-linked (aminoalkyl) styrylamides. Several tertiary amines are found to undergo regioselective α -C-H addition to the styrene double bond resulting in the formation of medium-ring lactams. A secondary amine undergoes N-H addition yielding an azalactam. The dependence of these reactions upon spacer structure, amine and amide substitution, and solvent polarity is discussed.
Mutations in the Trp53 gene of UV-irradiated Xpc mutant mice suggest a novel Xpc-dependent DNA repair process.

Mutational hot spots in the human p53 gene are well established in tumors in the human population and are frequently negative prognosticators of the clinical outcome. We previously developed a mouse model of skin cancer with mutations in the xeroderma pigmentosum group C gene (Xpc). UVB radiation-induced skin cancer is significantly enhanced in these mice when they also carry a mutation in one copy of the Trp53 gene (Xpc−/−Trp53+/−). Skin tumors in these mice often contain inactivating mutations in the remaining Trp53 allele and we have previously reported a novel mutational hot spot at a non-dipyrimidine site (ACG) in codon 122 of the Trp53 gene in the tumors. Here we show that this mutation is not a hot spot in Xpa or Csa mutant mice. Furthermore, the mutation in codon T122 can be identified in mouse skin DNA from (Xpc−/−Trp53+/−) mice as early as 2 weeks after exposure to UVB radiation, well before histological evidence of dysplastic or neoplastic changes. Since this mutational hot spot is not at a dipyrimidine site and is apparently Xpc-specific, we suggest that some form of non-dipyrimidine base damage is normally repaired in a manner that is distinct from conventional nucleotide excision repair, but that requires XPC protein.
Si(111)-7×7 surface: Energy-minimization calculation for the dimer – adatom – stacking-fault model

An energy-minimization calculation was performed on the Si(111)-7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7 surface reconstruction model proposed by Takayanagi et al. The structure contains dimers, adatoms, and stacking faults (DAS) in the surface layer. The DAS model has 19 dangling bonds and 12 ``top-site'' adatoms per 7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}7 unit cell. Hellmann-Feynman forces were used to relax adatom and three layers of a five-layer slab consisting of 249 atoms. The surface energy is found to be 0.40 eV per 1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 cell lower than that of an ideal and unrelaxed Si(111) surface, as compared to 0.36 eV for the \ensuremath{\pi}-bonded chain structure for the 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 cleaved surface. This is the lowest surface energy calculated for the Si(111) surface. Atomic configurations were obtained for the completely relaxed system. The calculated surface electronic density of states and the atomic origin of the surface electronic structure are in good agreement with experimental data. The results of similar calculations for Si(111)-5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}5 DAS and Si(111)-c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}8) dimer-chain models are compared and discussed.
Computing the merger of black-hole binaries: The IBBH problem

Gravitational radiation arising from the inspiral and merger of binary black holes (BBH’s) is a promising candidate for detection by kilometer-scale interferometric gravitational wave observatories. This Rapid Communication discusses a serious obstacle to searches for such radiation and to the interpretation of any observed waves: the inability of current computational techniques to evolve a BBH through its last ∼10 orbits of inspiral (∼100 radians of gravitational-wave phase). A new set of numerical-relativity techniques is proposed for solving this “intermediate binary black hole” (IBBH) problem: (i) numerical evolutions performed in coordinates co-rotating with the BBH, in which the metric coefficients evolve on the long timescale of inspiral, and (ii) techniques for mathematically freezing out gravitational degrees of freedom that are not excited by the waves.
Immoralism and the Valence Constraint

Immoralists hold that in at least some cases, moral flaws in artworks can increase their aesthetic value. They deny what I call the valence constraint: the view that any effect that an artwork's moral value has on its aesthetic merit must have the same valence. The immoralist offers three arguments against the valence constraint. In this paper I argue that these arguments fail, and that this failure reveals something deep and interesting about the relationship between cognitive and moral value. In the final section I offer a positive argument for the valence constraint.
Delayed extraoral hypersensitivity to dental composite material

Despite their similarities to acrylic resins, composite resins have not been reported to cause allergies. This report documents the case of a patient who experienced several delayed hypersensitivity reactions associated with epoxy-based materials, including dental composite resin. Patch testing confirmed her hypersensitivity to the composite materials. Removal of the composite restorations and replacement with acrylic restorations did not trigger further allergic reactions. Dentists using composite resin materials should be aware of both the possibility of delayed extraoral manifestations of hypersensitivity to those materials and the management of these patients.
Lighting at the King's Theatre, Haymarket, 1780–82

For late eighteenth-century London theatres, lighting is the facet of production about which we have least information. In his authoritative Lighting in the Theatre, Gosta Bergman describes Garrick's reforms of the 1760s with reference to contemporary French practice and then speculates on what de Loutherbourg's advances in scene design imply about lighting. However, no detailed lighting accounts like those for the Comedie-Francaise have hitherto been known for any English theatre of this period. This gap can now be partly filled: a ‘Schedule’ attached to the answer in a 1787 Chancery lawsuit gives two seasons' worth of the daily accounts of Joseph Hayling, a tinman and purveyor of lamps, who provided light at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket from about 1768 to 1782. His schedule can be compared with contemporary French and English records to clarify our picture of lighting practices in London in the late eighteenth century.
The Electrocardiographic Pattern of Hypopotassemia with and without Hypocalcemia

Detailed analysis of the electrocardiogram in patients with hypopotassemia without hypocalcemia showed that the Q-U interval and its components (Q-oT, Q-aT, Q-T, and Q-aU) have essentially the same duration as in normal subjects for the same heart rate and sex. The typical hypopotassemia pattern is characterized by progressive depression of S-T, lowering and inversion of T and increase of U in left precordial leads. In hypopotassemia with hypocalcemia S-T and Q-T, but not Q-U, are prolonged, causing an increased degree of merging between T and U. Three methods of differentiation between completely merged T and U waves and true T waves of long Q-T duration are given.
Ligation of the Patent Ductus Arteriosus in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit

During a two-year period, 21 premature infants (weight at birth, 680 to 2,340 gm) had operative closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The first 6 infants had ligation performed in the operating room (OR); the subsequent 15 had ligation in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. There were no immediate postoperative deaths. Two infants died from problems presnet preoperatively within 30 days postoperatively. There were no infections. Technique in the unit utilizes an open warmer with local anesthesia and a paralyzing agent. By eliminating transportation to the OR one avoids problems with thermoregulation, loss of lines, malfunction of monitors, poorly controlled ventilation, and fluid overload. Additional advantages to ligation in the unit are that the infant is already monitored, intubated, and on a respirator, and that venous and usually umbilical arterial lines are in place. At the conclusion of operation, management is returned to the neonatologists for optimal continuity of care.
The expert systems life cycle in AIS research: What does it mean for future AIS research?

Abstract Accounting information system (AIS) is the intersection of the accounting domains and the computer science and information systems domains. Periodically, new technology emerges that generates a new AIS research to explore the application of that technology to the accounting domains. AIS researchers compete with researchers in information systems, computer science, electrical engineering, plus other technology-related disciplines. AIS researchers are also frequently competing with the organizations (e.g., accounting firms) that have resources that far exceed academic resources. This paper explores the life cycle of expert systems research by accounting researchers to provide general insights into the roles of accounting researchers in technology domains. From 1980 through 2011, 315 accounting-related expert systems papers were published. Those publications generally transitioned through the industry life cycle stages. The peak years were the early 1990s. Although most of the expert system publications appeared in AIS-oriented publications, by the 2005–2011 timeframe, a little more than 50% appeared in non-system journals. There were 387 unique authors involved in writing the 315 articles. Interestingly, 20 (5.2%) authors wrote 58% of the papers and 311 (80.4%) authors wrote just one paper. In the practice community, Brown (1991) listed 43 expert systems in use or under development at the Big 6. Any use of expert systems in the firms ended in the late 1990s.
An exploration of the limits of stability of the LiNb03 structure field with A and B site cation substitutions

Abstract A comparative study of crystal chemistry of LiM5+03, M = Nb5+ or Ta5+ was carried out. The limits of stability of the LiNb03 structure and the Tc appear to be controlled primarily by the sizes of the substitutional ions. The LiNb03 films were grown by the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) technique, using the Li2 0-V2 05 flux. The Na-doped LiNb03 films showed a 30% reduction in the temperature coefficient of SAW velocity.
Vacation home location: A model for simulating the residential development of rural recreation areas

Burby R. J. III, Donnelly T. G. and Weiss S. F. (1972) Vacation home location: A model for simulating the residential development of rural recreation areas, Reg. Studies 6, 421–439. Vacation home communities are becoming increasingly common on the periphery of large metropolitan areas. While these developments pose a number of serious environmental and service problems for affected local governments, existing planning methodologies have ignored the spatial structure of vacation housing. Analysis of the vacation home development process highlights factors leading to environmental deterioration and indicates the extent to which urban and vacation home location decisions are based on different locational criteria. Utilizing this information and data describing the Lake Norman, North Carolina, and Lake Sidney Lanier, Georgia, reservoir areas, a computer model for simulating urban and vacation home development patterns is presented and evaluated. The model provides planners and policy makers with a useful tool...
A comparison of FIR filter bank design methods with applications to intelligibility enhancement of noise-corrupted speech signals

A formula for the impulse response of a general piecewise-linear-digital filter is developed. A special case of this filter (the trapezoidal filter) produces linear phase FIR filters with good frequency response characteristics when windowed with Hanning (or even rectangular) windows. Bandpass filters designed using this technique result in filter banks with very flat composite frequency responses. In addition, it is found the FIR filters with arbitrary shapes may readily be designed by combining subfilters with trapezoidal shapes. The filter banks and arbitrary shape filters designed by this method have application in techniques used to enhance the intelligibility of noise-corrupted speech signals. The methods presented have considerable potential for the design of both individual filters and filter banks. >
Phase anholonomy in the classical adiabatic motion of charged particles.

The classical adiabatic motion of charged particles in strong magnetic fields, otherwise known as guiding center motion, exhibits an anholonomic phase similar to Berry's phase and the phase discovered in a general context by Hannay. Analysis of this effect reveals that there often is no best way to define the gyrophase when magnetic field lines are curved. Instead, a change in the definition of the phase is a kind of gauge transformation, the study of which leads to new insight into guiding center theory. The path-dependent phase that occurs in this problem is coupled with the metrical structure of physical space, giving rise to a transport process for vectors and frames which is similar to parallel transport in non-Euclidean geometry. Strong analogies with Fermi-Walker transport and Thomas precession in special relativity are pointed out.
Hydraulic Loading Rate Effect on Removal Rates in a BioSand Filter: A Pilot Study of Three Conditions

Safe drinking water is a luxury to approximately 800 million people worldwide. The number of people without access to clean water has been reduced, thanks to technologies like the biosand filter (BSF), an intermittently operated household scale slow sand filter. The BSF outlet (control diameter 0.5″) was modified in this study by reducing the outlet diameter (0.37″ and 0.25″) to determine the effects of hydraulic retention time on removal rates. Filters were dosed with 20 L of spiked lake water daily and observed for pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), fecal coliforms (FC), turbidity, nitrate, nitrite, sulfate, and ammonia until initial flow rates dropped below 0.2 L/min. Consistent with previous studies, the average turbidity was reduced to below 1 NTU; the average DO was reduced by 45 %. No significant difference was observed between the modified BSFs and the control BSF. Removal efficiency of FC was not significantly different between the modified BSFs (93.3 % and 91.9 %) and the control BSF (89.6 %). Mean FC reduction during the startup period (17 days) was significantly greater in the modified 0.25″ BSF when compared with the control during the same time period. After the first 17 days of the experiment, the average reduction efficiency of all filters was >97 %. While source water was below guideline values for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and sulfate during the course of the experiment, total nitrogen reduction was observed. The reduction indicates that the plastic BSF is capable of accomplishing limited denitrification during the filtering process.
Outcomes of distal humerus diaphyseal injuries fixed with a single-column anatomic plate.

Purpose The locking compression extra-articular distal humerus plate (EADHP) is an anatomically shaped, angular stable single-column fixation system for distal third humerus fractures. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate clinical and radiographic outcomes after open reduction and internal fixation of distal humerus fractures with this device.
The Cognitive-Affective Processing System (CAPS) approach to personality and the concept of personality disorder: Integrating clinical and social-cognitive research

Abstract The current diagnostic system, DSM-IV, defines personality disorders (PDs) largely in terms of stable maladaptive patterns of behavior. This sort of conceptualization generally fails to describe explicitly the role of particular situations in evoking maladaptive behavior. We explore the potential benefits of a situation sensitive, social-cognitive approach to PDs, such as the Cognitive–Affective Processing System (CAPS; Mischel, W., & Shoda, Y. (1995). A cognitive–affective system theory of personality: Reconceptualizing situations, dispositions, dynamics, and invariance in personality structure. Psychological Review, 102, 246–268). Several possible roles of situational factors in eliciting pathological personality functioning are proposed, including the origin of psychological situations, the ability to differentiate situations, and the adequacy/utilization of a responsive behavioral arsenal. Two research study designs – daily diary studies and behavioral challenge tasks – are then discussed as potentially useful tools to investigate the interplay between PDs and situations.
Effects of Pasteurization Temperatures and Exposure to Light on Homogenized Milk

Summary Samples of homogenized milk, pasteurized at 163, 168, 173, 178, 183, and 188° F., respectively, for 17 seconds during the winter and summer months, and bottled in clear glass, were stored at 40° F. in the dark and under 20 ft-c of incandescent light for zero, one, two, and three days. The rate of loss of ascorbic acid and degree of oxidized flavor development decreased with increases in pasteurization temperatures for the winter and summer homogenized milk samples exposed to light.
Quality of life in coughers.

As coughing can cause profound physical and psychosocial complications, it has the potential to lead to a decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Two studies have prospectively shown that cough can adversely affect HRQoL. The first utilized the Sickness Impact Profile, a non-illness specific measure of health-related dysfunction that measured the effect of patients' health dysfunction on usual daily activities; it has not been psychometrically tested to assess the effects of cough. The second utilized a cough specific quality of life questionnaire that assessed the 28 most common and important reasons why patients seek medical attention because of coughing. It has been found to be a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the impact of acute and chronic cough on adult patients and a valid method by which to assess the efficacy of cough therapies for chronic cough. Because HRQoL is of the highest importance to patients and a cough specific HRQoL instrument assesses the impact of cough in a way no other type of measure does, a cough specific HRQoL instrument should be considered for routine use to optimally evaluate the impact of cough on patients and assess the efficacy of cough modifying agents.
Readability and Suitability Assessment of Patient Education Materials in Rheumatic Diseases

Objective Web-based patient education materials and printed pamphlets are frequently used by providers to inform patients about their rheumatic disease. Little attention has been given to the readability and appropriateness of patient materials. The objective of this study was to examine the readability and suitability of commonly used patient education materials for osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and vasculitis. Methods Five or 6 popular patient resources for each disease were chosen for evaluation. Readability was measured using the Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level and suitability was determined by the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM), a score that considers characteristics such as content, graphics, layout/topography, and cultural appropriateness. Three different reviewers rated the SAM score and means were used in the analysis. Results Twenty-three resources written on the 4 diseases were evaluated. The education material for all 4 diseases studied had readability above the eighth-grade level and readability did not differ among the diseases. Only 5 of the 23 resources received superior suitability scores, and 3 of these 5 resources were written for OA. All 4 diseases received adequate suitability scores, with OA having the highest mean suitability score. Conclusion Most patient education materials for rheumatic diseases are written at readability levels above the recommended sixth-grade reading level and have only adequate suitability. Developing more appropriate educational resources for patients with rheumatic diseases may improve patient comprehension.
The effect of ethnicity on the benefits of ready‐to‐eat cereal consumption at breakfast

The food pattern that includes ready‐to‐eat (RTE) cereals at breakfast is associated with important reductions in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and increases the likelihood of an individual meeting the recommended dietary allowances for iron and calcium for three sub‐populations studied (Anglos, African‐Americans, and Hispanics). Beverages, fruit, cereals, breads, and egg items represent the major components of breakfast. RTE cereals were consumed in 30 per cent of the breakfasts; they were fifth in the number of grams consumed per capita. Consumers of RTE cereals consumed a very different pattern of food from non‐consumers of RTE cereals. Individuals aged five and older with three days of dietary data from the US 1989‐91 Continuing Survey of Food for Individuals Intake were used for the analysis, n = 9,957. All breakfasts were combined (n = 26,271).
Sleep Patterns and Daytime Sleepiness in Adolescents and Young Adults with Williams Syndrome.

Background Sleep disorders are common in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and may adversely affect daytime functioning. Children with Williams syndrome have been reported to have disturbed sleep; however, no studies have been performed to determine if these problems continue into adolescence and adulthood. Methods This study examined overnight sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness in 23 adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome age 25.5 (8.0) years [mean (SD)]. Interviewer-administered sleep questionnaires were used to evaluate nighttime sleep behaviours and daytime sleepiness. Wrist actigraphy was used to evaluate sleep patterns. Results Although individuals in our sample averaged 9 h in bed at night, daytime sleepiness and measures of sleep disruption were common and comparable to those of other populations with neurodevelopmental disorders. These measures included reduced sleep efficiency [74.4 (7.0)%] with prolonged sleep latency [37.7 (37.3) min], increased wake time after sleep onset [56.1 (17.6) min], and an elevated movement and fragmentation index [14.3 (4.6)]. Conclusion Adolescents and young adults with Williams syndrome were found to be sleepy despite averaging 9 h in bed at night. Implications are discussed for associated causes of sleep disruption and future polysomnographic evaluation.
High-performance liquid chromatography of linoleic acid hydroperoxides and their corresponding alcohol derivatives.

Abstract The four major hydroperoxides derived from autoxidation or lipoxygenase action on linoleic acid or on methyl linoleate and their corresponding alcohol derivatives are resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography on Zorbax SIL 3 μm particulate columns irrigated with hexane—diethyl ether—acetic acid mixtures. The four major linoleic acid hydroperoxides are interconverted at different rates in benzene or carbon tetrachloride solutions but are stable to storage under nitrogen at −70°C for several months.
Morphology of the midgut trunk in the penaeid shrimp, Sicyonia ingentis, highlighting novel nuclear pore particles and fixed hemocytes.

The morphology of the midgut trunk (MGT) in the penaeid shrimp Sicyonia ingentis was examined by light and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Although the function of the MGT is poorly understood, it is not involved with the digestion and absorption of nutri- ents, and it appears to be the surface of a shrimp least protected from penetration by potential pathogens. As described for other decapod crustaceans, the MGT in shrimp is composed of a simple columnar epithelium sep- arated from a layer of connective tissue by a thick basal lamina. Beneath the basal lamina is a previously unre- ported layer of hemocytes, exclusively of the granulocyte variety, embedded in a matrix continuous with the basal lamina and extending into the connective tissue. This layer was observed in four other species of penaeid shrimp. Granulocytes in circulation can phagocytose and encapsulate foreign material and the granules contain antibacterial molecules, lysosomal enzymes, and proph- enoloxidase. We suggest that the granulocytes associated with the basal lamina have matured at this site and are well positioned to fight potential pathogens that have penetrated the epithelial layer of the MGT. A second ob- servation is the presence of clusters of cylinders bound to the nuclear pores of the epithelial cells. The possibility that these clusters are viruses, organelles, or abnormal organelles induced by disease or toxic materials is dis- cussed. These unique particles were observed in S. ingen- tis but none of the other penaeid shrimp we examined. J. Morphol. 258:239 -248, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Impact of arterial surgery and balloon angioplasty on amputation: A population-based study of 1155 procedures between 1973 and 1992

Abstract Background: Limited population-based data are available on trends in the incidence of arterial surgery, balloon angioplasty, and amputation for arterial occlusive disease of the legs over the past two decades. Methods: We identified all elective and emergency arterial operations, balloon angioplasty procedures, and amputations performed for all residents of a defined community, Olmsted County, Minn., between 1973 and 1992. We focused on gender mix, type of procedure, and secular trends in utilization. Results: A total of 1155 procedures were performed, including 733 arterial surgical procedures, 59 balloon angioplasty procedures, and 363 amputations (288 major and 75 minor). Emergency procedures were performed in 12%. Suprainguinal inflow procedures were the most common arterial reconstruction (60%) compared with infrainguinal procedures (40%). The incidence of all revascularization procedures increased in the first decade but reached a plateau after 1985. Utilization rates of revascularization procedures from 1988 to 1992 were higher for men (141.9/100,000 person-years [p-yr]) than women (57.4/100,000 p-yr.). Angioplasty (17.0/100,000 p-yr) rates lagged behind surgery until 1985, but tripled in the past 10 years and have not yet reached a plateau. Although minor amputation rates remain unchanged in 20 years, major amputation rates have been reduced by 50% from 36.7/100,000 p-yr between 1973 and 1977 to 19.0/100,000 p-yr from 1988 to 1992. Conclusions: From this long-term population-based analysis (1973 to 1992), we conclude that increased vascular surgery and balloon angioplasty rates have coincided with a significant reduction in major amputation rates in the past 10 years. (J Vasc Surg 1997;25:29-38.)
Impact of an Educational Intervention Designed to Reduce Unnecessary Recall during Screening Mammography

Rationale and Objectives The aim of this study was to describe the impact of a tailored Web-based educational program designed to reduce excessive screening mammography recall. Materials and Methods Radiologists enrolled in one of four mammography registries in the United States were invited to take part and were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or to serve as controls. The controls were offered the intervention at the end of the study, and data collection included an assessment of their clinical practice as well. The intervention provided each radiologist with individual audit data for his or her sensitivity, specificity, recall rate, positive predictive value, and cancer detection rate compared to national benchmarks and peer comparisons for the same measures; profiled breast cancer risk in each radiologist's respective patient populations to illustrate how low breast cancer risk is in population-based settings; and evaluated the possible impact of medical malpractice concerns on recall rates. Participants' recall rates from actual practice were evaluated for three time periods: the 9 months before the intervention was delivered to the intervention group (baseline period), the 9 months between the intervention and control groups (T1), and the 9 months after completion of the intervention by the controls (T2). Logistic regression models examining the probability that a mammogram was recalled included indication of intervention versus control and time period (baseline, T1, and T2). Interactions between the groups and time period were also included to determine if the association between time period and the probability of a positive result differed across groups. Results Thirty-one radiologists who completed the continuing medical education intervention were included in the adjusted model comparing radiologists in the intervention group (n = 22) to radiologists who completed the intervention in the control group (n = 9). At T1, the intervention group had 12% higher odds of positive mammographic results compared to the controls, after controlling for baseline (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.00−1.27; P = .0569). At T2, a similar association was found, but it was not statistically significant (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 to 1.25). No associations were found among radiologists in the control group when comparing those who completed the continuing medical education intervention (n = 9) to those who did not (n = 10). In addition, no associations were found between time period and recall rate among radiologists who set realistic goals. Conclusions This study resulted in a null effect, which may indicate that a single 1-hour intervention is not adequate to change excessive recall among radiologists who undertook the intervention being tested.
Effect of Electron-Electron Interactions in Conducting Polymers

Abstract We argue that because of the large correlation length in most conducting polymers, their electronic properties can be understood semi-quantitatively in terms of a simple effective (coarse grained) model. This description is valid only so long as the effective electron-electron interactions are “weak.” The effect of these interactions have been evaluated perturbatively, and values of the interaction strengths are found which are consistent with recent experiments in polyacetylene, and which are indeed “weak.“
State Building in Early-Modern Europe: the Case of France

Between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, Western European political units shared with political units elsewhere in Eurasia both underlying structural factors—population trends, bullion influx, an increasingly integrated world economy—and challenges, above all the rising costs of military activity. Western Europe reacted in ways similar to other regions to the stresses of the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries: greater territorial integration (most notably in France, England, and Spain), stepped-up efforts to establish cultural hegemony in given territorial units, higher levels of taxation, increased military spending and larger military forces, sharply more standardized institutions and administration.
Statistical interpretation of enthalpy–entropy compensation

TYPICALLY, enthalpy and entropy estimates from kinetic and equilibrium data are highly correlated, varying in a linear fashion with one another (enthalpy–entropy compensation effect). This effect can be readily explained in most cases simply as a statistical or data handling artefact. The statistical analysis presented here reveals three novel insights. First, the enthalpy and entropy parameter estimates are highly correlated, such that estimated correlation coefficients > 0.95, say, do not imply chemical causation. Second, enthalpy and entropy estimates are distributed by experimental and measurement errors in elliptical probability regions that are very elongated and appear as lines. The slope of such lines is the harmonic mean of the experimental temperatures. Third, estimates of enthalpy and free energy at the harmonic mean of the experimental temperatures are not statistically correlated, so any observed structured variation between these parameter estimates arises from the chemical effect alone. Note that, since the thermodynamic potentials are interrelated by the Maxwell relationships, a correlation between any two potentials can be transformed to give the corresponding correlation between any other two. We now discuss these results to resolve a number of issues concerning a much disputed data set.
Development and initial validation of brief public domain RIASEC marker scales

Abstract Although commercially developed interest measures based on Holland’s RIASEC types are effectively used in a variety of applied settings, these measures have somewhat limited research utility due to their length and copyright restrictions placed by the test publishers. In the present study, two sets of 8-item RIASEC scales were developed using activity-based items selected from the 30-item RIASEC scales of the Interest Profiler, and two sets of 8-item RIASEC scales were developed using sets of 30 occupational job titles selected from the O∗NET database representing each Holland type. Responses to the items were obtained from three samples of college students with a total of 1024 female and 639 male participants. Results obtained in the initial development and validation process suggest that the sets of brief activity- and occupational-based RIASEC scales developed in the current study retain acceptable levels of reliability and convergent validity. The development of these brief public domain RIASEC interest measures addresses the copyright and length limitations of current scales and may be useful when conducting integrative research examining the inter-relations between Holland’s types and other individual differences measures.
Biofilm formation on coated silicone tympanostomy tubes

Abstract Objectives Tympanostomy tube (TT) surface modifications have been promoted as a means of reducing biofilm formation, otorrhea, and occlusion. The goal of this study was to determine if biofilm formation on silicone TTs could be prevented by commercially available surface coatings. Methods Silicone TTs with and without polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or/and silver oxide were exposed to human plasma and cultured with Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus (22 TTs per group). After 4 days, antibiotics were added to kill planktonic bacteria. Biofilm formation was assessed by quantitative bacterial counts and scanning electron microscopy. Results PVP, silver, and PVP–silver coatings reduced P. aeruginosa biofilm formation relative to silicone by over 1 log ( p p = 0.04) and PVP–silver ( p S. aureus biofilm formation nominally ( p = 0.01 & 0.003). Conclusion PVP and silver coatings reduce P. aeruginosa biofilm formation on silicone TTs. Combining PVP and silver coatings does not further improve biofilm resistance. TT surface coatings warrant further study through clinical trials.
Sorption isotherms of ternary eluents in reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

The experimental technique of mass spectrometric tracer pulse chromatography was used to measure the excess volume of each eluent component for binary and ternary mixtures of water, acetonitrile, and methanol on a C18-bonded silica RPLC packing over the full composition range. The tracer pulse method allowed the direct measurement of excess volumes of each eluent component without numerical integration, assumed isotherm equation, detector calibration, or off-line analysis of the eluent composition. Absolute isotherms were estimated from the experimental data for excess volumes by use of various strategies for the estimation of the volumes of the stationary and mobile phases in dynamic equilibrium with eluents of varying composition. The results indicate that all three eluent components interacted with the alkane bonded phase. Some components were selectively taken up as part of the stationary phase while other components were selectively excluded so the composition of eluent in or on the stationary phase ...
Microcirculatory Compensation to Progressive Atherosclerotic Disease

(VAR) restricts arterial inflow, and avoids an excessive rise in capillary pressure. This study tests the hypothesis that there is microcirculatory compensation to atherosclerotic disease of increasing severity. Foot skin perfusion (FSP) was measured in 100 limbs with a laser Doppler placed on the plantar aspect of the great toe. Limbs were categorized as normal (n= 31) with an ankle brackial index (ABI) ≥ 0.96, claudicants (n= 42) ABI 0.5–0.86, and critical ischemia (n= 27) with an ABI 0.49 or a pulse volume recording consistent with severe peripheral vascular disease and symptoms of rest pain or tissue loss. Segmental Doppler pressures and pulse volume recordings were performed prior to laser Doppler measurements. Subjects with clinical signs or symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency were excluded. The resting foot skin perfusion was measured in the horizontal and dependent position, with the patient supine and sitting. Comparisons within categories were done using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed rank test and between groups with Mann–Whitney U test for unpaired data. Differences were considered significant if they exceeded the 95% confidence level (p value 0.05). Resting supine skin perfusion was similar between nondiabetic normals and claudicants and diabetic normals and claudicants. There was a significant decrease in the foot skin perfusion (mean FSP ± SEM) in the normal limb with a change from the supine (7.8 ± 2.2 ml/min/100 g) to the dependent (2.8 ± 0.6 ml/min/100 g) position indicating an intact VAR. This was absent in 33% of the limbs with claudication. Limbs with critical ischemia demonstrated an increase in FSP with dependency (supine 4.0 ± 1.0 ml/min/100 g) versus dependent (8.4 ± 1.8 ml/min/100 g) and was present in both diabetic and nondiabetic limbs. Microcirculatory compensation occurs early in atherosclerotic limbs. Although supine FSP is similar in normals and claudicants, a greater percentage of claudicants demonstrate a loss of the VAR. Critically ischemic limbs have increased FSP in the dependent position. These observations indicate that there are microcirculatory alterations in limbs with claudication and assist in explaining why patients with ischemic rest pain obtain relief and develop edema with dependency.
An improved X-ray diffraction method for cellulose crystallinity measurement.

Abstract We show in this work a modified X-ray diffraction method to determine cellulose crystallinity index (CrI). Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) derived from bleached wood pulp was used as a model substrate. Rietveld refinement was applied with consideration of March-Dollase preferred orientation at the (0 0 1) plane. In contrast to most previous methods, three distinct amorphous peaks identified from new model samples which used to calculate CrI. A 2 theta range from 10° to 75° was found to be more suitable to determine CrI and crystallite structural parameters such as d-spacing and crystallite size. This method enables a more reliable measurement of CrI of cellulose and may be applicable to other types of cellulose polymorphs.
Solvent Kinetic Isotope Effects on 2'-Hydroxyl Acylation of RNA

RNA can fold into complex tertiary structures, much like proteins, and exhibits significant conformational dynamics that are a central facet of its functions. Two limiting types of RNA motions occur: equilibrium fluctuations and induced conformational changes. Equilibrium fluctuations are spontaneous transitions between conformers along the RNA free energy landscape and conformational transitions occur when the free energy landscape is perturbed to generate new minima and change the energy barriers between minima. Surprisingly, little experimental data are available for equilibrium fluctuations for even simple RNA, and even less is known about the driving forces for conformational transitions in large RNAs. In part this is due to limiting technologies. One technology, SHAPE, has overcome many of the limitations for studying large RNAs. SHAPE, for selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension, has revolutionized RNA secondary structure prediction and provides a transformative experimental approach to investigate nucleotide specific equilibrium fluctuations and conformations. SHAPE reactivity is governed primarily by nucleotide flexibility, which in turn is governed by secondary and tertiary structure constraints. In practice, SHAPE provides nucleotide level resolution of RNA structure and dynamics in RNA of any size. We hypothesize that the solvent isotope effect on SHAPE chemistry will allow insights into the roles of hydrogen bonding and solvation on RNA structure and dynamics. Here, we describe the initial experiments and theoretic basis for interpreting this solvent isotope effect.
Epithelial control of periotic mesenchyme chondrogenesis.

Abstract Morphogenesis of the cartilaginous otic capsule is directed by interactions between the epithelial anlage of the membranous labyrinth (otocyst) and its associated periotic mesenchyme. Utilizing a developmental series of high-density (micromass) cultures of periotic mesenchyme to model capsule chondrogenesis, we have shown that the early influence of otic epithelium in cultures of 10.5- or 14-gestation day (gd) periotic mesenchyme results in initiation or suppression of chondrogenesis, respectively. Furthermore, we have shown that introduction of otic epithelium at two distinct times during in vitro development to cultures of 10.5-gd mesenchyme cells results first in an initiation and then in an inhibition of their chondrogenic response. These influences of epithelial tissue on chondrogenic differentiation by periotic mesenchyme are not tissue specific but are characterized by temporal selectivity. The ability of otic epithelium to influence chondrogenesis and the competence of the periotic mesenchyme to respond to its signals are dependent upon the developmental stage of both tissues. This study provides conclusive evidence that otic epithelium acts as a developmental “switch” during otic capsule morphogenesis, signaling first the turning on and then the turning off of chondrogenic programs in the responding cephalic mesenchyme.
TRP channels and the control of vascular function.

Mammalian TRP channels are grouped into six subfamilies (TRPC, TRPM, TRPV, TRPA, TRPP, and TRPML) based on the homology of the amino acid sequence. They are nonselective cation-permeable channels, most of which are permeable for Ca2+. Growing evidence demonstrates important roles of TRP channel in controlling vascular function including endothelial permeability, responses to oxidative stress, myogenic tone, cellular proliferative activity, and thermoregulation. TRP channels are activated by a variety of stimuli, including calcium store depletion, mechanical perturbations, receptor activation, and changes in temperature and osmolarity. This diversity of activating mechanisms could be consistent with the potential multiple functions of the TRP superfamily. This review summarizes the burgeoning understanding of these cation channels in the control of vascular function.