cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching emergency medicine residents health equity through simulation immersion.

Objective Our aim was to conduct a large, case-based diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) simulation exercise with a goal to improve the DEI pillars of cultural and structural awareness for residents. Methods Utilizing data resulting in poor health outcomes, the top eight themes were utilized, and via a modified Delphi approach, a diverse group of faculty developed representative cases. A mass simulation effort was organized with the assistance of our local simulation office. Twenty residents in groups of two to three rotated through all scenarios. Each resident group was allotted 15 min for each scenario. After each case, resident teams received feedback from standardized patients and a debrief together with the simulation directors. Pre- and postsimulation surveys were developed and distributed to residents. Results Twenty residents completed the simulation. Eighteen completed a pre- and postsimulation survey. Every resident rated the overall usefulness of this activity as a 5.0 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest score. All cases demonstrated an improvement in the residents perceived confidence on a 9-point Likert scale. All residents reported improved understanding of key concepts in health care disparities as related to race/ethnicity, homelessness, LGBTQIA, and their own biases. The largest improvement was seen in the overarching theme of "difficult conversations" with a presimulation survey mean of 3.9 and postsimulation survey mean of 6.5 (delta = +2.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.9 to 3.3, p < 0.01). Conclusions Emergency medicine residency programs must fulfill their obligation to DEI efforts and national requirements while ensuring competency clinically. Mass simulation exercises are a way to incorporate this training. This preliminary data shows promise for a solution and can be easily duplicated. Diversity, health equity, inclusivity, and cultural humility can be effectively taught by an innovative mass simulation effort.
Why Young Adults Obtain a Medical Marijuana Card: Associations with Health Symptoms and Heaviness of Use.

Objective Prior studies documenting more frequent and problematic use among young adults who have acquired medical marijuana (MM) cards have broadly compared those who use medically to those who use recreationally. Gaining a better picture of how health symptoms and problematic use vary both within those who have a MM card for specific condition domains and between those who do not have a MM card can provide key information for medical practitioners and states interested in adopting or updating MM policies. Method The current study categorizes young adults authorized to use MM into three mutually exclusive groups based on endorsements of qualifying conditions: (1) Physical Health only (e.g., AIDS, arthritis, cancer; n = 34); (2) Behavioral Health only (e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep problems; n = 75); and (3) Multiple Conditions (a physical and behavioral health condition; n = 71). Multiple and logistic regression models examined differences across marijuana use, problems, mental health, physical health, and sleep quality for MM condition categories and for those that only use marijuana recreationally (n = 1,015). Results After adjusting for socio-demographic factors (age, sex, sexual orientation, educational status, employment status, race/ethnicity, mother's education, prior intervention involvement in youth), MM card holders, particularly those with physical health or multiple health conditions, reported heavier, more frequent, and more problematic and risky marijuana use compared to those using recreationally. Despite this pattern, those in different MM condition categories were generally not found to be more symptomatic in domains of mental or physical health relevant to their respective conditions, compared to different category groups or to those using recreationally. Conclusions Findings emphasize the importance of providers conducting a careful assessment of reasons for needing a card, along with use, to reduce potential harms while adding credibility to a medical movement with genuine promise of relief for many medical conditions.
World Bank Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes in Montenegro

This diagnostic assessment is part of a joint initiative of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to prepare Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC). It uses International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), International Standards on Auditing (ISA), and the relevant portions of the European Union (EU) body of law (also known as the acquis communautaire), as benchmarks.
Model of recurrent pulmonary aspergillosis in rats.

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with cortisone acetate and fed a low-protein diet for 3 weeks. At the end of week 2, animals were infected intratracheally with 10(5) conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus H11-20. Despite discontinuation of steroids and the low-protein diet 1 week after the infection, 94% of controls died of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis within 3 weeks postinfection. When rats were treated with a single dose of 1.6 mg of aerosolized amphotericin B per kg of body weight 48 h prior to the infection, mortality was reduced to 11% within 3 weeks postinfection. Despite apparent good health and rapid weight gain, all survivors showed multiple lesions in histopathological sections of the lungs, and 10(3) to 10(4) CFU of aspergilli was recovered from cultures of their lungs. With discontinuation of immunosuppression, the infection was slowly cleared; however, when cortisone acetate was restarted during week 5, reactivation of progressive invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was observed. On the basis of these results, we conclude that a single low dose of aerosolized amphotericin B prophylaxis is effective in preventing an exogenous aspergillus infection of the lung. Additional therapy is needed to prevent recurrent infection caused by endogenous aspergilli when immunosuppression is resumed. Images
Motives for Early Revenue Recognition: Evidence from Sec Staff Accounting Bulletin (Sab) 101

The adoption of SAB 101, a regulation affecting revenue recognition, was controversial. The SEC argued that firms were using their revenue recognition practices to manage earnings, while opponents asserted that eliminating accepted revenue recognition practices would decrease the quality of reported earnings. This paper investigates these two competing hypotheses. We find evidence that some firms affected by SAB 101 had been using the targeted revenue recognition practices to manage earnings to meet important benchmarks and reduce their contracting costs, and that the correlation between earnings and cash flows was lower for these firms. However, we also find a decline in the correlation between earnings and cash flows after the implementation of SAB 101 for all firms affected by this regulation. These results raise questions about the effectiveness of this regulation.
Accretion, dispersal, and reaccumulation of the Bishunpur (LL3.1) brecciated chondrite - Evidence from troilite-silicate-metal inclusions and chondrule rims

Abstract A set of troilite–silicate–metal (TSM) inclusions and chondrule rims in the Bishunpur (LL3.1) chondrite provide information regarding impact brecciation of small bodies in the early solar system. The TSM inclusions and chondrule rims consist of numerous angular to subrounded silicate grains that are individually enclosed by fine networks of troilite. FeNi metal also occurs in the troilite matrix. The silicates include olivine (Fo55–98), low-Ca pyroxene (En78–98), and high-Ca pyroxene (En48–68Wo11–32). Al- and Si-rich glass coexists with the silicates. Relatively coarse silicate grains are apparently fragments of chondrules typical of petrologic type-3 chondrites. Troilite fills all available cracks and pores in the silicate grains. Some of the TSM inclusions and rims are themselves surrounded by fine-grained silicate-rich rims (FGR). The TSM inclusions and rims texturally resemble the troilite-rich regions in the Smyer H-chondrite breccia. They probably formed by shock-induced mobilization of troilite during an impact event on a primitive asteroidal body. Because silicates in the TSM inclusions and rims have highly unequilibrated compositions, their precursor was presumably type-3 chondritic material like Bishunpur itself. The TSM inclusions and the chondrules with the TSM rims were fragmented and dispersed after the impact-induced compaction, then reaccreted onto the Bishunpur parent body. FGR probably formed around the TSM inclusions and rims, as well as around some chondrules, during the reaccumulation process. Components of most type-2 and 3 chondrites probably experienced similar processing, i.e., dispersal of unconsolidated materials and subsequent reaccumulation.
Inhibition of specific immune responses by feeding protein antigens. IV. Evidence for tolerance and specific active suppression of cell-mediated immune responses to ovalbumin.

We studied the effect of a single intragastric administration of ovalbumin (OVA) on the subsequent development of OVA-specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses in BDF1 mice. In animals fed OVA 7 days before subcutaneous sensitization with OVA-CFA, we observed a concomitant dose-dependent decrease in both the humoral and CMI responses specific for OVA. The CMI tolerance was found to be antigen-specific when assayed in vivo by ear swelling or in vitro by an antigen-induced T cell proliferation assay because OVA-fed mice responded normally to sensitization with horse γ-globulin. It was also shown that either spleen or lymph node cells, but not serum, from OVA-fed donors transferred suppression to normal recipients. The transfer was mediated by antigen-specific suppressor T cells (Ts) that appeared to inhibit the induction phase (afferent limb) of the CMI response, since the Ts were only effective when transferred before or shortly after the onset of sensitization.
Genetic variability of the envelope gene of Type D simian retrovirus-2 (SRV-2) subtypes associated with SAIDS-related retroperitoneal fibromatosis in different macaque species.

Background D-type simian retrovirus-2 (SRV-2) causes an AIDS-like immune deficiency syndrome (SAIDS) in various macaque species. SAIDS is often accompanied by retroperitoneal fibromatosis (RF), an aggressive fibroproliferative disorder reminiscent of Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with HIV-induced AIDS. In order to determine the association of SRV-2 subtypes with SAIDS-RF, and study the evolution and transmission of SRV-2 in captive macaque populations, we have molecularly characterized the env gene of a number of SRV-2 isolates from different macaque species with and without RF.
A comparison of four image reconstruction algorithms for detection of small lesions in brain phantom

We compared two fully three-dimensional (3-D) image reconstruction algorithms and two 3-D rebinning algorithms followed by reconstruction with a two-dimensional (2-D) filtered backprojection algorithm. The two 3-D image reconstruction algorithms were ordered subsets expectation maximization (3D-OSEM) and 3-D reprojection (3DRP). The two rebinning algorithms were Fourier rebinning (FORE) and single slice rebinning (SSRB). The 3-D projection data used for this work were acquired with a high-resolution PET scanner (MDAPET) with an intrinsic transaxial resolution of 2.8 mm. The scanner has 14 detector rings covering an axial field-of-view of 38.5 mm. We scanned three phantoms: (1) a uniform cylindrical phantom with inner diameter of 20.5 cm, (2) a 11.5-cm cylindrical phantom with four embedded small lesions with diameters of 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm, and (3) the 3-D Hoffman brain phantom with three embedded small lesion phantoms with diameters of 3, 5, and 8.6 mm. We evaluated the different reconstruction methods by comparing the noise variance of images, contrast recovery and contrast-noise trade-off, lesion detectability, and by visually inspecting images. We found that overall the 3D-OSEM algorithm followed by post filtering produced the best results. Even though the MDAPET camera has a relatively small maximum axial acceptance (/spl plusmn/5 deg), the 3DRP algorithm produced slightly better images compared to the faster 2-D rebinning methods.
Digitizing the Fourth Amendment: Limiting the Private Search Exception in Computer Investigations

The “Private Search” exception to the Fourth Amendment allows law enforcement officers to re-create, without a warrant, a search conducted by a private individual, provided two conditions are met. First, the individual may not act at the behest of the government (the agency prong) and second, officers may not search beyond what was already discovered by the private searcher (the scope prong). The exception is premised on the theory that the private searcher destroyed whatever expectation of privacy the suspect had in his information, thereby eliminating any Fourth Amendment protection. In applying this otherwise well-understood exception to searches of computers, however, courts have adopted widely varying approaches based on divergent assumptions and leading to dramatically different results. This Note argues that, because of the nature of computer storage, courts should narrow the application of the private search exception by broadly interpreting the “agency” prong and narrowly interpreting the “scope” prong. Such an approach maintains the purpose of the exception without unduly sacrificing informational privacy or law enforcement efficacy.
Identifying differences between depressed adolescent suicide ideators and attempters

Background: Adolescent depression and suicide are pressing public health concerns, and identifying key differences among suicide ideators and attempters is critical. The goal of the current study is to test whether depressed adolescent suicide attempters report greater anhedonia severity and exhibit aberrant effort–cost computations in the face of uncertainty. Methods: Depressed adolescents (n¼101) ages 13–19 years were administered structured clinical interviews to assess current mental health disorders and a history of suicidality (suicide ideators¼55, suicide attempters¼46). Then, participants completed self-report instruments assessing symptoms of suicidal ideation, depression, anhedonia, and anxiety as well as a computerized effort–cost computation task. Results: Compared with depressed adolescent suicide ideators, attempters report greater anhedonia severity, even after concurrently controlling for symptoms of suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, when completing the effort–cost computation task, suicide attempters are less likely to pursue the difficult, high value option when outcomes are uncertain. Follow-up, trial-level analyses of effort–cost computations suggest that receipt of reward does not influence future decision-making among suicide attempters, however, suicide ideators exhibit a win–stay approach when receiving rewards on previous trials. Limitations: Findings should be considered in light of limitations including a modest sample size, which limits generalizability, and the cross-sectional design. Conclusions: Depressed adolescent suicide attempters are characterized by greater anhedonia severity, which may impair the ability to integrate previous rewarding experiences to inform future decisions. Taken together, this may generate a feeling of powerlessness that contributes to increased suicidality and a needless loss of life.
The induction and compensation of asymmetric eye movements following unilateral blockage of a horizontal semicircular canal in the rabbit

The influence of unilateral plugs of the left horizontal semicircular canal (LHC plugs) of rabbits on the development and compensation of asymmetric eye movements evoked by horizontal vestibular stimulation was studied. LHC plugs caused an immediate reduction of 50–65% in the gain of the horizontal vestibuloocular reflex (HVOR). This reduction in gain was achieved without altering the symmetry of the HVOR, and was accompanied by a change in the axial alignment of eye movements evoked by vestibular stimulation about the vertical (HVOR) and longitudinal (VVOR) axes. Postoperative asymmetry of eye movements developed 12–48 hr after the plugging operation. The development of asymmetry was reduced if the rabbit was restrained for 24 hr, thereby minimizing vestibular stimulation following the plugging operation. Over a 3–4 week period, the normal symmetry of eye movements was restored and the axial alignments of the HVOR and VVOR returned to the preoperative values. The gain of the HVOR did not recover. The horizontal cervicoocular reflex (HCOR) was examined before the plugging operation and after compensation of asymmetry was complete. The gain and phase of the HCOR were not altered. A relatively simple set of explanations at a cellular level is proposed to account for the induction and compensation of asymmetric eye movements following a unilateral plug of the horizontal semicircular canal.
Index Rebalancing and Long-Term Portfolio Performance

We examine how index additions and deletions affect long-term benchmark performance. Studying changes to the small-cap Russell 2000 index from 1979-2004, we find that a buy-and-hold portfolio significantly outperforms the annually rebalanced index by an average of 2.22% over one year and by 17.29% over five years. These excess returns result from strong positive momentum of index deletions and poor long-run returns of new issue additions. We also document the influence of index changes on small-cap equity fund returns. Index deletions enhance the benchmark-adjusted returns of the strongest performing funds by an average of 1.45% per year. Among weaker performing funds, the benefits from holding index deletions are offset by the poor returns of new issues added to the index, which the stronger performing funds generally avoid.
The Substance Abuse Counseling Needs of Women in the Criminal Justice System: A Needs Assessment Approach.

The authors assessed the substance abuse counseling needs of women in the criminal justice system using interviews (n = 304) and surveys (n = 1,170). On the basis of the results, the authors call for gender-specific treatment as well as family-oriented support for women who are mothers.
Capital budgeting and optimal timing of investments in flexible manufacturing systems

This paper investigates the financial-economic decision process for investments in flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). Contrary to popular belief, we show that conventional capital budgeting techniques can be used to make such investment decisions. First, we identify theoverall impact of installing an FMS and present guidelines for a cash flow forecasting model. We then present ways in which to incorporate uncertainty in these cash flows within a risk-adjusted discount rate. These expected cash flows and the discount rate are used in calculating the net present value (NPV). Once the capital budgeting analysis is completed, a critical issue facing the firm is the optimal timing of the installation. We reinterpret the general results on optimal timing of investments within the special context of an FMS project. Finally, we illustrate the above technique via a stylized example.
Implementation of the analytic energy gradient for the combined time-dependent density functional theory/effective fragment potential method: Application to excited-state molecular dynamics simulations

Excited-state quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics molecular dynamics simulations are performed, to examine the solvent effects on the fluorescence spectra of aqueous formaldehyde. For that purpose, the analytical energy gradient has been derived and implemented for the linear-response time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) combined with the effective fragment potential (EFP) method. The EFP method is an efficient ab initio based polarizable model that describes the explicit solvent effects on electronic excitations, in the present work within a hybrid TDDFT/EFP scheme. The new method is applied to the excited-state MD of aqueous formaldehyde in the n-π* state. The calculated π*→n transition energy and solvatochromic shift are in good agreement with other theoretical results.
Gravity Wave Variance in LIMS Temperatures. Part I: Variability and Comparison with Background Winds

Abstract Small-scale features in temperature data from the Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere satellite experiment are isolated by subtracting profiles of globally mapped temperatures (containing zonal waves 0—6) from inverted temperature profiles. These features are interpreted as internal gravity waves. The preponderance of the variance is associated with the longest wavelengths, corresponding to the lowest frequencies (inertio-gravity waves). The data include approximately 2000 daily soundings between late October 1978 and late May 1979, all longitudes, latitudes from about 65°S to 85°N, and altitudes from the tropopause to the middle mesosphere (pressures from 100 to 0.1 mb). Zonal-mean gravity wave variance is compared with background winds, and variance maps are presented for five one-week periods: early November, early January, early February, late March, and early May. Time-height plots of zonal mean wave variance and background winds in the latitude bands 45°–55°S, 5°S–5°N, and 45°–55°N ar...
A gross and palpable contradiction?: Incarnation and consistency

L'A. aborde un probleme christologique, une contradiction logique, mise en evidence dans les definitions du Concile de Chalcedoine, dans la doctrine de l'Incarnation : comment le Christ peut-il continuer a etre encore Dieu qui est au Ciel quand lui-meme est sur terre et bien humain ? Plutot qu'une solution a cette problematique, l'A. prefere explorer l'ampleur de la question en examinant les themes touches par cette difficulte christologique : relation entre continuite et verite, entre l'eternel et l'ephemere, l'individualite, l'omniscience et l'omnipotence divines, l'etat de creature et la relation aux essences
Reading Strategies for Children and Adults: Some Empirical Evidence.

Task-linked reading strategies were studied in adults and fifth graders who read sentences for retention (verbatim recall) or for comprehension (true—false responses to statements). Word-by-word reading times (RTs) were analyzed for nine linguistic indices that reflect the coding of individual words, of structure, and of meaning. For the recall task, the adult RTs primarily reflected the syntactic structure, as illustrated by prolonged phrase boundary RTs, and significant RT differences between lexical and copular verbs, and between sentences with and without embedded relative clauses. For the comprehension task, the adult RTs primarily reflected the semantic content, as illustrated by semantic integration and facilitation scores. However, for children, both the structure and meaning indices were higher for recall than comprehension subjects. Further, children from both task groups appear to use reading strategies that involve mixtures of adult components.
Resonant wavefunctions and exchange effect in nanostructures

Abstract It is shown that itinerant electrons in a nanostructure have the property, in a resonance energy range, that the wavefunctions exhibiting a resonance peak all have substantially the same position dependence within the ‘quantum dot’. In the resonance energy range, they differ only by a Lorentzian function of energy including a phase factor. Consequently, for electron states with parallel spins there should be an exchange cancellation of their Coulomb interaction.
Advances in Zener Diode Vehicular and Aircraft Transient Suppressors

The prime purpose of this paper is to describe the advances in Zener diode transient suppressors for ground vehicle and aircraft application. The evolution of the transient suppressor development for the U.S. Army is presented with emphasis on space, weight, and cost considerations. Improvements including an electronic thermal switch and a "battle override" switch are also described. A futuristic transient suppressor of modular design developed for use as an integral part of the equipment being protected is functionally described.
Modeling the Effect of Marination and Temperature on Salmonella Inactivation during Drying of Beef Jerky

This study modeled the effect of drying temperature in combination with predrying marination treatments to inactivate Salmonella on beef jerky. Beef inside round slices were inoculated with Salmonella and treated with (1) nothing (C), (2) traditional marinade (M), or (3) dipped into a 5% acetic acid solution for 10 min before exposure to M (AM). After 24 h of marination at 4 degrees C, samples were dehydrated at 52, 57, or 63 degrees C. Total counts (tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.1% sodium pyruvate, TSAP) and Salmonella (XLD agar) were enumerated after inoculation and at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h during drying. For calculation of death rates (DR, log CFU/cm(2)/h), shoulder period (h), low asymptote, and upper asymptote, cell counts from TSAP were fitted to the Baranyi model. The DRs were then further expressed as a function of storage temperature. Inactivation occurred without an initial lag phase (shoulder period), while correlation (R(2)) values of fitted curves were >/= 0.861. The DRs of C (-0.29 to -0.62) and M (-0.36 to -0.63) treatments were similar, while DRs of the AM treatment were higher (-1.22 to -1.46). The DRs were then fitted to a polynomial equation as a function of temperature. After validation, good (C and M) or acceptable (AM) model performances were observed (R(2)= 0.954 to 0.987; bias factors: 1.03 [C], 1.01 [M], 0.71 [AM]; accuracy factors: 1.05 [C], 1.06 [M], 1.41 [AM]). The developed models may be useful in selecting drying temperatures and times in combination with predrying treatments for adequate inactivation of Salmonella in beef jerky.
Polymer Monoliths with Low Hydrophobicity for Strong Cation-Exchange Capillary Liquid Chromatography of Peptides and Proteins

Two polymer monoliths were designed and synthesized from commercially available monomers with an attempt to decrease hydrophobicity for strong cation-exchange chromatography. One was prepared from the copolymerization of sulfoethyl methacrylate and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, and the other was synthesized from vinylsulfonic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. Both of the monoliths were synthesized inside 75-μm i.d., UV-transparent fused-silica capillaries by photopolymerization. The hydrophobicities of the two monoliths were systematically evaluated using standard synthetic undecapeptides under ion-exchange conditions and propyl paraben under reversed-phase conditions. The poly(sulfoethyl methacrylate) monolith demonstrated similar hydrophobicity as a monolith prepared from copolymerization of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, and 40% acetonitrile was required to suppress any hydrophobic interactions with peptides under ion-exchange conditions....
Survey of Medical Liaison Practices No. 2. Assessing Training Techniques and Demonstrating Value of Medical Liaisons

In an effort to assess medical liaison trends across the pharmaceutical industry, a survey of medical liaison managers was previously administered and published. The intent of the initial survey was to identify overall approaches used by pharmaceutical companies in defining and managing the medical liaison role. We conducted this follow-up survey to focus on areas identified by the initial survey participants as major challenges. The current survey focused on developing and conducting medical liaison training, as well as demonstrating and communicating the value of medical liaison programs. The survey was sent to approximately 1,275 recipients with instructions requesting that the survey was to be completed only by managers or directors of medical liaison programs. The survey results indicated the following: There is a broad range of new hire and experienced medical liaison training practices, training of newly hired medical liaison differs from that of experienced medical liaisons, and many innovative practices are used to overcome the challenge of demonstrating the value of a medical liaison.
Waste not, want not.

This issue of the Journal contains an article on interventions to reduce blood component wastage, which is an important stewardship issue for the blood supply.1 While blood product wastage is a component of good laboratory practice and a focus of College of American Pathologists and AABB evaluations, blood component wastage rates commonly run from 1% to 5%. Put in perspective, a 1% to 5% wastage rate of the 21 million blood products transfused annually in the United States2 amounts to 200,000 to 1 million wasted units, at a cost of $46 million to $230 million. Equally important is the loss of a scarce and precious resource contributed by volunteer donors. While laboratory staff clearly support blood stewardship, they can feel powerless to affect the rate of wastage because most causes are beyond their direct control. These include most “in-date” wastage causes, such as improper storage of blood products sent to the operating room or other hospital units, and failure to return blood products that are not transfused prior to spoilage, typically defined as more than 30 minutes from issue or when the returned blood product temperature exceeds 10°C for RBCs. These types of “clinical” wastage were the primary focus of the article by Collins et al.1 The study used several low-intensity, low-cost interventions to reduce in-date wastage across an eight-hospital system over a 16-month period. The hospitals varied in size from small community to large academic and …
Fermions Dressed by Massless Vector Bosons

We use a non-perturbative, space-time resolved, simulation of quantum electrodynamics to explore the properties of electrons dressed with photons. We observe differences in the dynamics of dressed and bare electron wave packets, including differences in dispersion, speed, and mass.
Cell- and gene-based approaches to tendon regeneration.

Repair of rotator cuff tears in experimental models has been significantly improved by the use of enhanced biologic approaches, including platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate, growth factor supplements, and cell- and gene-modified cell therapy. Despite added complexity, cell-based therapies form an important part of enhanced repair, and combinations of carrier vehicles, growth factors, and implanted cells provide the best opportunity for robust repair. Bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells provide a stimulus for repair in flexor tendons, but application in rotator cuff repair has not shown universally positive results. The use of scaffolds such as platelet-rich plasma, fibrin, and synthetic vehicles and the use of gene priming for stem cell differentiation and local anabolic and anti-inflammatory impact have both provided essential components for enhanced tendon and tendon-to-bone repair in rotator cuff disruption. Application of these research techniques in human rotator cuff injury has generally been limited to autologous platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow concentrate, or bone marrow aspirates combined with scaffold materials. Cultured mesenchymal progenitor therapy and gene-enhanced function have not yet reached clinical trials in humans. Research in several animal species indicates that the concept of gene-primed stem cells, particularly embryonic stem cells, combined with effective culture conditions, transduction with long-term integrating vectors carrying anabolic growth factors, and development of cells conditioned by use of RNA interference gene therapy to resist matrix metalloproteinase degradation, may constitute potential advances in rotator cuff repair. This review summarizes cell- and gene-enhanced cell research for tendon repair and provides future directions for rotator cuff repair using biologic composites.
Impact of ambulance crew configuration on simulated cardiac arrest resuscitation.

Background. Despite the widespread use of both two paramedic andsingle paramedic ambulance crews, there is little evidence regarding differences between these two staffing configurations in the delivery of patient care. Objectives. To determine potential differences in care provided by each of these ambulance configurations in the resuscitation of a cardiac arrest victim in ventricular fibrillation. Methods. Fifteen paramedic-paramedic and15 paramedic-EMT crews were recruited to perform resuscitation on a high-fidelity human simulator (Laerdal SimMan™). Errors andtheir nature, time to critical interventions, andcompliance with continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were captured by the simulator andvideotape. Results. Two paramedic crews averaged 0.7 ± 0.5 more errors of commision, 0.5 ± 0.4 more errors of sequence, and0.8 ± 0.8 more total errors per resuscitation (± 95% CI; p = 0.008, 0.017, and0.036, respectively). For all interventions analyzed, only time required to achieve intubation differed...
PubChem applications in drug discovery: a bibliometric analysis

A bibliometric analysis of PubChem applications is presented by reviewing 1132 research articles. The massive volume of chemical structure and bioactivity data in PubChem and its online services have been used globally in various fields including chemical biology, medicinal chemistry and informatics research. PubChem supports drug discovery in many aspects such as lead identification and optimization, compound-target profiling, polypharmacology studies and unknown chemical identity elucidation. PubChem has also become a valuable resource for developing secondary databases, informatics tools and web services. The growing PubChem resource with its public availability offers support and great opportunities for the interrogation of pharmacological mechanisms and the genetic basis of diseases, which are vital for drug innovation and repurposing.
Acid-functionalized polysilsesquioxane-nafion composite membranes with high proton conductivity and enhanced selectivity

A series of new Nafion-based composite membranes have been prepared via an in situ sol-gel reaction of 3-(trihydroxylsilyl)propane-1-sulfonic acid and solution casting method. The morphological structure, ion-exchange capacity, water uptake, proton conductivity, and methanol permeability of the resulting composite membranes have been extensively investigated as functions of the content of sulfopropylated polysilsesquioxane filler, temperature, and relative humidity. Unlike the conventional Nafion/silica composites, the prepared membranes exhibit an increased water uptake and associated enhancement in proton conductivity compared to unmodified Nafion. In particular, considerably high proton conductivities at 80 and 120 degrees C under 30% relative humidity have been demonstrated in the composite membranes, which are over 2 times greater than that of Nafion. In addition to a remarkable improvement in proton conductivity, the composite membranes display lower methanol permeability and superior electrochemical selectivities in comparison to the pure Nafion membrane. These unique properties could be exclusively credited to the presence of pendant sulfonic acid groups in the filler, which provides fairly continuous proton-conducting pathways between filler and matrix in the composite membranes and thus facilitates the proton transport without the anticipated trade-off between conductivity and selectivity. This work opens new opportunities of tailoring the properties of Nafion-the benchmark fuel cell membrane-to obviate its limitations and enhance the conductive properties at high temperature/low humidity and in direct methanol fuel cells.
Gliding defective mutant cell lines ofChlamydomonas moewusii exhibit alterations in a 240 kDa surface-exposed flagellar glycoprotein

TheChlamydomonas flagellar surface exhibits a number of dynamic properties associated with whole cell locomotion and the mating process. In this report, we quantitate the ability of a series of gliding defective mutant cell lines (Lewin 1982) to move polystyrene microspheres along their flagellar surface and describe alterations in the flagellar surfaces of three of these cell lines (fg-2, fg-3 and fg-7). Although all three of these mutant cell strains exhibit less than 16% of the control level of microsphere movement, they differ from each other and the parental cell line (M 475) in the level of flagellar surface adhesiveness as judged by the binding of polystyrene microspheres. SDS-polyacrylamide gel analysis of purified whole flagella from the nongliding mutant cell strains and M 475 demonstrates a correlation between the amount of a surface exposed glycoprotein and the level of flagellar surface adhesiveness. This surface exposed glycoprotein binds the lectin concanavalin A and has an apparent molecular weight of 240 kDa. Strains with low levels of flagellar surface adhesiveness (fg-3 and fg-7) exhibit a low amount of this glycoprotein while the strain with a high level of adhesiveness (fg-2) has an elevated amount of this glycoprotein relative to the parental strain, suggesting that this 240 kDa glycoprotein may be responsible for the adhesive properties of the flagellar surface. Concanavalin A inhibits microsphere binding to the flagellar surface, suggesting that the carbohydrate component of the 240 kDa glycoprotein may be involved in flagellar surface adhesiveness. Biotinylation of surface-exposed flagellar proteins demonstrates differences in the surfaces of these mutant cell lines, especially in terms of the amount of surface labelling of the 240 kDa flagellar glycoprotein. A rabbit polyclonal antibody (designated P-19) that binds to the flagellar surface and recognizes the 240 kDa glycoprotein on Western blots confirms the altered level of this glycoprotein in the mutant cell lines. The results of these experiments suggest that the major flagellar glycoprotein ofC. moewusii may be involved in adhesion of polystyrene microspheres to the flagellar surface and presumably also in the adhesive interaction of the flagellar surface with a solid substrate, which is a necessary prerequisite for the expression of gliding motility.
Minocycline decreases in vitro microglial motility, β1-integrin, and Kv1.3 channel expression

Minocycline is a semisynthetic, tetracycline derivative that exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects unrelated to its anti-microbial action. We have previously shown that minocycline prevented peripheral nerve injury-induced mechanical allodynia. Minocycline’s mechanisms of action as a neuroprotective and anti-allodynic agent are unknown. In response to injury, microglia become activated, proliferate, and migrate. Resting microglia express voltage-dependent inward K+ currents and blocking Kv1.3 channels has been shown to inhibit microglial-mediated neuronal death. We investigated the effect of minocycline on the expression of Kv channels, cell motility, and β-integrin expression using primary rat cortical microglia, transwell assays, and by flow cytometry. Minocycline significantly reduced microglial migration to cellular debris, astrocyte-conditioned medium, ADP, and algesic mediators and significantly reduced the expression of CD29 (β1-integrin) but not CD18 (β2-integrin). Minocycline reduced the effect of extracellular potassium and later decreased microglial Kv1.3 expression. In summary, we uncovered a novel effect of minocycline that demonstrates this agent decreases microglial β1-integrin expression, which leads to inhibition of motility. We propose an in vivo model whereby reduced microglial trafficking to injured neurons following nerve injury decreases the release of proinflammatory mediators into the synaptic milieu, preventing neuronal sensitization, the pathological correlate to chronic pain.
Sexual dimorphism in vocal control areas of the songbird brain

In canaries and zebra finches, three vocal control areas in the brain are strikingly larger in males than in females. A fourth, area X of the lobus parolfactorius, is well developed in males of both species, less well developed in femal canaries, and absent or not recognizable in femal zebra finches. These size differences correlate well with differences in singing behavior. Males of both species learn song by reference to auditory information, and females do not normally sing. Exogenous testosterone induces singing in female canaries but not in female zebra finches. This is believed to be the first report of such gross sexual dimorphism in a vertebrate brain.
HNO3 deposition to a deciduous forest

The deposition velocity (Vd) of nitric acid vapor over a fully leafed deciduous forest was estimated using flux/gradient theory. HNO3 deposition velocities ranged from 2.2 to 6.0cm/s with a mean Vdon the order of 4.0cms-1. Estimates of Vdfrom a detailed canopy turbulence model gave deposition velocities of similar magnitude. The model was used to investigate the sensitivity of Vdto the leaf boundary-layer resistance and leaf area index (LAI). Although modeled deposition velocities were found to be sensitive to the parameterization of the leaf boundary-layer resistance, they were less sensitive to the LAI. Modeled Vd's were found to peak at LAI = 7.
Creep Behavior of Single Crystalline KCl

The creep behavior of KCl single crystals compressed along is investigated over a temperature range 570 to 700 °C (0.81 to 0.93 Tm). Primary creep strains of greater than 0.15 are required to achieve a steady-state creep rate. A stress exponent of about 4.4 with an activation energy for creep of 208 to 213 kJ mol−1 is exhibited. The activation energy for creep is about equal to that for intrinsic lattice diffusion of chlorine. Well-developed subgrains are observed in the deformed samples whose size varies inversely with the applied stress. These results suggest that the creep behavior of KCl single crystals is controlled by a dislocation climb process. Le comportement de fluage des monocristaux KCl comprimes sur etait examine dans l'intervalle de temperature de 500 a 700 °C (0,81 to 0,93 Tm). La premiere comportement de fluage plus large que 0,15 a ete requis pour accomplir une vitesse de deformation en regime permanent. Un exponent de la contrainte de 4,4 avec une energie d'activation de fluage de 208 a 213 kJ mol−1 etait demontre. L'energie d'activation pour le fluage etait egale a celle de la diffusion grillee de chlorine. Des sousgrains bien developes etaient observes dans les examples deformes dont les dimensions changeaient inversement avec la contrainte appliquee. Ces resultats laissent a penser que le comportement dans le fluage des monocristaux KCl est controlle par un processus au monte des dislocations.
Pediatric medicolegal education in the 21st century

The most recent medical malpractice crisis affecting the nation has underscored the need for improved medicolegal education for pediatric practitioners at all levels of training and experience. Besides issues related to malpractice, the increase in enforcement of state and federal regulatory laws,1 regulations relating to hospital privileges and employment contracts,2 and an evolving and widening oversight by state licensing boards3 has escalated an imperative to expand on current educational efforts. Pediatric educators must support the notion that a sound foundation in medicolegal issues, along with continuing education in these areas, will be as integral to a successful practitioner as is competence in medical diagnosis and management. A solid basis in medicolegal principles is not simply self-serving for the practitioner to reduce the risk of a lawsuit, but good risk management can contribute to improved patient safety and quality of care.4 Each of the periodic surveys on medical liability completed since 1987 by fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has found that 30% of pediatricians will be sued during their careers, with an average of 1.7 lawsuits per pediatrician.5 Ten percent of pediatricians reported being sued as interns/residents, which can have ramifications for future managed care and hospital credentialing because of the mandatory reporting to the National Practitioner Data Bank. At the end of 2004, there were payment reports in the National Practitioner Data Bank for 1669 allopathic/osteopathic interns and residents.6 Although pediatricians are not sued as frequently as other physicians, they had the fourth highest average malpractice indemnity payout of 28 specialties (behind neurology, neurosurgery, and obstetrics-gynecology) among claims closed in 2004. This payout was 43% higher than the overall average indemnity paid for all physician specialties.7 Despite many malpractice suits being dropped before settlement or trial, the dramatic increase in … Address correspondence to Gary N. McAbee, DO, JD, FAAP, Pediatrics (Neurology), Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, 3 Cooper Plaza, Suite 309, Camden, NJ 08103. E-mail: mcabee-gary{at}cooperhealth.edu
A computerized discriminator for action potentials

Abstract A system for recognizing extracellular action potentials in the presence of noise and other pulses was developed for a PDP11/23 computer. Data can be processed either on-line or off-line from a tape recorder. There are 4 parts: 1. (1) An RC bandpass filter attenuates noise. 2. (2) The data input program digitizes the signal every 55 μsec. If the signal exceeds a threshold, 12 samples of the signal and the time are written onto the disk. Up to 300 pulses/sec can be processed. 3. (3) The pulse discriminating program recognizes an action potential by fitting the 12 points with this function: v(t) = (a + bt + ct2) exp(−t/τ). It is biphasic, has two zeroes, and decays to zero at long times. There are 4 parameters, a, b, c and τ. The operator chooses a value of τ giving good fits for all pulses of this neuron. For each pulse the computer determines values of a, b and c by the least squares technique. The zeroes of v(t) are computed. For acceptance, the total pulse height (difference between extreme voltages), the position of the first zero, and the time between zeroes must be within limits. The 12 points and v(t) can be displayed. Summary statistics and histograms are printed. It takes 80 msec/pulse for these off-line computations. 4. (4) Occasionally a pulse may be missed or an extra one recorded. The pulse insertion-deletion program edits the disk files. The instantaneous-interspike-frequency plot is displayed and the operator moves cursors to insert or delete pulses.
Potassium channel block by cytoplasmic polyamines as the mechanism of intrinsic rectification

INWARDLY rectifying potassium channels conduct ions more readily in the inward than the outward direction, an essential property for normal electrical activity1,2. Although voltage-dependent block by internal magnesium ions may underlie inward rectification in some channels3–5, an intrinsic voltage-dependent closure of the channel plays a contributory, or even exclusive, role in others4,6–9. Here we report that, rather than being intrinsic to the channel protein, so-called intrinsic rectification of strong inward rectifiers requires soluble factors that are not Mg2+ and can be released from Xenopus oocytes and other cells. Biochemical and biophysical characterization identifies these factors as polyamines (spermine, spermidine, putrescine and cadaverine). The results suggest that intrinsic rectification results from voltage-dependent block of the channel pore by polyamines, not from a voltage sensor intrinsic to the channel protein10.