cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opioid prescribing and risks among commercially insured women undergoing pelvic organ prolapse repair.

PURPOSE Opioid use after surgical repair for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is intended for short-term post-operative pain. This study compared the incidence of opioid prescribing in women undergoing POP transabdominal repair with mesh and transvaginal native tissue repair. METHODS A retrospective cohort of women undergoing POP transabdominal repair with mesh or transvaginal native tissue repair, was derived from a 10% random sample of enrollees from 2007 to 2015 within the IQVIA PharMetrics® Plus Database. Primary outcomes were any prescription of opioids and cumulative days of opioids prescribed in the 14- 180 days following surgical intervention. Inverse probability of treatment weights controlled for observed baseline confounders. Any opioid prescription was estimated using logistic regression and generalized linear regression for cumulative days of opioids prescribed. RESULTS The cohort of 49 052 women who underwent POP surgical repair included 46 813 women with transvaginal native tissue repair and 2239 women with transabdominal repair with mesh. Women with a transabdominal repair with mesh had a 1.19 (95%CI: 1.09-1.31) significantly higher odds of receiving an opioid prescription than women with transvaginal native tissue repair. Post-operatively, over 29% of women received opioid prescriptions. Mean cumulative days of post-surgical opioid prescribing was 32.2 (SD = 43.1), and was not statistically different between groups. Thirteen percent of women were prescribed opioids for 90 days or more. CONCLUSIONS Women undergoing POP with transabdominal mesh are more likely to receive prescriptions for opioids after surgery compared to transvaginal native tissue repair. Treatment plans that address pain while mitigating the risks associated with prolonged opioid prescribing should be employed.
Novel Method to Improve the Uniformity of 7T Body MR Images

When using ultrahigh-field MR systems (7T), the variations in the RF magnetic field can lead to significant loss in image uniformity. To optimize the overall MR image quality, the image region is divided into multiple smaller regions of interest (the ROIs), which can be independently optimized using transmit array optimization techniques including RF shimming, to improve RF magnetic fields and image intensity. Electromagnetic numerical simulations and corresponding transverse magnetization (|Mt|) acquired using the Bloch equation-based MRI simulator are used to evaluate the proposed method. Compared to the simulation results of quadrature driving method, mean and standard deviation (SD) of |Mt| in the full image (an inner diameter of 500 mm) were improved 47% (mean) and 48% (SD), whereas 94% (max) and 97% (mean) improved in the unaveraged SAR using the proposed method. The uniformity of |Mt| acquired using the method was especially improved in the peripheral region of the selected phantom image compared to that of other methods. The proposed method using multiple independently optimized ROIs and numerical simulations significantly improved the uniformity of |Mt| body images at 7T. This technique would be generally applicable to any high-field strength MR systems, which generate short RF wavelengths compared to the field of view.
Ramping Up Antimicrobial Peptides Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2

Human-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as defensins and cathelicidin LL-37, are members of the innate immune system and play a crucial role in early pulmonary defense against viruses. These AMPs achieve viral inhibition through a variety of mechanisms including, but not limited to, direct binding to virions, binding to and modulating host cell-surface receptors, blocking viral replication, and aggregation of viral particles and indirectly by functioning as chemokines to enhance or curb adaptive immune responses. Given the fact that we are in a pandemic of unprecedented severity and the urgent need for therapeutic options to combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), naturally expressed AMPs and their derivatives have the potential to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and impede viral infectivity in various ways. Provided the fact that development of effective treatments is an urgent public health priority, AMPs and their derivatives are being explored as potential prophylactic and therapeutic candidates. Additionally, cell-based platforms such as human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) therapy are showing success in saving the lives of severely ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. This could be partially due to AMPs released from hMSCs that also act as immunological rheostats to modulate the host inflammatory response. This review highlights the utilization of AMPs in strategies that could be implemented as novel therapeutics, either alone or in combination with other platforms, to treat CoV-2-infected individuals.
Evaluation of the effect of multiple administrations of gadopentetate dimeglumine or gadoterate meglumine on brain T1-weighted hyperintensity in pediatric patients.

Repeated administrations of linear gadolinium-based contrast media (GBCM) are associated with T1-weighted (T1-W) signal intensity change in brain structures. The purpose of this study was to compare different brain structures in children after unconfounded, repeated administrations of either a macrocyclic or linear GBCM. We performed a retrospective cohort study, identifying subjects with ≥5 unconfounded administrations of gadoterate meglumine. We matched subjects with repeated administrations of gadopentetate dimeglumine to the gadoterate meglumine arm based on the number of unconfounded GBCM administrations. Two reviewers drew regions of interest on 27 structures in and around the brain. We recorded demographic, modality and study parameters and evaluated them to determine whether they were associated with T1-W signal intensity (SI) changes. Linear mixed effects models evaluated the relationships between the number of GBCM doses and T1-W SI ratio. Finally, we identified differences in the rate of T1-W SI ratio change among individuals using a linear mixed effects model with random slope. We included a total of 52 patients (age range at first MRI: 6.0 months to 17.1 years), 26 in each arm. We detected a significant change in the T1-W SI ratio with repeated administrations of GBCM in one location in the gadoterate meglumine arm and in four locations in the gadopentetate dimeglumine arm. Patient gender and age were not associated with T1-W SI change. Modality vendor, imaging sequence and field strength were variably associated with a systematic difference in the ability to detect a T1-W SI change. Finally, linear mixed effects model with random slope showed that there were individual differences in the slope of SI change at various structures among individuals for both arms. This effect was present in more brain structures in the gadopentetate dimeglumine arm (14 vs. 8). There is a significant change in the T1-W SI ratio over time in multiple brain structures after repeated gadopentetate dimeglumine administrations. This effect was only seen in one ratio after repeated administrations of gadoterate meglumine. There are individual differences in the rate of change of SI ratios over time after repeated administration of gadopentetate dimeglumine and gadoterate meglumine, suggesting that individual differences are present.
Glial Cells in Huntington's Chorea

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses glial cells in Huntington's chorea (HC), which have the potential for playing a major, interactive role in disease processes. In addition to striatum and cortex, other regions in the HC central nervous system show pathology to varying degrees. Ultrastructurally, neurons in the nucleus accumbens show degenerative changes, beginning with indentation of the nuclear membrane and followed by the displacement of the nucleolus and shrinkage of the cell body, which resemble the changes in cerebral cortex. Additional neuropathological features of HC reflect changes in the neuronal–glial relationship. Increased glial fibers, iron deposits, lipopigments, amyloid, and corpora amylacea in synaptic and glial processes contribute to deranged neuronal functions. Transneuronal degeneration in the pallidum, after an experimental lesion of striatum, results in local gliosis but not atrophy or loss of nerve cells. The reduced numbers and intensity of immunoreactive astrocyte cell bodies and their processes, especially prominent in the HC specimens at high antibody dilutions, may reflect the reduced content or defective metabolism of glial fibrillary acidic protein.
A Constraint Satisfaction Algorithm for the Automated Decryption of Simple Substitution Ciphers

This paper describes a systematic procedure for decrypting simple substitution ciphers with word divisions. The algorithm employs an exhaustive search in a large on-line dictionary for words that satisfy constraints on word length, letter position and letter multiplicity. The method does not rely on statistical or semantical properties of English, nor does it use any language-specific heuristics. The system is, in fact, language independent in the sense that it would work equally well over any language for which a sufficiently large dictionary exists on-line. To reduce the potentially high cost of locating all words that contain specified patterns, the dictionary is compiled into a database from which groups of words that satisfy simple constraints may be accessed simultaneously. The algorithm (using a relatively small dictionary of 19,000 entries) has been implemented in Franz Lisp on a Vax 11/780 computer running 4.3 BSD Unix. The system is frequently successful in a completely automated mode -- preliminary testing indicates about a 60% success rate, usually in less than three minutes of CPU time. If it fails, there exist interactive facilities, permitting the user to guide the search manually, that perform very well with minor human intervention.
Outward stabilization of the S4 segments in domains III and IV enhances lidocaine block of sodium channels

The anti-arrhythmic drug lidocaine has been shown to have a lower affinity for block of voltage-gated sodium channels at hyperpolarized potentials compared to depolarized potentials. Concomitantly, lidocaine reduces maximum gating charge (Qmax) by 40% resulting from the complete stabilization of the S4 in domain III in an outward, depolarized position and partial stabilization of the S4 in domain IV in wild-type Na+ channels (Na(V)1.5). To investigate whether the pre-positioning of the S4 segments in these two domains in a depolarized conformation increases affinity for lidocaine block, a cysteine residue was substituted for the 3rd outermost charged residue in the S4 of domain III (R3C-DIII) and for the 2nd outermost Arg in S4 of domain IV (R2C-DIV) in Na(V)1.5. After biotinylation by exposure to extracellular MTSEA-biotin the mutated S4s became stabilized in an outward, depolarized position. For Na+ channels containing both mutations (R3C-DIII + R2C-DIV) the IC50 for rested-state lidocaine block decreased from 194 +/- 15 microM in control to 28 +/- 2 microM after MTSEA-biotin modification. To determine whether an intact inactivation gate (formed by the linker between domains III and IV) was required for local anaesthetic drugs to modify Na+ channel gating currents, a Cys was substituted for the Phe in the IFM motif of the inactivation gate (ICM) and then modified by intracellular MTSET (WT-ICM(MTSET)) before exposure to intracellular QX-222, a quarternary amine. Although WT-ICM(MTSET) required higher concentrations of drug to block I(Na) compared to WT, Qmax decreased by 35% and the V1/2 shifted leftward as previously demonstrated for WT. The effect of stabilization of the S4s in domains III and IV in the absence of an intact inactivation gate on lidocaine block was determined for R3C-DIII + ICM, R2C-DIV + ICM and R3C-DIII + R2C-DIV + ICM, and compared to WT-ICM. IC50 values were 1360 +/- 430 microM, 890 +/- 70 microM, 670 +/- 30 microM and 1920 +/- 60 microM, respectively. Thermodynamic mutant-cycle analysis was consistent with additive (i.e. independent) contributions from stabilization of the individual S4s in R3C-DIII + ICM and R2C-DIV + ICM. We conclude that the positions of the S4s in domains III and IV are major determinants of the voltage dependence of lidocaine affinity.
Life-and-Death Decisions Influenced by Retinoids

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the interactions between retinoids and their receptors as well as the regulators of cell proliferation and death. Retinoids exert many effects via transcriptional regulation, and so far over 200 known genes have been found to be retinoidresponsive. Some retinoid-responsive genes may act directly in the paths, affecting cell proliferation and death. Retinoid-induced decreases in cell proliferation rate are tightly linked to the well-known ability of retinoids to induce differentiation. In some cells, apoptosis follows this differentiation. Paradoxically, retinoids promote proliferation and survival in other cells. This chapter discusses, primarily, the effects of naturally occurring retinoids, except where the synthetic retinoids provide specific information, regarding retinoid signaling mechanisms. Intertwined cellular signals confront cells, with three primary choices: stop growing (desirable in most adult cells), proliferate, or die, by apoptosis. Although the biochemical mechanisms underlying a cells ultimate choice are inextricably linked to differentiation and many details are unique to a cell type, certain basic principles exist. This chapter describes the cell cycle as understood from a few well-characterized cell types, for example, fibroblasts. It discusses the retinoid signaling molecules involved in transmitting a signal to stop growing or to undergo apoptosis. Apoptosis has two distinct phases. During the first phase, a cell becomes committed to undergoing apoptosis but does not exhibit any of the characteristic features of apoptosis.
H-2 mutations: their genetics and effect on immune functions.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the use of H-2 mutations to study functions of the murine major histocompatibility complex. A single H-2 locus can control a variety of immunologic phenomena, and strong MLC reactions can occur to H-2K and D antigens as well as to I region antigens. Histogenetically and serologically detectable antigens are of comparable complexity and small changes in the H-2 molecule—a single amino acid substitution—can have drastic effects on phenotype. The chapter describes methods of detection and analysis of histocompatibility mutations in general and H-2 mutations in particular. The knowledge of H-2 mutations is related to the perennial problem of polymorphism. The individual immune functions are discussed, and data are presented on the way mutations change these functions. In the allograft reaction—the reaction on which the detection of H-2 mutations is based—antigens carried by the transplant are recognized by specific receptors on T lymphocytes. In vitro studies indicate that the H-2 antigens recognized by T cells are complex in the sense that different T cells presumably recognize different portions of the H-2 molecule.
STEREOTYPE OR TRANSGRESSION? Rosie Perez In Hollywood Film

Through a four-pronged methodology which includes textual analyses of the films, film reviews, and interviews with Rosie Perez as well as possible spectatorship positions to Rosie Perez films, the author examines the construction of Latinas in Hollywood film, especially in regard to traditional ethnic stereotypes. In addition, the author ventures into an understudied area of scholarship—namely the consideration of active audience and Latinas/Latinos. This combined methodology which examines both representation and interpretations—that is the production of meaning both at the sending and reception of popular culture—allows for a complicated reading of what Rosie Perez might mean to different segments of the audience.
Preventing and Treating Hypoxia: Using a Physiology Simulator to Demonstrate the Value of Pre-Oxygenation and the Futility of Hyperventilation.

Insufficient pre-oxygenation before emergency intubation, and hyperventilation after intubation are mistakes that are frequently observed in and outside the operating room, in clinical practice and in simulation exercises. Physiological parameters, as appearing on standard patient monitors, do not alert to the deleterious effects of low oxygen saturation on coronary perfusion, or that of low carbon dioxide concentrations on cerebral perfusion. We suggest the use of HumMod, a computer-based human physiology simulator, to demonstrate beneficial physiological responses to pre-oxygenation and the futility of excessive minute ventilation after intubation.We programmed HumMod, to A.) compare varying times (0-7 minutes) of pre-oxygenation on oxygen saturation (SpO2) during subsequent apnoea; B.) simulate hyperventilation after apnoea. We compared the effect of different minute ventilation rates on SpO2, acid-base status, cerebral perfusion and other haemodynamic parameters.A.) With no pre-oxygenation, starting SpO2 dropped from 98% to 90% in 52 seconds with apnoea. At the other extreme, following full pre-oxygenation with 100% O2 for 3 minutes or more, the SpO2 remained 100% for 7.75 minutes during apnoea, and dropped to 90% after another 75 seconds. B.) Hyperventilation, did not result in more rapid normalization of SpO2, irrespective of the level of minute ventilation. However, hyperventilation did cause significant decreases in cerebral blood flow (CBF).HumMod accurately simulates the physiological responses compared to published human studies of pre-oxygenation and varying post intubation minute ventilations, and it can be used over wider ranges of parameters than available in human studies and therefore available in the literature.
Learning to Re-engineer Semantic Networks Using Cultural Algorithms

Evolutionary computation has been successfully applied in a variety of problem domains and applications. In this paper we describe the use of a specific form of evolutionary computation known as cultural algorithms to solve the problem of semantic network reformulation. The semantic network knowledge base is based on the KL-ONE knowledge representation model and contains all the relevant information about the automobile manufacturing process planning system at Ford Motor Company. The complexity of the application along with the frequent changes necessitated by the dynamic nature of the automobile industry has led to frequent modifications to the knowledge base. The explosive growth of the knowledge base has also increased retrieval time for the users. In this paper we suggest that a cultural algorithm approach can be used to identify the attributes that are most significant for node retrieval and describe how to utilize this knowledge to create a more efficient and less complex semantic network.
LAGRANGIAN METHODS IN NONLINEAR PLASMA WAVE INTERACTION

Analysis of nonlinear plasma wave interactions is usually very complicated, and simplifying mathematical approaches are highly desirable. The application of averaged-Lagrangian methods offers a considerable reduction in effort, with improved insight into synchronism and conservation (Manley-Rowe) relations. This chapter indicates how suitable Lagrangian densities have been defined, expanded, and manipulated to describe nonlinear wave-wave and wave-particle interactions in the microscopic, macroscopic and cold plasma models. Recently, further simplifications have been introduced by the use of techniques derived from Lie algebra. These and likely future developments are reviewed briefly.
K‐12 School Food Service Staff Training Interventions: A Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND School food service professionals are vital to implementing national nutrition standards in school meal programs. Appropriate and effective training for these professionals may be one key to producing healthful meals that students are excited to eat and also meet United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient guidelines. A systematic literature review was conducted to understand the scope of interventions conducted with food service staff. METHODS PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and Science Direct databases were searched for articles detailing school food service training interventions in K-12 school settings within the United States. RESULTS Of 2341 articles retrieved, 17 articles describing 14 food service training interventions met the inclusion criteria. While food service staff training was an important component of many comprehensive school health and school meal interventions, there were few studies that specifically addressed school food service staff trainings. Although some best practices can be concluded from the current literature, major gaps in knowledge about effective school food service training interventions and validated research tools remain. CONCLUSIONS As new professional standards are mandated by the USDA, a more thorough evaluation and understanding of best practices is vital to maximize the effectiveness of food service staff training.
Las bases ideológicas de la disputa sobre el dominium y los derechos naturales de los indios americanos

El ensayo examina la historia del debate sobre los derechos naturales, lo que en el lenguaje del neo-tomismo se llamaba dominium, de los indios americanos antes de la llegada de los espanoles. El autor argumenta que para el dominico Francisco de Vitoria y sus sucesores no habia razones para creer que, bajo el derecho natural, los indios no estuvieran en completa y legitima posesion de las tierras que ocupaban antes de la llegada de los europeos, y que la conquista de los americanos era, por consiguiente, ilicita. Se examina el desarrollo del debate desde el siglo XVI hasta el siglo XVIII, y como, al fi nal, las unicas bases seguras que se podian aducir no eran la posesion o la soberania, sino lo que en su lugar Vitoria llamo el derecho de la sociedad natural y de la comunicacion. Esto implicaba que la ocupacion territorial de una nacion por otra era de hecho ilicita y que la unica interaccion legitima entre los pueblos era la del libre comercio. Al hacer estas reivindicaciones los teologos espanoles del siglo XVI habian en realidad hecho posible una transicion necesaria de los ultimos argumentos desde la nocion de imperium territorial a la de comunidad global basada en el comercio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The essay examines the history of the debates over the natural rights, what, in the language of neo-Thomism was called dominium, of the American Indians prior to the arrival of the Spanish. The author argues that for the Dominican Francisco de Vitoria and his heirs there was no reason to believe that, under natural law, the Indians were not in full and legitimate possession of the lands they occupied before the arrival of the Europeans, and that the conquest of the Americans were therefore illicit. He examines how this debate was conducted from the sixteenth until the eighteenth century and how, in the end, the only secure grounds which could be claimed were not ones of possession or of sovereignty but instead what Vitoria had called the right of Natural society and communication. This implied that territorial occupation of one nation by another was indeed illicit and that the only legitimate interaction between peoples had to free exchange. By making these claims the Spanish theologians of the sixteenth-century had, in fact made possible the later arguments for a necessary transition from territorial imperium to a global community based on trade.
I/O, performance analysis, and performance data immersion

A large and important class of national challenge applications are irregular, with complex, data dependent execution behavior, and dynamic, with time varying resource demands. We believe the solution to the performance optimization conundrum is integration of dynamic performance instrumentation and on-the-fly performance data reduction with configurable, malleable resource management algorithms, and a real-time adaptive control mechanism that automatically chooses and configures resource management algorithms based on application request patterns and observed system performance. Within the context of parallel input/output optimization, we describe the components of such a closed-loop control system based on the Pablo performance analysis environment, a portable parallel file system (PPFS), and virtual environments for study of dynamic performance data and interactive control of file system policies.
Redesign of marine structures by perturbation

Abstract Finite element (FE) methods are extensively used for analysis of static and dynamic behavior of marine structures. Often predicted response is unacceptable from the point of view of design or operation. Improvement of response then, becomes a design goal which can be achieved by redesign or reduction of operational threshold. Traditional trial and error techniques using FE methods make redesign expensive and are often inconclusive. In this paper a perturbation-based method is developed to solve redesign problems with both static and modal dynamic objectives using data only from the FE analysis of the baseline structure. Code RESTRUCT implements this method and functions as postprocessor to general or special purpose FE codes. Several simple numerical applications are used to illustrate the efficiency of this redesign method and how it can be used to resolve conflicts caused by incompatible redesign requirements. A 192-degree-of-freedom tower with repeated eigenvalues is redesigned subject to frequency and displacement constraints. Finally the impact of perturbation-based redesign on marine structural design is discussed.
High-frequency time-series of the dynamic sedimentation processes on the western shelf of the Mississippi River Delta

Multiple box cores were collected on the continental shelf in the Mississippi Deltaic Region adjacent to Southwest Pass and analyzed for particle reactive radionuclides 234Th and 7Be to examine seasonal sediment dynamics associated with variations of river discharge and hydrodynamics. Three stations located along a line west of Southwest Pass were cored and reoccupied in October, November, and December of 2003 and March, April, and May of 2004. High-frequency sampling (∼monthly) comparable to the short half-life of the radiotracers (234Th t1/2=24.1 d; 7Be t1/2=53.3) enabled us to isolate the relative influence that various forcing agents (river discharge, waves, currents) had on sediment inventories of 7Be and 234Th. In addition, the primary source of 7Be (fluvial) differs from 234Th (marine), providing further insight into processes affecting sediment transport and supply. Monthly 7Be inventories showed a significant positive relationship to river discharge (P=0.03) proximal to Southwest Pass. Sites further from Southwest Pass exhibited little to no relationship between 7Be inventories and river flow. At these sites, monthly 7Be inventories demonstrated a significant positive relationship with average wave orbital velocity (P<0.01). During our sampling period, the transport of 7Be-rich sediments to sites located on the middle to outer shelf were dependent on sea conditions not river discharge. Relatively high wave orbital velocities potentially allow particles to remain in suspension longer and travel further distances before initial deposition. In addition, 234Th inventories showed evidence of sediment focusing during periods of high wave orbital velocities.
Detection of a Triactinomyxid Myxozoan in an Oligochaete from Ponds with Proliferative Gill Disease in Channel Catfish

Abstract Study of an outbreak of proliferative gill disease in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus resulted in the detection of triactinomyxid myxozoans in the ponds. Triactinomyxid myxozoan spores were observed in the water above mud samples from ponds that had channel catfish affected with proliferative gill disease. These spores also were found in the gut wall of an oligochaete, Dero digitata, collected from the pond mud. The triactinomyxid myxozoan spores are those of an unidentified species of Aurantiactinomyxon. Dero digitata was present in all ponds with proliferative gill disease on the study farm in 1989. Further studies of a possible relationship between the myxozoan in D. digitata and proliferative gill disease in channel catfish are underway.
On the supply of landlord labor in small real estate rental firms

Small real estate rental firms in the United States tend to be employee-owner firms in which the landlord does maintenance and repairs as a part-time job rather than principal-agent firms in which the landlord hires part-time workers. Applying work incentives theory to explain this observation, we find that the difference in incentive compatibility conditions for the two forms of organization provides a bias toward the employee-owner form of organization for sufficiently small-scale operations. By supplying labor to the firm, the landlord avoids transferring economic rents to contract labor, rents that function as incentives for assuring profit-maximizing maintenance effort even when worker productivity is at its lowest.
A graphical method for finding the frequency response of nonlinear closed-loop systems

SEVERAL methods1?7 have been developed for finding the steady-state sinusoidal response of closed-loop systems containing nonlinear elements. Most of these methods require either unnecessarily severe assumptions or long iterative procedures. This paper presents a graphical procedure for finding the frequency response of a large class of systems for which the describing function provides an adequate representation for the nonlinear elements. Attention is restricted to frequency-insensitive zero-memory nonlinear elements. The method is direct, requiring only an understanding of the point of view, and it can be extended to cover systems containing more than one nonlinear element.
Multiple sclerosis, immunomodulation, and immunizations: Balancing the benefits

Our patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) frequently inquire about the safety and efficacy of an annual influenza vaccination. Influenza remains a leading cause of mortality in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 deaths or more annually. Approximately 40% of all adults in the United States are vaccinated annually. The necessity of vaccination is particularly compelling for those with MS, who are twice as likely to be admitted for influenza compared to those without MS.1 What should we tell our patients regarding vaccinations and their disease-modifying therapy?
Education for Toleration in an Era of Zero Tolerance School Policies: A Deweyan Analysis

Almost immediately after the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, arguments appeared in favor of the widespread implementation of zero tolerance policies in schools. Briefly, zero tolerance policies...
Cumulative changes in the use of long-term medications: a measure of prescribing complexity.

Polypharmacy is a major concern in older adults, yet a simple cross-sectional count of medications does not capture the potential complications (and benefits) that occur when medications are started, stopped, and changed over time. The increased complexity that arises from multiple medication changes may lead to problems with adherence and confusion about proper medication use.[Van Wijk, Choudhry] In addition, because adverse drug reactions often occur relatively soon after a medication is started, patients with recent medication changes may be at increased risk of adverse drug events.[Forster] In this study, we sought to longitudinally measure medication changes in a national sample of older veterans as a measure of prescribing complexity in older adults.
A Proposal for Analyzing and Forecasting Lower-Atmospheric Undular Bores in the Western Gulf of Mexico Region

AbstractA method is presented for analyzing and forecasting the occurrence of lower-atmospheric undular bores over the western and central Gulf of Mexico (GOM) and adjacent land areas using standard operational forecasting and analysis techniques. The method is based on research that has identified a set of sufficient conditions associated with these occurrences realized by observations of the phenomena in recent years and is grounded in the theoretical understanding of undular bores developed during the last century by fluid dynamicists. The approach discusses practical approximations to the theory that allows the operational forecaster to use output from standard numerical and statistical forecast models. In addition to providing an operational method for forecasting the time and location of occurrence, the technique provides a methodology for analyzing and anticipating the strength, forward speed, and horizontal wavelength of the phenomena.
Resin-based composite performance: are there some things we can't predict?

Objective The objective of this manuscript is to address the following questions: Why do direct dental composite restorative materials fail clinically? What tests may be appropriate for predicting clinical performance? Does in vitro testing correlate with clinical performance?
Functional outcomes and suitability of the temporalis myofascial flap for palatal and maxillary reconstruction after oncologic resection

Objectives/Hypothesis: The temporalis myofascial flap (TMF) is a method of palatal reconstruction that offers a single-stage, reliable, and functional technique to repair oncologic defects involving the oral cavity following tumor removal. It is hypothesized that both speech and swallowing function are preserved following TMF. Study Design: In a retrospective and prospective case series, this study evaluated the surgical outcomes of 72 patients undergoing surgical resection and reconstruction of the hard and soft palate using a TMF. Of this series, 25 patients underwent nasalence and swallowing quality-of-life testing to determine speech and swallowing function following this procedure. Methods: Reliability, safety, and effectiveness data endpoints on TMF reconstruction were collected and analyzed. Instrumental measures of nasalence (KayPentax Nasometer, Lincoln Park, NJ) and swallowing quality of life measures (MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory [MDADI] were acquired. Results: All TMF's were successfully transferred with complete healing of the oncologic defect. The group mean nasalence for connected speech tasks were within normal limits for connected speech—high- and low-pressure tasks (M = 21% and M = 17%). The group mean nasalence scores for sustained vowels were mildly affected (M = 26%). The group mean MDADI score was 79 (SD = 16), indicating good to mildly affected swallowing quality of life. Neither nasalence nor MDADI scores appeared to vary as a function of defect region. Conclusions: The TMF is an oncologically safe and effective method of palate reconstruction that affords excellent quality of life to appropriately selected patients without reliance on other reconstructive techniques.
Mechanisms by Which Different Functional States of Mitochondria Define Yeast Longevity

Mitochondrial functionality is vital to organismal physiology. A body of evidence supports the notion that an age-related progressive decline in mitochondrial function is a hallmark of cellular and organismal aging in evolutionarily distant eukaryotes. Studies of the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a unicellular eukaryote, have led to discoveries of genes, signaling pathways and chemical compounds that modulate longevity-defining cellular processes in eukaryotic organisms across phyla. These studies have provided deep insights into mechanistic links that exist between different traits of mitochondrial functionality and cellular aging. The molecular mechanisms underlying the essential role of mitochondria as signaling organelles in yeast aging have begun to emerge. In this review, we discuss recent progress in understanding mechanisms by which different functional states of mitochondria define yeast longevity, outline the most important unanswered questions and suggest directions for future research.
Cadaver talk: Medical students' accounts of their year-long experience

Abstract This is an account of a year-long investigation of seven medical students' dissection experience. The purpose of the study was to belter understand what medical students think and feel during dissection to get their perspective, in their language. The written narrative is divided into three parts: before dissection, after the first cut, and separation complete. Each is further divided into themes that emerged from analysis of the interview data: anticipation of the first cut, the spirit/humanity of the cadaver, human markers, from apprehension to fascination, anatomical reminders, lived lives, and treatment and handling of the cadaver. Recommendations include concurrent coursework in the humanities, psychological support, parallel attention to students' professional development, and memorial services for meaningful closure when dissection is completed.
Gadd45 Stress Sensors in Malignancy and Leukemia

Gadd45 proteins, including Gadd45a, Gadd45b and Gadd45g, have been implicated in stress signaling in response to physiological and environmental stress, including oncogenic stress, which can result in cell cycle arrest, DNA repair, cell survival, senescence, and apoptosis. The function of Gadd45 as a stress sensor is mediated via a complex interplay of physical interactions with other cellular proteins implicated in cell cycle regulation and the response of cells to stress, notably PCNA, p21, cdc2/cyclinB1, and the p38 and JNK stress response kinases. Altered expression of Gadd45 has been observed in multiple types of solid tumors as well as in hematopoietic malignancies. Using genetically engineered mouse models and bone-marrow transplantation, evidence has been obtained indicating that Gadd45 proteins can function to either promote or suppress tumor development and leukemia; this is dependent on the molecular nature of the activated oncogene and the cell type, via engagement of different signaling pathways.
Laminin Polymerization Induces a Receptor–Cytoskeleton Network

The transition of laminin from a monomeric to a polymerized state is thought to be a crucial step in the development of basement membranes and in the case of skeletal muscle, mutations in laminin can result in severe muscular dystrophies with basement membrane defects. We have evaluated laminin polymer and receptor interactions to determine the requirements for laminin assembly on a cell surface and investigated what cellular responses might be mediated by this transition. We found that on muscle cell surfaces, laminins preferentially polymerize while bound to receptors that included dystroglycan and α7β1 integrin. These receptor interactions are mediated through laminin COOH-terminal domains that are spatially and functionally distinct from NH2-terminal polymer binding sites. This receptor-facilitated self-assembly drives rearrangement of laminin into a cell-associated polygonal network, a process that also requires actin reorganization and tyrosine phosphorylation. As a result, dystroglycan and integrin redistribute into a reciprocal network as do cortical cytoskeleton components vinculin and dystrophin. Cytoskeletal and receptor reorganization is dependent on laminin polymerization and fails in response to receptor occupancy alone (nonpolymerizing laminin). Preferential polymerization of laminin on cell surfaces, and the resulting induction of cortical architecture, is a cooperative process requiring laminin– receptor ligation, receptor-facilitated self-assembly, actin reorganization, and signaling events.
Immunoglobulin E and type I hypersensitivity in bovine ostertagiosis

A series of experiments were performed to determine whether immunoglobulin E (IgE) and Type I hypersensitivity reactions might be involved in the immune response of cattle to infection with Ostertagia ostertagi. The following observations were made. (1) When calves were lightly infected, serum IgE levels paralleled worm burdens. However, in heavy infections, both serum and lymph IgE levels were inversely related to burdens of O. ostertagi. (2) Increases in mediators, especially histamine and leukotriene (LT) C4 were detected in tissue or lymph, and were associated with cellular changes indicative of hypersensitivity.
Effects of hydrogen addition on the markstein length and flammability limit of stretched methane/air premixed flames

A computational study is performed to investigate the effects of hydrogen addition on the fundamental characteristics of steady and unsteady stretched methane/air premixed flame in an opposed flow configuration. The problem is of interest as a potential application to gas turbines and sparkignition engines, where the addition of a small amount of hydrogen allows combustion at leaner conditions to achieve lower NOx emission. The flame response is first studied under steady conditions with different levels of hydrogen addition. The effective Markstein length is found to exhibit a nonmonotonic function of the level of blending due to the competing effects between the Zeldovich and Lewis number variations. The results also show that the lean flammability limit is significantly extended due to the presence of hydrogen in the mixture, consistent with previous studies. On the other hand, the consumption speed and time scale of the flame at the extinction condition are found to be rather insensitive to the extent...
Hsu's Work on Inference

Hsu spent four years (1936-1940) at University College, London, where E. S. Pearson had recently succeeded his father in the chair of statistics and where, during the first two years, Neyman was a Reader in the Statistics Department. During this period Hsu wrote a remarkable series of papers on statistical inference which show the strong influence of the Neyman-Pearson point of view.
Collateral Blood Flow to the Myocardium as Determined by the Clearance of Rubidium86 Chloride

The left circumflex coronary artery was li gated in anesthetized dogs, and the blood flow to the normal and ischemic regions was esti mated by means of the Rb 86 clearance tech nique. Time occlusion of this coronary artery resulted in an appreciable reduction in the Rb 86 clearance, principally in the posterior region of the left ventricle bounded by the circumflex artery, the posterior descending branch, the ramus marginis obtusi, and the apex. The diminution of clearance of this iso tope was most marked in the basal region, and imp roved progressively toward the apex. Clearances were also decreased in the basal regions just anterior and posterior to this zone. The weight of the ischemic zone, as defined by the Rb clearance technique, was approxi matelv half of that outlined in other studies by injection of dye into the distal end of the occl.uded circumflex artery. Th.is implies that the marginal zone of the territory supplied by the left circumflex coronary artery must receive a dual blood supply. Also, the Rb 86 clearance in the ischemic zone exceeds the es timates of collateral flow l)rovided by simul taneously measured ietrogracle flows. This was true despite the facts that (a) actual blood flows must exceed the measured R clear ances, since extraction is never complete, and (b) retrograde flows overestimate the true value for interarterial collateral flow. When the interarterial collateral flow is drained away by leaving the low resistance cannula system uriclamped during the isotope inf u sion, the Rb 86 clearance is not appreciably af fected in the marginal zone and is reduced by 50 to 60 per cent in the central and basal Portions of the ischemic region. rphese find ings signify that an appreciable circulation must be provided by vessels which communi cate with the capillary beds within the ische inic zone anc1, therefore, would contribute to the measured retrograde flow to only a neg ligible extent.
Interstitial pneumonitis associated with mitomycin C and DTIC: A case report

A case of interstitial pneumonitis secondary to mitomycin C and DTIC combination therapy in a 58-year-old male with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the rectum is reported. Dry cough and dyspnea, especially on exertion, were presenting symptoms. Arterial blood gas analysis was compatible with severe impairment in pulmonary diffusion capacity. Chest x-ray showed a diffuse increase in interstitial markings in both lung fields consistent with interstitial pneumonia. Histologically, prominence of type I pneumocytes, focal proliferation of type II pneumocytes, and varying degree of fibroblastic proliferation and collagenization within the alveolar septae were observed. The obliteration of alveolar septal vessels due to endothelial edema and/or proliferation of fibroblast-like mesenchymal cells were also noted. Withdrawal of drugs and institution of high dose corticosteroid therapy were followed in rapid improvement in dyspnea and arterial blood gas findings. If diagnosed early, this potentially life threatening complication may respond to such therapy.
Determination of the anticancer drug, 15-deoxyspergualin, in plasma ultrafiltrate by liquid chromatography and precolumn derivatization with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde/cyanide

An alternative analytical method for the determination of 15-deoxyspergualin in plasma is described. The drug was initially separated from the plasma matrix by ultrafiltration and a precolumn derivatization step was performed with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde in the presence of sodium cyanide to yield the fluorescent N-substituted 1-cyanobenz[f]isoindole (CBI) derivative. The CBI derivative was separated and quantitated by reversed-phase chromatography using an ODS Hypersil column and mobile phase of KH2PO4 (0.1 M)-H3PO4-acetonitrile (48:0.8:52, v/v/v) containing dodecyl sodium sulphate (18 mM). The excitation and emission wavelengths for the fluorescence detector were 420 and 490 nm, respectively. The peak height was linearly related to drug concentration over the range from 5 ng ml-1 (10 nM) to 10 micrograms ml-1 (20 microM) in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0), spiked plasma ultrafiltrate and ultrafiltrate obtained from spiked plasma. Measurements could be made with a relative standard deviation of 4.5% or less in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.0), 6.1% or less in spiked plasma ultrafiltrate and 12% or less in ultrafiltrate obtained from spiked plasma.
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Trabecular Bone: A Review

Trabecular bone is a highly porous, heterogeneous, and anisotropic material which can be found at the epiphyses of long bones and in the vertebral bodies. Studying the mechanical properties of trabecular bone is important, since trabecular bone is the main load bearing bone in vertebral bodies and also transfers the load from joints to the compact bone of the cortex of long bones. This review article highlights the high dependency of the mechanical properties of trabecular bone on species, age, anatomic site, loading direction, and size of the sample under consideration. In recent years, high resolution micro finite element methods have been extensively used to specifically address the mechanical properties of the trabecular bone and provide unique tools to interpret and model the mechanical testing experiments. The aims of the current work are to first review the mechanobiology of trabecular bone and then present classical and new approaches for modeling and analyzing the trabecular bone microstructure and macrostructure and corresponding mechanical properties such as elastic properties and strength.
Whey based binary bioplastics

Abstract We fabricated and characterized whey protein bioplastics obtained via blending the protein with two abundant biopolymers: natural latex and egg white albumin. Natural latex and albumin contain amino acids with reactive groups that make the materials potentially compatible with whey protein. The bioplastics were obtained by compression molding where water was added as plasticizer. Thermal transitions, tensile stress, percent strain at break, and Young’s modulus were measured for the materials. It is demonstrated that addition of about 10% of the latex and albumin to the whey based bioplastics improves the toughness characteristics of whey based materials without compromising their strength and stiffness.