cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The statistical mechanical local composition theory: The balance equations and concentration effects in nonideal mixtures

Abstract The statistical mechanical local composition theory proposed in a previous paper (Lee et al.) is here applied to the study of the ‘number conservation’ conditions on the local compositions. It is demonstrated that detailed balances in molecule numbers using the rigorous statistical mechanical definitions for local compositions yield relations consistent with the Flemr and McDermott—Ashton conditions when well-defined assumptions are utilized. With the assumption that the nearest neighbor coordination numbers z a and z b for each component in a binary mixture are equal, the Flemr conditions are obtained. This assumption is implicit in Wilson's formulation. Allowing z a and z b to differ corresponds to a two-fluid theory. Calculations demonstrate that the detailed balance is satisfied by statistical mechanical calculations using the Percus—Yevick equation for argon—nitrogen mixtures in both the gas and liquid states. It is shown that formulations of two-fluid local composition methods, such as that of Renon and Prausnitz, which assume that the ratio z a / z b is constant, are consistent with the statistical mechanical local composition theory only in the limit of dilute solutions. The Percus—Yevick calculations show that there are wide variations in nearest neighbor numbers and the ratio z a / z b varies with composition even for simple mixtures such as the argon and nitrogen fluids studied here.
Incremental Expenditure of Treating Hypertension in the United States

Background This study determined incremental direct expenditures of treating hypertension in the United States population. Methods Analysis of the 2001 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a national probability sample survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized U.S. population, was conducted. Hypertensive patients were identified as those with a medical diagnosis for hypertension based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD)–9 codes; patients who were consumers of hypertension-related medical care services including inpatient and outpatient visits, emergency room visits, home health visits, office-based medical provider visits, and other medical expenses; patients who self-reported being diagnosed with hypertension by their physicians; and patients who were prescribed antihypertensive medication. Incremental expenditure of treating hypertension was estimated through least-squares regression adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, education, and comorbidities using the D’Hoore et al version of the Charlson comorbidity index. Sample data were projected to the U.S. population and 95% confidence limits for estimates were calculated using the Taylor expansion method. Results Sample estimates projected to the population indicated that approximately 17.4% of individuals ≥18 years of age in the ambulatory population have hypertension. Total incremental annual direct expenditures for hypertension patients were estimated to be more than $US 54.0 billion in 2001 after adjusting for demographics and comorbidities. Mean incremental annual direct expenditures for an individual with hypertension was $US 1,131. Prescription medicines, inpatient visits, and outpatient visits constituted >90% of overall incremental expenditures. Conclusions With incremental direct medical expenditures estimated at nearly $US 55.0 billion, hypertension expenditures represent a significant amount of health care resource use.
Examining the Complex Roles of Motivation and Text Medium in the Persuasion Process

Abstract Models of persuasion (e.g., Petty & Cacioppo, 1986 ) and conceptual change ( Dole & Sinatra, 1998 ) acknowledge that reader elaboration of and engagement with a given text increases the potential for belief change and that the process of elaboration or engagement is fueled by reader motivation. However, little is known about the predictive powers of various motivational constructs on belief change after reading compelling texts in both traditional paper and computer-based formats. As such, the present study examined how belief change is differentially influenced by three motivational constructs (i.e., need for cognition, topic interest, and topic interestingness), as well as the mediating role played by mode of delivery. Utilizing stratified, random sampling, college students responded to two persuasive articles presented through two distinct media—paper and computer. The results revealed that mode of delivery did not significantly influence belief change. In addition, of the three motivational constructs only need for cognition emerged as a statistically significant predictor of belief change, regardless of the mode of delivery. Implications for research and practice are forwarded.
Dynamic Analysis of a Biglide Parallel Grinder

In this paper, the moving platform of the biglide parallel grinder with six degrees of freedom will keep moving horizontally at any time using parallelograms. Besides grinding the helical drill point, this grinder also can work as drilling and welding machine tool as well as a CMM. The joint-velocity Jacobian matrix is calculated. Moreover, the dynamic equations are derived by applying the Lagrangian formulation.
Sequence-specific DNA-protein interaction: the lac represser

Abstract A model is proposed for lac repressor-lac operator binding which accounts for the tetrameric subunit structure of the lac repressor and for factors involved in the strength, specificity and regulation of repressor-operator interaction. The model employs a π-helix in the amino terminal 25 residues of the lac repressor whereby three tyrosine residues of each subunit intercalate between base pairs of the lac operator. For the outer palindromic sequences of the operator, base specificity is provided by amino acids adjacent to the carboxyl sides of the tyrosine residues of two of the subunits. The inner palindromic sequences which bind the other two subunits form stems of hairpin loops in the operator. Base specificity for these two subunits is provided by amino acids adjacent to the amino sides of the tyrosine residues. In addition to 12 intercalated tyrosine residues, the model provides for a total of at least eight electrostatic interactions and ten sequence-specific hydrogen bonds.
Total scalp treatment of mycosis fungoides: The 4 × 4 technique

Abstract Purpose : A technique for treating mycosis fungoides confined to the scalp using a method known as the 4 × 4 technique is presented. Methods and Materials: Uniform dose distribution on the scalp and acceptable “hot spots” along five match lines is accomplished by using four sets of four fields (i.e., 4 × 4) on the patient. Precise and reproducible patient and field alignment was accomplished with a solid thermoplastic mask, which is the surface on which match lines are drawn. In-vivo dosimetry (thermoluminescent dosimeters and film) are easily attached to the mask which also provides a portion of the 7mm bolus used to shift the characteristic 6 MeV electron depth dose toward the skin surface. Results: In-vivo dosimetry demonstrated that single fraction match line doses are within 25% to 30% of central axis dose. Shifting these match lines to four locations reduces these “hot spots” to satisfactory levels (less than 120%). Three patients have been treated with this technique and each patient continues to have a complete clinical response at 14 to 21 months post treatment. In addition, each patient has excellent cosmetic results with no evidence of acute or chronic side effects at the match lines. Conclusion: The 4 × 4 technique has proven to be useful in the treatment of mycosis fungoides confined to the scalp.
Classical conditioning of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane response to CS compounds: Effects of prior single-stimulus conditioning

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of prior single-stimulus training on classical conditioning to a compound and its components and subsequent component extinction of the rabbit’s nictitating membrane response. Experiments 1 and 2 found that prior single-stimulus training interfered with acquisition of responding to a second stimulus during compound conditioning and retarded responding to the second stimulus during extinction. Moreover, Experiment 2 revealed that the interference effects of prior single-stimulus training on response acquisition to a second stimulus were attenuated by the addition of concurrent training trials to the second stimulus. The results are discussed in terms of theories of stimulus selection.
Characterization of polyphenol oxidase activity in Ataulfo mango

Crude extracts of Ataulfo exhibited polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity with pyrogallol, 3-methylcatechol, catechol, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid. The substrate dependent pH optima ranged from pH 5.4 to 6.4 with Michaelis-Menten constants between 0.84 ± 0.09 and 4.6 ± 0.7 mM measured in MES or phosphate buffers. The use of acetate buffers resulted in larger Michaelis-Menten constants, up to 14.62 ± 2.03 mM. Sodium ascorbate, glutathione, and kojic acid are promising inhibitors to prevent enzymatic browning in Ataulfo. PPO activity increased with ripeness and was always higher in the skin compared to the pulp. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) enhanced PPO activity, with pulp showing a stronger increase than skin. SDS-PAGE gels stained for catecholase activity showed multiple bands, with the most prominent bands at apparent molecular weights of 53, 112, and 144 kDa.
A comparison of structural and functional changes in patients screened for hydroxychloroquine retinopathy

The aims of this retrospective study were to compare the results of recommended screening tests for hydroxychloroquine-related retinal toxicity and analyze disparities between the structural and functional findings. Thirty-four patients (31 women and 3 men) were included in the study. All were evaluated with standard automated perimetry using the 10-2 and/or 24-2 visual field program (Zeiss, Meditec), multifocal electroretinography (mfERG), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and short-wavelength fundus autofluorescent imaging (SW-FAF). The results for the right eye from each patient were analyzed. Visual fields were classified as normal or abnormal based on pattern deviation plots, and mfERGs based on a comparison of R5 ring ratios to values from 20 controls. The SW-FAF images were examined for areas/rings of abnormal hypo- and/or hyperautofluorescence, and the SD-OCT line scans were classified as abnormal based on visual inspection and thickness measurements of the outer segment plus retinal pigment epithelial layer and total receptor layers compared to mean thicknesses from 35 controls. Fifteen patients had abnormal results on at least one test; however, only two patients had abnormal results on all four tests. Excluding SW-FAF, seven of the 15 had abnormal visual fields, mfERG ring ratios, and SD-OCTs. The remaining eight had either abnormal mfERGs and/or visual fields and normal SD-OCTs. We found no evidence of abnormal SD-OCTs in the presence of normal mfERG and visual field results. The findings suggest that functional deficits precede structural changes seen on SD-OCT in these patients.
Storage and loss stiffnesses and moduli as determined by dynamic nanoindentation

The storage and loss stiffnesses for the composite response of the sample, indenter, and load frame during dynamic nanoindentation are derived. In the first part of the analysis, no physical model is assigned to the composite system. It is shown that this case is equivalent to the conventional nanoindentation analysis. In the second part of the analysis, the sample is modeled as a standard linear solid in series with the indenter and load frame. The results for the storage and loss stiffnesses as computed by the two methods differ by at most ∼3% for the elastomeric system under consideration. Results for the storage and loss moduli are also similar. The relative merits and weaknesses of each analysis are discussed.
Chain-based protocols for data broadcasting and gathering in the sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, the sensor nodes gather information and send the information to a base station periodically. Some important messages need to be broadcasted to all nodes. Data gathering and broadcasting are important operations that consume significant amounts of battery power. Due to the limited battery life, energy efficiency is becoming a major challenging problem in these power-constrained networks. Chain-based protocols construct a transmission chain connecting all nodes to save energy dissipation of data transmission. In this paper, we first review several existing chain-based protocols. We then present our multiple-chain scheme which outperforms the existing ones in the sparse-node distribution case. Furthermore, we develop an energy-efficient chain construction algorithm which uses a sequence of insertions to add the least amount of energy consumption to the whole chain. It consumes less transmission power compared to the closest neighbor algorithm.
Dietary trans fatty acid intake is associated with increased fetal loss.

Objective To examine whether dietary trans fatty acids (TFAs) were associated with fetal loss (no. of pregnancies − no. of live births). The basis of our inquiry derives from the facts that the PPAR-gamma receptor plays a pivotal role in placental function and that TFAs down-regulate PPAR-gamma gene mRNA expression. Design Retrospective study comparing dietary data on TFAs and total calories from Block 98 quantitative food frequency questionnaire on 104 women with insulin data and reporting one or more pregnancies. Setting Twenty-five- to 30-year follow-up as young adults (age 39.5 ± 4.5 years) of schoolgirls in the Princeton School cardiovascular risk study. Patient(s) Former participants in school-based research program at ages 6–18 years (1973–78), screened as part of follow-up study (1998–2003). Main Outcome Measure(s) Fetal loss. Result(s) By stepwise logistic regression, with fetal loss (≥1 vs. 0) as the dependent variable and total calories, percent calories from TFAs (linear and squared terms), diabetes (yes/no), serum insulin, age, race, body mass index, leisure and work physical activity, and education as explanatory variables, percent calories from TFAs was positively, curvilinearly, independently associated with fetal loss. For each 1-unit increase in the squared term of percent calories from TFAs, the odds of having fetal loss versus no fetal loss increased 1.106 times (odds ratio=1.106; 95% confidence interval 1.026–1.192). Conclusion(s) Since PPAR-gamma plays a pivotal role in placental biology and is down-regulated by TFAs, TFAs may be a reversible risk factor for fetal loss.
Complications following Staged Hypospadias Repair Using Transposed Preputial Skin Flaps

Purpose: Proximal hypospadias repair using a staged approach is a complex reconstructive operation with the potential for significant complications requiring repeat surgery. We report outcomes of staged hypospadias repair using transposed preputial skin flaps and factors predictive of postoperative complications.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent staged proximal hypospadias repair using transposed preputial skin flaps between 2002 and 2013. Patient demographics, operative details, complications, reoperations and factors predictive of complications were reviewed.Results: A total of 56 patients were identified with a mean age of 14.1 months (median 14.3) at first stage. Mean followup was 38.6 months (median 34.1). Complications requiring additional unplanned operation(s) were observed in 38 patients (68%), including fistulas in 32 (57%), diverticula in 8 (14%), meatal stenosis in 5 (9%), urethral stricture in 8 (14%) and glans dehiscence in 3 (5%). In addition, redo fi...
Money Isn't Everything: Wives' Earnings and Housework Time.

The autonomy perspective of housework time predicts that wives’ housework time falls steadily as their earnings rise, because wives use additional financial resources to outsource or forego time in housework. We argue, however, that wives’ ability to reduce their housework varies by household task. That is, we expect that increases in wives’ earnings will allow them to forego or outsource some tasks, but not others. As a result, we hypothesize more rapid declines in wives’ housework time for low-earning wives as their earnings increase than for high-earning wives who have already stopped performing household tasks that are the easiest and cheapest to outsource or forego. Using fixed-effects models and data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we find considerable support for our hypothesis. We further conclude that past evidence that wives who out-earn their husbands spend additional time in housework to compensate for their gender-deviant success in the labor market is due to the failure to account for the non-linear relationship between wives’ absolute earnings and their housework time.
The mind-body conundrum: the somatopsychic perspective in geriatric depression.

There is a long history of struggling to understand the interaction between the mind and the body, going back to days of Plato and Aristotle, through Rene Descartes, and to the current efforts to study this relationship. In psychiatry, answers to this question have relied on various theoretical approaches, from embracing the dualism of mind and brain as independent entities to the assertion that all mental states represent physically measurable, biologically relevant events. As the theme in this issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, examining the link depression and physical disease reflects the ongoing effort to investigate the mind-body interaction and has already drawn extensive discussion on its conceptual and research challenges. Earlier explanatory models were based on a more psychosomatic perspective, measuring the effects of psychological issues and symptoms on physical disease. These works focused on how psychological factors (such as stress and loss) and symbolic issues (such as oral dependency, separation, and parent–child relations) can cause stressrelated physiologic changes resulting in physical deterioriation. These changes often include higher levels of stress hormones, inflammatory cytokines, cardiac conduction changes, and platelet adhesion, which contribute to overall morbidity and mortality. However, recent efforts have been more from a somatopsychic perspective, focusing on the effect of the physical disease on psychiatric symptoms. Physically ill individuals are at higher risk for depression because of the increased psychosocial and psychological burden (role changes, financial stress, functional disability, social isolation, etc.) of having to cope with various ailments. Medical conditions such as stroke can also exert a direct mood-altering effect on the brain, and such effect becomes even stronger among those with genetic liability to depression. Evidence for the somatopsychic relationship is frequently observed in mood changes because of pharmacologic agents. For example, while some medications (e.g. opiates, levodopa, corticosteroids, alpha-interferon) lead to mood perturbations, others (e.g., antidepressants, mood stabilizers) ameliorate mood symptoms through known molecular mechanisms. In geriatric depression, numerous studies have also supported the notion of a bidirectional causality, in which depression and medical illnesses contribute to the severity of each other. However, as our population continues to age, depression due to the physical and psychosocial sequelae of chronic illnesses is expected to become even more acute, likely fueling the recent impetus to investigate the somatopsychic correlates of late-life depression. One of the earlier and most studied somatopsychic models of elderly depression invokes the concept of vascular depression. This model elegantly postulates that cerebrovascular risk factors (CVRFs) can lead to macro or
Point-of-Care Testing: Millennium Technology for Critical Care

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is an important diagnostic tool used in various locations in the hospital, especially in critical care settings such as the intensive care unit (ICU), the operating room (OR), and the emergency department (ED).
Geological Hypotheses and the Earth's Crust under the Oceans

Recent work has determined the depth of the Mohorovicic discontinuity at sea and has made it likely that peridotite xenoliths in basaltic volcanic rocks are samples of material from below the discontinuity. It is now possible to produce a hypothetical section showing the transition from a continent to an ocean. This section is consistent with both the seismic and gravity results. The possible reactions of the crust to changes in the total volume of sea water are discussed. It seems possible that the oceans were shallower and the crust thinner in the Archean than they are now. If this were so, some features of the oldest rocks of Canada and Southern Rhodesia could be explained. Three processes are described that might lead to the formation of oceanic ridges; one of these involves tension, one compression and the other quiet tectonic conditions. It is likely that not all ridges are formed in the same way. It is possible that serpentization of olivine by water rising from the interior of the earth plays an important part in producing changes of level in the ocean floor and anomalies in heat flow. Finally, a method of reducing gravity observations at sea is discussed.
Retrograde shear: backwards into the future?

to new students of vascular physiology, it sometimes comes as a surprise that blood flow in large conduit arteries such as the femoral and brachial arteries ceases to move forward and, indeed, reverses direction throughout the cardiac cycle. This is true under a variety of conditions in humans and
Transmission mode direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry for fast untargeted metabolic fingerprinting

RATIONALE Untargeted metabolic fingerprinting is a discovery tool to better understand biochemical processes involved in detecting and characterizing disease states and responses to environmental stressors. Although current mass spectrometric (MS) methods are very powerful, there is a clear need for more rapid, high-throughput MS approaches for metabolomics studies. METHODS A rapid metabolic fingerprinting method for human blood sera that utilizes a new transmission mode direct analysis in real time (TM-DART) sampling technique coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (QTOFMS) is presented. In this approach, the sample is deposited directly on a stainless steel mesh that is held in the ionization region by a custom-built module. As a result, the DART plasma gas stream interacts with the sample in a flow-through fashion, which maximizes the interaction between the sample and ionizing species and minimizes variance in sample positioning. RESULTS The optimization of TM-DART parameters directly affecting metabolite desorption and ionization, such as sample position and ionizing gas desorption temperature, was critical in achieving high sensitivity and detecting a broad mass range of metabolites. Ramping the ionizing gas desorption temperature further enhanced analysis by adding a simple separation dimension to this ambient approach. In terms of reproducibility, TM-DART compared favorably with traditional probe mode (PM-) DART analysis, with coefficients of variation as low as 16%. The longer-lasting TM-DART signals enabled the acquisition of metabolite full scan and product ion accurate mass spectra in a single experiment, resulting in greater confidence in metabolite identification. CONCLUSIONS TM-DART MS proved to be a powerful analytical technique for rapid metabolome analysis of human blood sera. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
EXPLOITATION OR EMPOWERMENT? ADOLESCENT FEMALE DOMESTIC WORKERS IN UGANDA

Women’s participation in public employment spaces has emerged with new modes of domestic gender hierarchies, especially in the Global South. A new direction in child labor, especially in the domestic sphere, negatively affects female children. Drawing from a larger study that examined the experiences of employers and employees in domestic spaces, this article examines experiences of live-in adolescent female domestic workers, commonly referred to as “house girls”, in Kampala, Uganda. Data were collected using qualitative methods that included individual interviews and life stories. Study findings reveal competing narratives pointing to both empowerment and exploitation of house girls. Using a feminist intersectional approach, I focus on gender, age, and location to trace the opportunities, challenges, and agency of the house girls. Using the household as the basic unit of analysis, I foreground the voices of house girls as they tell their lived experiences and survival strategies. My central argument is that domestic workers make a crucial contribution to the effective participation of women working outside the home. I conclude that sustainable empowerment of workers, both domestic and outside the home, hinges upon changes and transformations at the household level.
PATHOGEN INTRUSION IN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS: MODEL TO ASSESS THE POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS

A model for estimating the probability of infection from intrusion events associated with low/negative pressure occurrences in distribution system is presented. The modeling approach, based on the principle of quantitative microbial risk assessment, predicts infection rates as a function of several parameters: the orifice equation (for calculation of intrusion flow rate), the external contaminant concentration, the starting time, the duration of low/negative pressures, the location and extent of intrusion area, the hydraulic and operational conditions in the distribution system, consumption events at fixed-times and dose-response information for specific microorganisms. The approach combines the use of a probabilistic model to determine the possible range of contaminant mass rates that could be encountered and the use of a hydraulic model to determine population exposure to contaminated water once an intrusion event has taken place. Using a model distribution system (EPANET Example Network 2), the effects of intrusion event characteristics (starting time, duration, location, contaminant mass rate) on the probability for an healthy adult of being infected by Cryptosporidium from sewage contamination of the distribution system were investigated. Based on the current model assumptions, results show that the risk of infection may vary over several orders of magnitude depending upon where the water is consumed and the intrusion event characteristics.
What does an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor have to do with estrogen?

Estrogen affects multiple aspects of human physiology, including the normal growth and development of female reproductive tissues, bone integrity, cardiovascular and central nervous system functions, and plays a central role in normal mammary development and breast pathogenesis. It modulates diverse cell signaling pathways, some of which appear to be independent of the known estrogen receptors (ERs). Although many of estrogen's actions can be explained by the nuclear ERs (ER-α and ER-β) functioning as ligand-activated RNA transcription factors, there are numerous rapid biochemical and physiological responses that cannot be explained by the classical genomic effects of estrogen signaling. It has long been postulated that the rapid effects of estrogen are due to a membrane-bound ER, and two recent reports suggest that it is in fact a G-protein-coupled receptor named 'GPR30'.
Nitrogen fertilization increases diversity and productivity of prairie communities used for bioenergy.

Using prairie biomass as a renewable source of energy may constitute an important opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of managed land. To date, assessments of the feasibility of using prairies for bioenergy production have focused on marginal areas with low yield potential. Growing prairies on more fertile soil or with moderate levels of fertilization may be an effective means of increasing yields, but increased fertility often reduces plant community diversity. At a fertile site in central Iowa with high production potential, we tested the hypothesis that nitrogen fertilization would increase aboveground biomass production but would decrease diversity of prairies sown and managed for bioenergy production. Over a 3 year period (years 2–4 after seeding), we measured aboveground biomass after plant senescence and species and functional-group diversity in June and August for multispecies mixtures of prairie plants that received no fertilizer or 84 kg N ha 1 year 1 . We found that nitrogen fertilization increased aboveground biomass production, but with or without fertilization, the prairies produced a substantial amount of biomass: averaging (±SE) 12.2 ± 1.3 and 9.1 ± 1.0 Mg ha 1 in fertilized and unfertilized prairies, respectively. Unfertilized prairies had higher species diversity in June, whereas fertilized prairies had higher species diversity in August at the end of the study period. Functionalgroup diversity was almost always higher in fertilized prairies. Composition of unfertilized prairies was characterized by native C4 grasses and legumes, whereas fertilized prairies were characterized by native C3 grasses and forbs. Although most research has found that nitrogen fertilization reduces prairie diversity, our results indicate that early-spring nitrogen fertilization, when used with a postsenescence annual harvest, may increase prairie diversity. Managing prairies for bioenergy production, including the judicious use of fertilization, may be an effective means of increasing the amount of saleable products from managed lands while potentially increasing plant diversity.
Movement Disorders with Dementia in Older Adults

Dementias associated with movement disorders are the second most common form of dementia in old age after Alzheimer’s disease. This chapter outlines the key neurological, neuropathological, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological features of two synucleinopathies (Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies) and two tauopathies (corticobasal syndrome and progressive supranuclear palsy). Neuro­psychological evaluation of patients with movement disorders can be challenging, and some common pitfalls and suggestions for avoiding them are presented. Particular attention is paid to the type of information that must be elicited from medical records and the interview to plan an effective evaluation. Recommended instruments for the assessment and screening of cognition and psychiatric conditions, such as apathy and depression, are identified and some compensatory techniques are described. A case study is presented to illustrate the application of such instruments in the clinical setting.
Pharmacologic therapies for neck pain

Comment Drs. Richeimer and Nemat have given us an excellent objective assessment of the various pharmacologic options for neck pain. They remind and caution us that very little research has been done on the various pharmacologic therapies for cervical-related syndromes and that most of the information (and there is not much good information) has been derived from research on low back pain syndromes. Their discussion of the role of nonopioid analgesics in general and of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), in particular, puts the efficacy as well as the side effect risks of these agents in appropriate perspectives. They point out that the efficacy of even high-dose steroids in acute cervical syndromes has been poorly studied. They provide a realistic assessment of what is appropriate in terms of opioid therapy, both from the standpoint of weighing potential benefits against universal concerns regarding addiction and the particular concerns regarding the consequences of abrupt withdrawal from opioid drugs. The benefits of antidepressants, and particularly tricyclic antidepressants, are noted as they relate to neuropathic pain. They also point out selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine have not been shown to be more effective than placebos. The role of anticonvulsants such as gabapentin in providing relief from protracted neuralgic pain and of muscle relaxants in treating acute back pain are delineated, noting that no specific muscle relaxant has been shown to be more effective than any other. They point out that tramadol has been shown to be as effective as low-dose narcotics. Although neither capsaicin nor botulinum toxin were demonstrated to be of particular value in relieving
Experimentally linking disturbance, resources and productivity to diversity in forest ground-layer plant communities

Summary 1. Disturbance can function to maintain diversity within forest communities; however, specific mechanisms and the relationship to productivity are not well understood. 2. We examined these linkages in forest ground-layer plant communities using a replicated, manipulative field experiment. Treatments included a range of gap sizes and untreated controls. We assessed spatial and temporal responses over the first three years following gap creation. 3. Light transmittance and soil water content increased with gap size, while rates of colonization and species richness increased after a critical threshold. Subsequent increases in productivity were associated with declines in species richness, increased rates of local extirpation and a unimodal relationship between species richness and productivity at the individual quadrat scale (4 m 2 ). 4. The richness and productivity of vines, shrubs and especially graminoids, increased within 200– 380 m 2 gaps treatments. However, the productivity of forbs and tree seedlings did not, showing possible drought sensitivity overriding treatments. Spatial and temporal partitioning of gaps occurred as a result of interactions between species traits and environmental conditions. Significantly, productivity and richness showed complex relationships with canopy structure. 5. Synthesis. Our results show that richness increases to an asymptote after a critical threshold in disturbance severity initially. Decreases in species richness over time associated with increases in productivity may eventually result in the unimodal relationship predicted by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. However, species composition continues to differ with canopy gap size, suggesting a range of canopy gap sizes is required to maintain the greatest diversity of plant species over broader spatial and temporal scales.
The Effects of Stance and Age Level on Children's Literary Responses

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the use of aesthetic and efferent stances in response to literature. Subjects included 43 fourth graders, 47 sixth graders, and 40 eighth graders who were reading on-grade level or above. All subjects read the same three short stories and completed written free responses to each. Responses were analyzed for reader stance and level of understanding reached. Two-way analyses of variance revealed significant main effects for stance and grade on level of understanding for all three stories. The use of an aesthetic stance, where readers focused on the lived-through experience of the work, was associated with higher levels of personal understanding. Level of understanding was also found to increase with grade level. No interaction effects were found, indicating students' grade levels do not influence the relationship between the aesthetic stance and higher levels of personal understanding.
Psychotherapy Utilization and Presenting Concerns Among Polynesian American College Students

In this study, we examined psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, reported distress levels, and psychotherapy outcomes among Polynesian American students presenting for services at a counseling center. We collected data at intake, during therapy sessions, and at termination for 415 Polynesian American and 18,117 European American students over a 17-year period. Polynesian American students were equally likely to utilize counseling services as European American students but were more likely to drop out earlier. At intake, these students reported higher numbers of presenting concerns and greater levels of emotional and psychological distress than European American students. Polynesian American students reported significantly higher scores on racial discrimination, physical abuse, and family dependence. Implications for counseling center programs and services are discussed.
Causes and Effects of Corporate Refocusing

We study the precursors and outcomes of refocusing episodes by 107 diversified firms that were not taken over between 1984 and 1993. These firms had more value-reducing diversification policies than diversified firms that did not refocus. However, major disciplinary or incentive-altering events (including management turnover, outside shareholder pressure, changes in management compensation, and financial distress) usually occurred before refocusing took place. The cumulative abnormal returns over a firm's refocusing-related announcements averaged 7.3%, and were significantly related to the amount of value-reduction associated with the refocuser's diversification policy.
Unique American Health Insurance Policies Cause Price Inflation

Many studies conclude that the main reason Americans pay more for health care is that its providers charge higher prices. There is little agreement on why prices are higher. I argue that higher prices are caused by a type of insurance contract unique to America. “Service benefit” contracts originated by Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans paid no monetary “indemnity” to the people insured. Rather payments went directly to providers. Initially participating providers accepted the plan benefit as payment in full, and, so long as this remained true, these contracts provided no special incentive for providers to raise their prices. This changed around 1950, when independent insurance companies began to market a new type of policy called “major medical”. These policies were imitated by the Blues and, in so doing, they introduced “coinsurance” and “deductibles” provisions into the service benefit plans. In these new service benefit hybrids, providers were free to charge patients more than the plan benefit to be paid directly by the patient. An unintended consequence of this development was the release of an inflationary spiral. A model, based on the theory of two-sided matching, provides quantitative predictions of the increase in provider prices caused by insurance. The model can quantitatively account for the inflationary spiral observed from 1949 to 1959. If service benefit insurance is the major cause of the rise in provider prices, then a reform proposed here could reverse the spiral.
Nixon's Revenge

In his Response to Professor Sacharoff’s Article, Professor Gerhardt critiques the use of sources, contending that Professor Sacharoff reads too much into the “antimonarchical premises” of the Constitution and too little into other sources. Gerhardt suggests alternatives to Sacharoff’s reading of the structure and context of the Constitution, as well as precedents and analogies that might inform our judgment about the extent to which former presidents might or should have any control over executive privilege.
Studies on the development of immunity: general considerations.

Developmental aspects of immunity are so broad in scope that it is difficult to provide any meaningful synthesis or summation of the many studies in this area. The development of the immune system includes virtually all the key processes of differentiation including cell migration, inductive tissue interactions, maturational and divisional events from lymphoblasts to large, medium and small lymphocytes, development of surface receptors including immunoglobulins, determinants related to antigen recognition such as la gene products, development of tissue specific antigens such as θ, TL, or Ly-1 and2, development of capacity to produce and release various mediators of cellular immunity such as blastogenesis factor, angiogenesis factor or MIF, change in capacity to respond to stimulation by DNA synthesis, maturation and division, development of capacity to secrete immunoglobulins, to recognize complement components and to respond to antigen-induced signals.
Nurses' Attitudes Toward Clinical Research: Experience of the Therapeutic Hypothermia After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest Trials

Objectives:To understand factors affecting nurses’ attitudes toward the Therapeutic Hypothermia After Pediatric Cardiac Arrest trials and association with approach/consent rates.Design:Cross-sectional survey of pediatric/cardiac intensive care nurses’ perceptions of the trials.Setting:Study was cond
TESTIS-SPARING SURGERY FOR BENIGN LESIONS OF THE PREPUBERTAL TESTIS

Testis tumors in children are more likely to be benign that those in adults, and those tumors that are malignant are associated with a much lower incidence of metastases. As a result, a less-aggressive surgical approach to pediatric lesions has evolved. A testis-sparing operation in appropriate cases has potential psychological and cosmetic advantages for the developing child, and there may be functional advantages for fertility when the child matures.
Practice patterns in sildenafil prescribing.

BACKGROUND This study explores the incorporation of sildenafil into treatment of the common conditions of psychosexual and erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS The 2002 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were analyzed for visits in which sildenafil was prescribed. Patient, visit, and provider characteristics for visits in which sildenafil was prescribed were compared between visits that documented a presenting complaint or diagnosis consistent with ED and those without documentation consistent with ED. RESULTS Of visits by men 30 years or older receiving sildenafil, 50% had no documented presenting complaint or diagnosis consistent with ED. No significant differences were found between those prescribed sildenafil with or without a reason for visit or diagnosis of ED based on age, race, or payment type. Individuals with more visits in the last 12 months were significantly less likely to have a recorded diagnosis consistent with ED. Urologists documented ED significantly more often than family medicine, internal medicine, and other physicians. CONCLUSIONS Sildenafil is being prescribed at a significant number of visits without documentation of a reason for visit or diagnosis consistent with psychosexual or erectile dysfunction.
Directional excitation without breaking reciprocity

We propose a mechanism for directional excitation without breaking reciprocity. This is achieved by embedding an impedance matched parity-time symmetric potential in a three-port system. The amplitude distribution within the gain and loss regions is strongly influenced by the direction of the incoming field. Consequently, the excitation of the third port is contingent on the direction of incidence while transmission in the main channel is immune. Our design improves the four-port directional coupler scheme, as there is no need to implement an anechoic termination to one of the ports.
Quality characteristics of goat meat as influenced by condensed tannins-containing pine bark

Abstract Twenty-four Kiko crossbred (8 mo. old, BW = 39.7 ± 2.55 kg) male goats were used to determine the effect of pine bark (PB; Pinus taeda L.) on the chemical composition and quality characteristics of goat meat (chevon). Meat goats were grazed in a winter rye grass-dominant pasture and randomly assigned to either bermudagrass (BG) hay or pine bark (PB) supplementation (n = 12 goats/supplementation) for 55 d. Each supplement consisted of alfalfa pellet, molasses, and mineral mixtures with either BG or PB, provided at 1.5% of BW at individual feeding stations. Longissimus muscle (LM; intramuscular fat) from loin cuts as well as subcutaneous and kidney fats were obtained from each goat carcass for determination of chemical and fatty acid compositions. The loin chops from each carcass were also used to evaluate the quality of chevon. There were no differences ( P > 0.05) found in the average daily weight gain (ADG) and final weight of goats from the two different supplementation groups. The LM pH of goats was not significantly different between the supplementation groups. No significant differences were found in the CIE L* (lightness) and b* (yellowness) values of loin chops from goats supplemented either BG or PB. However, the CIE a* (redness) values of chops from goats fed BG supplement were higher ( P P > 0.05) were found in the proximate composition and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values of LM from goats fed the two different supplements. Furthermore, no significant differences were also found in the Warner-Bratzler shear values and cooking losses of loin chops from goats supplemented either BG or PB. Compared with goats supplemented with BG, goats supplemented with PB had lower ( P CLA ) acids in intramuscular fats; a higher ( P
Fractal description of microstructures and properties of dynamically evolving porous media

Abstract Transport through porous media is encountered in several engineering and biological applications. The porous media can be subjected to changes in structure owing to deposition, erosion, swelling or shrinkage which, in turn, affects the transport properties of the media. A dynamic fractal model (DFM) is developed to describe the evolution in pore structure undergoing deposition using fractal dimensions and to predict the changes in the effective diffusivity in terms of the dynamic fractal dimensions. Evolving microstructures undergoing deposition are analyzed at various saturation levels to determine the effective diffusivity using the dynamic fractal model. The effective diffusivity values of the evolving porous media are compared against existing data in the literature.
From farmland to city-land: Dissecting leisure travel experience of Chinese urban re-settlers

Abstract This study brings attention to a neglected traveler segment, i.e. the rural-to-urban resettlers. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examines important elements of their leisure travel experience, including destination activity participation, leisure travel motivations, motivation-activity linkages, and sense making of travel in relation to life changes. The unique psychological and behavioral characteristics of this traveler segment are thereby revealed. The findings are discussed in relation to life transitions and lifestyle changes caused by displacement and resettlement. As an initial report of Chinese urban resettled farmers’ destination experiences, this study has conceptual, practical, and policy-related implications.