cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal Changes and Institutional Variation in Use of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction With Multivessel Coronary Artery Disease in the United States: An NCDR Research to Practice Project.

Importance After disparate results from observational and small randomized studies, the COMPLETE trial demonstrated superiority of multivessel (MV) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) over culprit-only PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Objective To describe temporal trends and institutional variation of MV PCI use for STEMI in the United States to inform how new evidence may influence clinical practice. Design, setting, and participants This cohort study included STEMI admissions involving MV disease from 1598 institutions in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry CathPCI Registry from the third quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2018. An MV PCI was defined as a PCI to a nonculprit lesion within 45 days of the index procedure. Exposures Multivessel PCI, defined as placement of coronary stents in 2 or more major epicardial vessels or the staged placement of 1 or more coronary stents in a major epicardial vessel distinct from the index culprit vessel, within 45 days of the index PCI. Main outcomes and measures Outcomes included the proportional use of MV PCI among STEMI admissions with MV disease, and the timing of MV PCI (an index procedure, a staged procedure during index hospitalization, or a postdischarge procedure within 45 days). Results Among 359 879 admissions with STEMI and MV disease, MV PCI was performed in 38.5% (n = 138 380; mean [SD] age of patients, 62.3 [12.3] years; 102 266 men [73.9%]) within 45 days. Of those receiving MV PCIs, 30.8% (n = 42 629) had a procedure performed during the index procedure, 31.6% (n = 43 696) as a staged procedure during the index hospitalization, and 37.6% (n = 52 055) within 45 days of discharge. Complete revascularization of all diseased arteries was performed in 76.2% (n = 105 389). From the third quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2013, MV PCI use declined by 10%, from 42.7% (3230 of 7572 cases) to a nadir of 32.7% (3386 of 10 342 cases), followed by an increase to 44.0% (5062 of 11 497 cases) by the fourth quarter of 2017. During this time, there was a 13.6% decline in use of postdischarge staged MV PCI (from 23.4% of STEMI cases [1772 of 7572 cases] in the third quarter of 2009 to 9.9% [1094 of 11 171 cases] in the fourth quarter of 2014) and an 12.5% increase in MV PCI performed during the index admission (from 19.3% [1458 of 7572 cases] in the third quarter of 2009 to 31.8% [3557 of 11 171 cases] in the first quarter of 2018). Multivessel PCI use varied substantially across institutions, with a median use of 37.9% (interquartile range, 30.0%-46.5%). Conclusions and relevance In this large, nationwide analysis, MV PCI use for patients with STEMI has been increasing through early 2018 but was used in the minority of patients and with wide variability across US institutions. The adoption of new trial results into guidelines and practice may further promote the growth of MV PCI.
Matching comparisons of therapeutic efficacy suggest better clinical outcomes for patients treated with peginterferon beta-1a than with glatiramer acetate:

Background:Peginterferon beta-1a and glatiramer acetate (GA) are approved first-line therapies for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, but their therapeutic efficacy has not bee...
Low-voltage (~1.3V), Arsenic Free Threshold Type Selector with Ultra High Endurance (> 10 11 ) for High Density 1S1R Memory Array

Low voltage selectors are critical for low power operation of high density non-volatile memories. In this work, selectors based on arsenic free chalcogenide materials are demonstrated with record high endurance over 1011 cycles together with threshold voltage ~1.3V and leakage current ~5nA. The enhanced endurance is attributed to suppression of phase separation with more stable amorphous network by proper dopants.
Antibody-mediated toxin aggregation correlates with the ability of heterodimeric camelid antibodies to passively protect mice against ricin (VAC11P.1108)

Ricin belongs to the A-B toxin family that also includes Shiga and cholera toxins. While immunity to ricin is antibody (Ab)-mediated, it is unclear what functional qualities of Abs are associated with immunity to ricin, considering that Abs with potent toxin-neutralizing activity (TNA) in vitro are not always protective in vivo . We recently produced a collection of alpaca heavy-chain only Abs (VHHs) specific for ricin’s enzymatic (RTA) and binding (RTB) subunits. To better define the attributes associated with immunity to ricin, we engineered VHH homodimers and heterodimers and characterized them in vitro and in vivo . Dimeric VHHs had 10-fold improved binding affinities for ricin and had 2-3 times increased TNA as compared to their monomeric constituents. However, neither improved affinity nor increased TNA correlated with a VHH’s ability to protect in vivo . Instead, immunity was associated with heterodimers composed of an RTA and an RTB monomer in which at least one had TNA. Analytical ultracentrifugation showed that all five protective heterodimers identified in this study promoted ricin aggregation in solution. The same five VHHs also prevented ricin from binding to cell surfaces in vitro . We propose that toxin aggregation and/or inhibition of attachment are likely key determinants of antibody-mediated protective immunity to ricin and possibly other A-B family members.
Advanced modeling of online consumer behavior: The moderating roles of hedonism and culture

Abstract This study develops and tests a comprehensive model of online consumer behavior. Using a sample of 1523 subjects from different cultural backgrounds, there is strong support for the model across three different cultures. Since hedonism is one of the important aspects of online shopping, the level of hedonism for 39 websites is measured to investigate how hedonism moderates online consumer behavior and how it interacts with culture. The findings support that consumers' emotions felt after visiting a website positively influence their perceptions of the website atmospherics that in turn influence a set of behavioral variables ending up with intention to purchase. The findings also show that hedonism and culture do interactively moderate online consumers' behavior. Together, this article provides deep new insights in the relative importance of various variables in online consumer behavioral models across cultures and levels of hedonism of websites. Discussions and managerial implications are then presented.
Crystallographic studies of the binding of ligands to the dicarboxylate site of Complex II, and the identity of the ligand in the “oxaloacetate-inhibited” state

Mitochondrial Complex II (succinate:ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is purified in a partially inactivated state, which can be activated by removal of tightly bound oxaloacetate (E.B. Kearney, et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 49 1115-1121). We crystallized Complex II in the presence of oxaloacetate or with the endogenous inhibitor bound. The structure showed a ligand essentially identical to the "malate-like intermediate" found in Shewanella Flavocytochrome c crystallized with fumarate (P. Taylor, et al., Nat. Struct. Biol. 6 1108-1112) Crystallization of Complex II in the presence of excess fumarate also gave the malate-like intermediate or a mixture of that and fumarate at the active site. In order to more conveniently monitor the occupation state of the dicarboxylate site, we are developing a library of UV/Vis spectral effects induced by binding different ligands to the site. Treatment with fumarate results in rapid development of the fumarate difference spectrum and then a very slow conversion into a species spectrally similar to the OAA-liganded complex. Complex II is known to be capable of oxidizing malate to the enol form of oxaloacetate (Y.O. Belikova, et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 936 1-9). The observations above suggest it may also be capable of interconverting fumarate and malate. It may be useful for understanding the mechanism and regulation of the enzyme to identify the malate-like intermediate and its pathway of formation from oxaloacetate or fumarate.
New Mayan Superpower War Hieroglyphics Support For A Theory of Civilizations

Newly found Mayan hieroglyphics (at Dos Pilas, Guatemala) that describe a series of wars between Mayan "superpowers" Tikal and Calakmul appear to support a new mathematical theory of civilizations. Major events in the history of Teotihuacan (near Mexico City) in Mayan times also are consistent with the predictions of this theory.
Effect of Salt Concentration in the Recovery Medium on Heat-injured Streptococcus faecalis

Properties relating to the recovery of three heat-injured strains of Streptococcus faecalis were studied. All strains were cultured in all purpose plus Tween broth (APT) at 30 C for 24 hr before being subjected to heat in fresh APT broth. APT recovery medium containing various added amounts of NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, or KCl and MgCl2 was used to assess the effect of salts on the recovery of thermally injured S. faecalis. It was evident that, upon exposure to heat, S. faecalis cells became sensitive to increased salt concentrations. Analyses to determine the ribonucleic acid (RNA) content of heated cells showed a reduction of cellular RNA, but the per cent reduction was not directly proportional to the per cent reduction of the viable cells.
Structure and function of the female reproductive system in three species of goblin spiders (Arachnida: Araneae: Oonopidae)

Abstract. Because of their reproductive biology, spiders are extremely promising subjects for testing hypotheses on sexual selection. Further, their genital morphology provides useful characteristics for taxonomy. However, the structure and functional morphology of the genitalia of members of most spider groups are poorly known. This is especially true for members of the Haplogynae. In this article, the female genitalia of three oonopid species are described, using light and scanning electron microscopy. The male palps are also briefly described. The female genitalia of all these three species do not correspond to the description of haplogyne genital systems given in the literature. Receptacula are lacking in the genitalia of Opopaea deserticola and Zyngoonops sp. Sperm are present in the uterus internus of members of these two species, indicating that fertilization occurs there or in the ovary. Females of Zyngoonops sp. have a pouch that possibly holds appendages on the male endites during copulation. Modifications on the endites might allow males to exert copulatory courtship. A secretory sac was found inside the receptaculum of Gamasomorpha lutzi. Previous studies on oonopids with the same type of genitalia showed that the sac contains sperm and that it can be discarded during copulation. Spermatozoa were also found inside the uterus internus of members of G. lutzi. A sclerite in the uterus wall of females of all three species might serve to lock the uterus during copulation in order to prevent sperm from getting into it, as suggested for a variety of other oonopids. The male palps of O. deserticola and Zyngoonops sp. are simple. Furrows on the emboli of G. lutzi suggest that males use the palps as copulatory courtship devices. The present study reveals the complex genital morphology of three species belonging to the little known spider family Oonopidae, and provides new insights into the function of their genitalia in the context of sexual selection.
The Effects of Self-Monitoring of Academic Accuracy and Productivity on the Performance of Students with Behavioral Disorders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a self-monitoring of academic accuracy and productivity procedure on the academic performance and on-task behavior of three male students...
Obstacles to Excellence

How do we know whether our educational programs are achieving their goals? Medicine itself has experienced a movement toward outcomes assessment, grounded in the view that we cannot really know whether medicine works if we do not undertake an assessment of outcomes, and this trend has affected medical education, as well. We can say how many hours students spend in the classroom, the curriculum they are expected to study, and how many faculty members are involved in teaching them, but we really need to know what the students are learning and what they are able to do as a result. This has spawned interest in such evaluative techniques as objective structured clinical examinations, where students are asked to demonstrate their ability to take histories and perform physical examinations, rather than merely answer multiple-choice questions.
Hidden Congruent Deduction

Cleverly designed software often fails to satisfy its requirements strictly, but instead satisfies them behaviorally, in the sense that they appear to be satisfied under every experiment that can be performed on the system. A good example is the traditional implementation of sets by lists, where union as implemented by append fails to strictly satisfy basic laws like commutativity and idempotency, but does satisfy them behaviorally. It is becoming increasingly clear that behavioral specification is more appropriate to software engineering than traditional approaches that rely on strict satisfaction of axioms, and it is therefore becoming increasingly important to develop powerful techniques for behavioral verification. This paper presents some techniques of this kind in the area called hidden algebra, clustered around the central notion of coinduction. We believe hidden algebra is the natural next step in the evolution of algebraic semantics and its first order proof technology. Hidden algebra originated in [7], and was developed further in [8,10,3,12,5] among other places; the most comprehensive survey currently available is [12].
A Review of “USTA Mental Skills and Drills Handbook”

The USTA Mental Skills and Drills Handbook is a practical educational resource for tennis coaches, sport psychology practitioners, and tennis players who want greater understanding of mental skills...
On the training and testing of entry-level commercial motor vehicle drivers

Abstract This study examined the effectiveness of 3 different training types on commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers’ skill levels. The training types included a conventional 8-week certified course, a conventional 8-week certified course with approximately 60% of driving time spent in a CMV driving simulator, and a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) test focused short course. Participants’ scores on the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) road and range tests were assessed. In addition to their DMV scores, participants replicated DMV road and range driving tests in an instrumented vehicle and the CMV driving simulator. Results indicated no training group differences in DMV road tests. There were differences between training groups on DMV range tests and real truck and simulator versions of the DMV road and range tests; on these tests conventional- and simulator-trained participants generally scored higher than CDL-focused participants. However, all groups performed higher in the real truck than in the simulator for both road and range tests. These findings indicate the need for a minimum standard of entry-level CMV driver training as well as support of the use of a driving simulator for training entry-level drivers; however, testing using a simulator does not appear to be feasible with current technology.
An Introduction to the Environmental Physics of Soil, Water and Watersheds

An Introduction to the Environmental Physics of Soil, Water and Watersheds presents an easy approach to understanding physical processes associated with the land surface and subsurface water and energy balance, with a brief treatment of transport. The book begins with a treatment of soil, its formation and composition, and properties associated with soil strength and characterization with moisture. Next is a description of the properties of liquids wherein concepts such as pressure, energy, buoyancy, and waves are addressed. This is followed by the treatment of evapotranspiration and infiltration. The book then discusses overland flow, erosion and deposition, and transport by rivers. The behavior of flow in the subsurface, namely, saturated and unsaturated flow and contaminant transport, completes the book.
Sympathetic neurons extend neurites in a culture medium containing cyanide and dinitrophenol but not iodoacetate.

Abstract A culture medium circulated through the rat heart and supplemented with insulin, transferrin and nerve growth factor leads to a massive proliferation of neurite outgrowth from neurons of peripheral sympathetic ganglia of the chick embryo. Addition of 1 mM cyanide or 50 μM dinitrophenol to such medium for 2 days had no adverse effect on the neurite outgrowth and ATP content of these neurons. However, 0.5 μM iodoacetate lowered ATP content 65% without affecting the number of surviving neurons up to 2 days. Only when ATP content was reduced to 80% by 2.5 μM iodoacetate was the number of surviving neurons significantly reduced (30%). It is concluded that the glycolytic pathway is the major route of ATP synthesis in embryonic sympathetic neurons maintained in culture, and only a small fraction of ATP is utilized for the survival and neurite extension.
A simple rule reduces costs of extragroup parasitism in a communally breeding bird.

Summary How do cooperatively breeding groups resist invasion by parasitic "cheaters," which dump their eggs in the communal nest but provide no parental care [1,2]? Here I show that Greater Anis ( Crotophaga major ), Neotropical cuckoos that nest in social groups containing several breeding females [3], use a simple rule based on the timing of laying to recognize and reject eggs laid by extragroup parasites. I experimentally confirmed that Greater Anis cannot recognize parasitic eggs based on the appearance of host egg phenotypes or on the number of eggs in the clutch. However, they can discriminate between freshly laid eggs and those that have already been incubated, and they accordingly eject asynchronous eggs. This mechanism is reliable in naturally parasitized nests, because group members typically lay their eggs in tight synchrony, whereas the majority of parasitic eggs are laid several days later. Rejection of asynchronous eggs therefore provides a rare empirical example of a complex, group-level behavior that arises through relatively simple "rules of thumb" without requiring advanced cognitive mechanisms such as learning, counting, or individual recognition.
Technologizing Africa: On the bumpy information highway

Abstract Although the microcomputer and the Internet continue to advance rapidly in Western cultures, developing nations, especially those in Africa, are lagging behind—a situation that continues to widen the gap between the haves and the have-nots of the world. This article offers the rare opportunity to get a glimpse of Africa on the information highway and documents the use of computers in the educational systems of three African nations: Ghana, Kenya, and Egypt. It documents the progress these countries have made in exposing their citizens to information technology and reveals the challenges they face in closing the digital divide that Africans continue to experience. In presenting how these countries adapt to technological change, one may better understand why Africa's ride on the information highway is rutted.
Modular Design of Immunological Synapses and Kinapses

The concept of an immunological synapse goes back to the early 1980s with the discovery of the relationship between T-cell antigen receptor mediated Ca2+ signaling, adhesion, and directed secretion. However, this concept did not gain traction until images were published starting in 1998 that revealed a specific molecular pattern in the interface between T cells and model antigen-presenting cells or supported planar bilayers. The dominant pattern, a ring of adhesion molecules surrounding a central cluster of antigen receptors, was observed in both model systems. Analysis of the origins of this pattern over the past 10 years has presented a solution for a difficult problem in lymphocyte biology—how a highly motile cell can suddenly stop when it encounters a signal delivered by just a few antigenic ligands on the surface of another cell without disabling the sensory machinery of the motile cell. The T lymphocyte actively assembles the immunological synapse pattern following a modular design with roots in actin–myosin‐based motility.
Measuring Socio-economic Status in the Millennium Villages: The Role of Asset Index Choice

How are poverty analyses and poverty traps assessments affected by the choice among conventional methods of asset index construction? To address this question, this article uses panel data from fou...
A Review of Niblett's Legal Protection of Computer Programs and Diamond v, Diehr and Some Thoughts on Patenting Computer Programs

Bryan Niblett, author of Legal Protection of Computer Programs,' is one of those rare individuals who is skilled in two disciplines. He is a professor and the head of the department of computer science at the University of Swansea in Wales, and he is a barrister of the Inner Temple. If only he were also a patent attorney, he would be ideally qualified to comment on how one should protect one's proprietary interest in computer programs. But his excellent computer science credentials allow him to view this area of law from a vantage point that is more technically sound than that of most other commentators, and his lack of practical experience in the patent law field is offset by his neutrality-he does not represent clients who either favor or oppose the granting of legal protection to computer programs. Accordingly, this small volume, which is designed to serve as an introductory tutorial for both attorneys and computer scientists, is worthy of study. Niblett's book contains numerous insights into the nature of the complicated legal structures that have grown up in this area of law. We should study Niblett's book, because his qualifications as a computer scientist and barrister lend a note of authority to his prose that is missing from much of the literature on this subject. Certainly, the Supreme Court of the United States lacks technical expertise. But Supreme Court decisions are the law of the land, and this fact lends more than just a note of authority to whatever the Court says. Accordingly, in this review article I shall review not only Niblett's excellent little book but also the Supreme Court's latest attempt to determine the patentability of computer programs. In Diamond v. Diehr,' five members of the Court held that a novel computer program for controlling the curing of syn-
A NEW BINUCLEATING LIGAND BASED ON ANTHRACENE AND ITS COFACIAL DIRHODIUM(I) AND DIIRIDIUM(I) COMPLEXES

A new bis(β-keto enamine) ligand (2a, ABIH2) containing a 1,8-anthracenediyl bridging group has been synthesized by a four-step procedure that relies on the Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling between (3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl)trialkyltin and 1,8-dibromoanthraquinone or -anthracene. The molecular structures of the 1,8-bis(3,5-dimethylisoxazol-4-yl)anthraquinone (8) and -anthracene (10) intermediates were determined by X-ray analysis. Crystal data for 8: orthorhombic, space group Pbca; a = 14.351 (2), b = 11.932 (1), c = 23.278 (2) A; V = 3986 (1) A3; Z = 8; R = 0.057 for 2615 reflections. Crystal data for 10: orthorhombic, space group P212121; a = 7.104 (1), b = 12.805 (1), c = 22.280 (2) A; V = 2026.7 (6) A3; Z = 4; R = 0.066 for 3423 reflections. The rigid ABIH2 ligand, whose chelating moieties are constrained to be cofacial, allows the preparation of a new family of cofacial bimetallic complexes (ABI)[ML2]2 with controllable environments around the metal centers. Two novel cofacial binuclear complexes 4 and...
Multimodal Entity Coreference for Cervical Dysplasia Diagnosis

Cervical cancer is the second most common type of cancer for women. Existing screening programs for cervical cancer, such as Pap Smear, suffer from low sensitivity. Thus, many patients who are ill are not detected in the screening process. Using images of the cervix as an aid in cervical cancer screening has the potential to greatly improve sensitivity, and can be especially useful in resource-poor regions of the world. In this paper, we develop a data-driven computer algorithm for interpreting cervical images based on color and texture. We are able to obtain 74% sensitivity and 90% specificity when differentiating high-grade cervical lesions from low-grade lesions and normal tissue. On the same dataset, using Pap tests alone yields a sensitivity of 37% and specificity of 96%, and using HPV test alone gives a 57% sensitivity and 93% specificity. Furthermore, we develop a comprehensive algorithmic framework based on Multimodal Entity Coreference for combining various tests to perform disease classification and diagnosis. When integrating multiple tests, we adopt information gain and gradient-based approaches for learning the relative weights of different tests. In our evaluation, we present a novel algorithm that integrates cervical images, Pap, HPV, and patient age, which yields 83.21% sensitivity and 94.79% specificity, a statistically significant improvement over using any single source of information alone.
When and How Much to Reproduce: The Trade-Off Between Power and Efficiency

A compromise between speed and efficiency of energy conversions gives the maximum power of useful energy conversion at intermediate efficiencies. Organisms are selected to maximize the power of energy conversions to a useful form. However, most species have very little capacity to vary the efficiency of their energy conversions in response to variation in the intensity of the environmental power supply. Plants can respond slowly to horizontal variation in the availability of energy by growth. The trade-off between power and efficiency which is dependent on the compromise between speed and efficiency of energy conversions does seem to apply to the relative efficiencies of successive species in a sere of secondary terrestrial plant succession. The application of the power trade-off to species in a sere predicts the common general properties of growth and reproduction in succession. The power trade-off may also help to explain reproductive patterns in animals that differ in the concentration of their food supply. The thermodynamic basis of causation provided by the power trade-off could be a valuable tool for connecting evol utionary ecology with community and ecosystem studies.
Selective heterologous regulation of 5-HT1A receptor-stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding in the anterior cingulate cortex as a result of 5-HT2 receptor activation

Previous studies have shown that administration of the 5-HT(2) receptor agonist DOI to rats results in the heterologous desensitization of 5-HT(1A) receptor-mediated behavioral and neuroendocrine responses [Neuropsychopharmacology 19 (1998) 354; J. Neurosci. 21 (2001) 7919]. We hypothesized that the basis for these changes in 5-HT(1A) receptor function may involve changes in the capacity of the 5-HT(1A) receptor to activate G proteins. We examined the effect of chronic administration of DOI on the regulation of 5-HT(1A) receptor function at the level of receptor-G protein interaction using quantitative autoradiography of [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding stimulated by the 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist (+/-)8-OH-DPAT (1 microM). Repeated administration of DOI (1 mg/kg, s.c. once daily for 8 days) resulted in a marked down-regulation in 5-HT(2A) binding sites, as labeled by the antagonist radioligand [(3)H]ketanserin, throughout the cerebral cortex. Chronic DOI treatment also resulted in a significant and selective attenuation of 5-HT(1A) receptor-stimulated [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding in the anterior cingulate cortex (vehicle-treated: 74+/-7.7% above basal; DOI-treated: 43+/-4.6% above basal). Interestingly, 5-HT(1A) receptor-stimulated [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding was not altered in the dorsal or median raphe, or in the limbic structures and other cortical regions examined. The decrease in 5-HT(1A) receptor-stimulated [(35)S]GTPgammaS binding in anterior cingulate cortex was not due to a decrease in 5-HT(1A) receptor number, indicating that the capacity of the 5-HT(1A) receptor to activate G proteins is attenuated in this cortical area following repeated DOI treatment. The heterologous regulation of 5-HT(1A) receptor function by chronic 5-HT(2) receptor activation in the anterior cingulate cortex raises interesting questions as to how the regulatory interaction between these serotonin receptor subtypes influences cognition, memory and emotion.
Multidimensional Potential Surfaces from the Direct Inversion of Probability Density and Energy Spectral Data

This paper presents a direct potential surface inversion algorithm for multidimensional quantum systems based on combining probability density and energy spectral data. The algorithm expresses the ...
Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MR Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) following ACL injury

Summary Objective Early detection of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) loss may provide insight into mechanisms of cartilage damage in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured patient. We hypothesized that tibial and femoral Delayed Gadolinium-Enhanced MR Imaging of Cartilage (dGEMRIC) indices would be lower in the medial compartment of the ACL-injured knee than in the contralateral, uninjured knee, and that scan order (i.e., whether the injured or the uninjured knee was imaged first) would not affect the indices. Methods 15 subjects with unilateral ACL injuries received a double dose of gadolinium [Gd(DTPA) 2− ] intravenously. After 90min, both knees were sequentially imaged. The injured knee was scanned first in the odd-numbered subjects and second in the even-numbered subjects. The dGEMRIC indices of the median slice of the medial compartment were determined using the MRIMapper software. Index comparisons were made between knee status (ACL-injured vs uninjured), scan order (ACL-injured first vs uninjured first), and cartilage location (tibia vs femur) using a mixed model. Results There was a significant difference in the mean dGEMRIC indices of the medial compartment between injured and uninjured knees ( P P =0.800) or cartilage location ( P =0.439). Conclusions The results demonstrate lower GAG concentrations in the medial compartment of the femoral and tibial articular cartilage of the ACL-injured knee when compared to the contralateral uninjured knee. The dGEMRIC indices were not sensitive to scan order; thus, sequential imaging of both knees is possible in this patient population.
Ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations of magnetic shielding constants of 13C, 15N and 19F in CF 3X(X = H,F,CN,CI,NO)

Abstract The magnetic shielding constants for 13C, 15N and 19F nuclei are calculated in the title compounds with several GIAO basis sets. Better overall agreement with experimental data is obstained with the 6-311G basis set.
Outcomes of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor use in neutropenic patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract Objective: To characterize the effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on clinical outcomes in neutropenic HIV-infected patients, by means of a retrospective cohort study at an urban teaching hospital. Method: Data were reviewed from all patients discharged between January 1, 1996, and August 31, 1997, with human immunodeficiency virus and neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count (ANC) Results: Of the 228 discharged patients who met selection criteria, 71 had received G-CSF or GM-CSF; 157 controls had not. Cases had lower CD4+ cell counts (30 vs. 54 cells/μL; P=0.017) and lower nadir ANCs (372 vs. 579 cells/μL; P 0.20). No difference was found in duration of hospitalization (23 vs. 21 days; P > 0.20). In a logistic regression model for survival to discharge, higher nadir ANC and CSF use were independently associated with improved survival (P = 0.034 and P=0.026, respectively). Conclusion: Use of G-CSF or GM-CSF was associated with improved survival to discharge among hospitalized HIV-infected patients with neutropenia.
Spatiotemporal analysis of optical imaging data

Previous methods for analyzing optical imaging data have relied heavily on temporal averaging. However, response dynamics are rich sources of information. Here, we develop and present a method that combines principal component analysis and multitaper harmonic analysis to extract the statistically significant spatial and temporal response from optical imaging data. We apply the method to both simulated data and experimental optical imaging data from the cat primary visual cortex.
Smad6 Interacts with Runx2 and Mediates Smad Ubiquitin Regulatory Factor 1-induced Runx2 Degradation

Runx2 is a bone-specific transcription factor that plays a critical role in bone development, postnatal bone formation, and chondrocyte maturation. The protein levels of Runx2 are regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In previous studies we discovered that E3 ubiquitin ligase Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor 1 (Smurf1) induces Runx2 degradation in a ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent manner, and Smurf1 plays an important role in osteoblast function and bone formation. In the present studies we investigated the molecular mechanism of Smurf1-induced Runx2 degradation. Smurf1 interacts with the PY motif of substrate proteins, and a PY motif has been identified in the C terminus of the Runx2 protein. To determine whether Smurf1 induces Runx2 degradation through the interaction with the PY motif of Runx2, we created a mutant Runx2 with a PY motif deletion and found that Smurf1 retained some of its ability to induce the degradation of the mutant Runx2, suggesting that Smurf1 could induce Runx2 degradation through an indirect mechanism. Smurf1 has been shown to interact with Smads 1, 5, 6, and 7, and Smads 1 and 5 also interact with Runx2. In the present studies we found that Smads 1 and 5 had no effect on Smurf1-induced Runx2 degradation. Although Smads 6 and 7 bind Smurf1, it is not known if Smads 6 or 7 interacts with Runx2 and mediate Runx2 degradation. We performed immunoprecipitation assays and found that Smad6 but not Smad7 interacts with Runx2. Smad6 enhances Smurf1-induced Runx2 degradation in an ubiquitin-proteasome-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that in addition to its interaction with the PY motif of Runx2, Smurf1 induces Runx2 degradation in a Smad6-dependent manner. Smurf1-induced Runx2 degradation serves as a negative regulatory mechanism for the BMP-Smad-Runx2 signaling pathway.
Development of analytical SFE of a polar drug from an animal food matrix

The applicability of supercritical CO2 extraction as a quantitative method for recovery of a hypolipidemic drug from an animal food matrix has been evaluated. Off-line extraction with solid phase trapping and solvent rinsing has been utilized. An optimized method for quantitative extraction of the pure drug was initially developed with high reproducibility. Three drug/rat feed matrices were examined. The as-received “crystalline matrix” yielded the poorest reproducibility suggestive of a heterogeneous matrix. A laboratory-prepared crystalline drug/feed matrix and a matrix prepared by spiking the animal feed with a solution of the drug gave ten-fold better RSDs than the “crystalline matrix”.
Impaired β-cell sensitivity to glucose and maximal insulin secretory capacity in adolescents with type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), once thought to be a disease of adults, has become a serious problem in adolescents. In the past two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the incidence of T2DM in adolescents. Pediatric T2DM has been reported in all major ethnic groups in the USA and now accounts for 10–45% of newly diagnosed diabetes in teenagers (1–3). The rise in rates of T2DM in children and adolescents parallels the alarming increase of obesity in this age-group (4, 5), and in the USA this condition is uniformly associated with significant overweight. Despite the dramatic epidemiology of T2DM in youth and the challenge this now presents to clinicians, the pathophysiology is only beginning to be understood, and it is not clear how closely this condition mimics T2DM in adults. Most children and adolescents affected with T2DM have clinical evidence of insulin resistance, and nearly all of the formal evaluations of these patients have noted significant reductions in insulin action (6–8). Most studies of diabetic youth have also noted impaired insulin secretion, not surprising given the centrality of β-cell dysfunction to the etiology of T2DM in adults (6, 7, 9). In particular, there appears to be a reduction of first-phase insulin release (FPIR), although there is some question as to whether this defect is as pronounced as the near absence of FPIR in diabetic adults. For example, in a previous study of T2DM adolescents and non-diabetic lean and obese controls, we noted that while the T2DM subjects had an inappropriate first-phase insulin response to intravenous (IV) glucose for their degree of insulin resistance, this parameter of β-cell function was measurable and comparable to lean controls (6). In addition, insulin and C-peptide levels during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) were comparable, although at different glycemic levels. A similar finding of reduced, but present, first-phase insulin secretion was reported by Weiss et al. (8). These findings are compatible with some retention of insulin secretion in T2 diabetic youth, albeit at higher glycemic levels, and is consistent with the necessarily shorter duration of disease in younger patients. In the present study, we sought to test the hypothesis that parameters of β-cell function that are well known to be abnormal in adult diabetes are preserved in affected adolescents. Therefore, we assessed β-cell sensitivity to glucose and maximal insulin secretory capacity in groups of teenagers with T2DM and age-and weight-matched controls. These measures of β-cell function are severely impaired in adults with T2DM (9, 10), and thus are potentially useful for elucidating age-specific differences in pathophysiology.
Resection of malignant tumors involving the jugular foramen

Surgical resection of the jugular foramen may be used as part of temporal bone resection, extended radical parotidectomy or middle fossa-infratemporal fossa resection. Detailed tumor imaging and carotid test occlusion, team planning, and extensive patient counseling are required. Exposure from retromastoid to the lateral orbit allows facial nerve and mandibular transposition, temporary removal of the zygomatic arch, and exposure of the petrous carotid. When tumor location and the height of the jugular bulb are favorable, hearing may be preserved. The final dissection in a 3-×-4 cm area of skull base requires expert anesthesia and surgery to limit bleeding and maintain hemodynamic stability during the petrous carotid and jugular bulb dissection. Rehabilitation most often requires free flap reconstruction of bone and soft tissue defects and facial reanimation. Aspiration pneumonia is the most common postoperative sequela. Functional long-term survival has been possible for a majority of patients undergoing jugular foramen resection.
Bilirubin binding to myelin basic protein, histones and its inhibition in vitro of cerebellar protein synthesis

Summary The binding of unconjugated bilirubin to bovine CNS myelin basic protein and to lysine and arginine rich histones has been demonstrated by means of difference spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy. This is the first demonstration of a brain specific protein that can bind bilirubin and provides a mechanism for bilirubin retention in brain as well as a mechanism for interfering with the normal acidic lipid-basic protein binding interaction. The inhibition of protein synthesis in cerebellar homogenates by bilirubin has also been demonstrated. The inhibition is about 50 per cent in the presence of 100 μM bilirubin and 85 per cent in the presence of 700 μM bilirubin, These results require that the current mechanisms for bilirubin neurotoxicity and cytotoxicity be expanded to include the present findings.
Optimal Interest Rate Rule in a DSGE Model with Housing Market Spillovers

This paper studies the optimal interest rate rule in a DSGE model with housing market spillovers (Iacoviello and Neri (2010)). We find that the optimal rule responds to house price inflation even when the stabilization of house price is not among the objectives of the policymaker, and that the strength of the response depends crucially on a few structural parameters.
Effect of on-call infectious-diseases pharmacists on antibiotic expenditures.

A recent review of the medication budget at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH), a 725-bed academic medical center, identified that 20% of all medication costs were due to antiinfectives. Previous estimates suggest that antibiotic utilization is suboptimal in 50% of cases.[1][1] Given the rates of
Hypnosis reconceptualized: an overview of Barber's theoretical and empirical work.

This paper provides a summary and clarification of Barber's reconceptualization of “hypnosis” and contrasts it with the traditional approach. Traditional hypnosis theory assumes that a special state of consciousness (the hypnotic trance state) is instrumental in eliciting “hypnotic” behaviors. Barber rejects this basic assumption and focuses on denotable antecedent variables that are functionally related to the behaviors. Differences in assumptions underlying the two approaches have led to fundamental differences in methodology, in the types of questions asked, and in the explanations provided. All available criticisms of Barber's work are discussed and evaluated.
Temple Bar: Index of Victorian Middle-Class Thought

De Buan delves into "Temple Bar" (1860-1906), an English monthlt magazine, that reflects the problems and aspirations which occupied the thoughts of the educated British middle-class.
Some experimentally determined zircon/liquid partition coefficients for the rare earth elements

Abstract Partition coefficients for La, Sm, Ho and Lu (REE) between synthetic zircon and felsic, peralkaline liquid were determined at 800°C and 2 kbar water pressure by adding small amounts of REE to experimental charges and analyzing zircons in the quenched runs with an electron microprobe. The preferred zircon/liquid partition coefficients obtained by this method are: La, 1.4–2.1; Sm, 26–40; Ho, 340+; Lu, 72–126. These results confirm the strong heavy rare earth enrichment discovered by Nagasawa (1970) in zircon separates from dacites and granites, but they also introduce a modification to the supposed zircon/liquid partition coefficient pattern. The heavy REE end of the pattern is concave downward, in qualitative resemblance to some garnet/liquid and hornblende/liquid REE partitioning patterns.
Keyway stresses when torsional loading is applied by the keys: Stress concentrations are measured at keyway ends where helical fractures have begun in large-diameter shafts in torsion due to forces applied through the keys in these keyways

Guided by failure of large-diameter shafts, photoelastic measurements were made of stresses near the inboard ends of keyways containing keys which provided the forces necessary to place the shaft in torsion. Tensile-stress concentrations not previously reported were found at or near the inboard ends of these keys and keyways. The locations and magnitudes of these stress concentrations correlate well with fractures which have been found to begin at or near these same locations in large marine and compressor shafts.
Earthquake Hazard in New England

The earthquake return periods (the mean interoccurrence time) and the probability of earthquake occurrences for southern New England are calculated from the available seismic data for the period 1725 through 1974. For this region the occurrence of larger earthquakes varied with time and the seismic activity was higher in the period 1725 through 1824 than in the next 100 years (1825 through 1924). This variation introduces large uncertainties into calculations of the earthquake hazard. The estimated return period, based on data covering the time period 1725 through 1974, for earthquakes in the southern New England area of intensity VI or greater is 25 years and for intensity VIII or greater is 130 years.
Evaluation of Commercial and Next Generation Alumina-Forming Austenitic Foil for Advanced Recuperators

Alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) steels represent a new class of corrosion- and creep-resistance austenitic steels to enable higher temperature recuperators. Several commercial batches of the first AFA composition have been produced with different thicknesses and widths over 39cm. This commercial AFA foil was successfully folded by two manufacturers. Creep and laboratory oxidation results at 650°-800°C are presented to compare to conventional recuperator alloy performance. While this initial effort was successful, concerns with cost and ease of production suggested that a leaner AFA composition with a lower final annealing temperature would be more attractive for commercial applications. Therefore, several new AFA compositions are being evaluated in laboratory trials and compared to the initial material for down selection of a better AFA composition for commercialization.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Transformational Leadership, Job Characteristics, and Organizational Citizenship Performance

(2006). Transformational Leadership, Job Characteristics, and Organizational Citizenship Performance. Human Performance: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-22.
A Multiple-Process Equilibrium Analysis of Silica Gel and HZSM-5

Adsorption isotherms are reported for HZSM-5 and silica gel using a series of gas adsorptives at several temperatures above their critical temperature. The data are analyzed with a new multiple equilibria adsorption model producing equilibrium constants (Ki), capacities (ni), and enthalpies (−ΔHi) for each of the processes. Unlike the amorphous adsorbents studied earlier, which contain a distribution of pore sizes, zeolitic materials have uniform pore dimensions. This uniformity provides a test of our interpretation of the number of processes required in the isotherm fits of the multiple equilibrium analysis, MEA. As expected from the two pores in the structure of HZSM-5, most adsorbates require two processes (K1,ads and K2,ads) to fit the adsorption isotherms. HZSM-5 is compared to amorphous carbonaceous adsorbents, revealing fundamental differences in their behavior. Small cylindrical channels in HZSM-5 lead to an unfavorable entropic contribution from restrictions imposed by adsorptive packing and inte...
Framework for Modeling Reordering Heuristics for Asynchronous Backtracking

Dynamic reordering of variables is known to be important for solving constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). Efforts to apply this principle for improving polynomial space asynchronous backtracking (ABT) started with [1], using a solution based on synchronization points. [17] shows how to asynchronously enable reordering heuristics in ABT and proposes a general protocol called Asynchronous Backtracking with Reordering (ABTR). In this work we introduce a first framework for modeling heuristics possible with asynchronous backtracking. We also show that ABTR enables heuristics that displace even the agent requesting the reordering, as in the reordering of Dynamic Backtracking. They have not been illustrated in [17]. The most efficient self-reordering heuristic that we introduce and experiment, approx-AWC1, is inspired from AsynchronousWeak-Commitment [21] and brings small but significant improvements, comparable to the results in [1]. We also report that min-domain dynamic ordering heuristics for ABTR are worse than no reordering and better than max-domain (in experiments that also use maintenance of arc consistency).