cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aneurysms Increase the Risk of Rebleeding After Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Hemorrhagic Arteriovenous Malformations

Background and Purpose—The purpose of this study was to define the risk of rebleeding after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for hemorrhagic arteriovenous malformations with or without associated intracranial aneurysms. Methods—Between 1987 and 2006, we performed Gamma Knife SRS on 996 patients with brain arteriovenous malformations; 407 patients had sustained an arteriovenous malformation hemorrhage. Sixty-four patients (16%) underwent prior embolization and 84 (21%) underwent prior surgical resection. The median target volume was 2.3 mL (range, 0.1–20.7 mL). The median margin dose was 20 Gy (range, 13.5–27 Gy). Results—The overall rate of total obliteration defined by angiography or MRI was 56%, 77%, 80%, and 82% at 3, 4, 5, and 10 years, respectively. Before obliteration, 33 patients (8%) sustained an additional hemorrhage after SRS. The overall annual hemorrhage rate until obliteration after SRS was 1.3%. The presence of a patent aneurysm was significantly associated with an increased rehemorrhage risk...
Metallic charge stripes in cuprates

Abstract Some recent evidence for the existence of dynamic, metallic stripes in the 214 family of cuprates is reviewed. The mechanism of stripe pinning is considered, and changes in the charge density within stripes between the pinned and dynamic phases is discussed. From a purely experimental perspective, dynamic charge stripes are fully compatible with nodal “quasiparticles” and other electronic properties common to all superconducting cuprates.
Molecular Profiling of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is now considered a heterogeneous and phenotypically diverse disease. Molecular profiling is used in clinical practice in 2 broad categories: (1) characterization of breast cancers beyond the standard histopathologic features such as tumor grade, histologic subtype, and biomarker profile for prognostic information; and (2) prediction of response to therapy and clinical outcome. This article addresses the importance and application of molecular subtype analysis, and provides an in-depth analysis of the clinical application of the molecular prognostic indices for ductal carcinoma in situ, node-negative invasive breast cancer, and node-positive invasive breast cancer.
Reluctant etchability of dielectric Al2O3 films sputtered in water vapor and ArO2 environments

Abstract Aluminum oxide thin films were deposited by r.f. sputtering on ferrite, glass, and graphite substrates in a vacuum system deliberately contaminated with water vapor and ArO 2 mixtures. The films were analyzed for thickness, etch rate, chemical composition and microstructure using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The presence of water vapor or oxygen in the vacuum chamber during deposition decreased the film deposition rates, and the etch rate of the films in hot H 3 PO 4 was also drastically reduced. TEM micrographs and selected area electron diffraction patterns of films deposited in water vapor and ArO 2 environments showed the existence of a crystalline γ-Al 2 O 3 phase in the film at the substrate-film interface. The γ-Al 2 O 3 structure depended on the abundance of oxygen or water vapor in the vacuum. The formation of the γ-Al 2 O 3 phase at the interface is the cause of reluctant etchability because γ-Al 2 O 3 is much less soluble in phosphoric acid etchants than is amorphous Al 2 O 3 .
Urinary NGAL to define AKI in asphyxiated infants

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is independently associated with poor outcomes in the critically ill patient. The standard kidney function biomarker, serum creatinine, shows a demonstrable rise in concentration many hours to days after insult to the kidney. Thus, creatinine-based AKI diagnosis is likely delayed, rendering treatments to mitigate or prevent AKI ineffective. Neonatal AKI is further confounded by the fact that infant serum creatinine concentrations reflect maternal levels. The past 15 years has seen a massive research effort to identify early damage markers of AKI, with the hope that earlier “sub-clinical” AKI diagnosis can lead to earlier initiation of AKI treatment, or to adjustment of care to mitigate the adverse effects of AKI until renal function recovery occurs. One of the most promising urinary AKI biomarkers, neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL), has repeatedly performed well to predict AKI in many pediatric populations, including those post-cardiac surgery, critically ill mechanically ventilated children and children arriving to the emergency department. The study reported by Admani et al. uses NGAL not only to predict serum creatinine-based AKI, but also to define AKI to associate a Day 1 NGAL concentration above a specific threshold with clinical outcomes.
Laboratory studies on the uptake of dieldrin and DDT by earthworms

Abstract The uptake of dieldrin and DDT by Lumbricus terrestris and Allolobophora caliginosa was studied. Both compounds appeared to be absorbed at similar rates but owing to metabolism of both pp' and op' isomers of DDT to pp'-DDE, less of the DDT group was accumulated. The levels of DDT and metabolites in L. terrestris were linearly related to DDT concentrations in the soil between 1 and 64 ppm; DDE was about 20 per cent and TDE about 6 per cent of the respective DDT levels in the worms. A. caliginosa accumulated markedly higher residues than L. terrestris when the pesticide was incorporated into the soil but the opposite occurred when the pesticide was presented on sprayed leaves at the soil surface. Uptake from the soil was affected by soil type. An inverse relationship with organic matter content was demonstrated.
Photodamage of lipid bilayers by irradiation of a fluorescently labeled cell-penetrating peptide

Abstract Background Fluorescently labeled cell-penetrating peptides can translocate into cells by endocytosis and upon light irradiation, lyse the endocytic vesicles. This photo-inducible endosomolytic activity of Fl–CPPs can be used to efficiently deliver macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids and other small organic molecules into the cytosol of live cells. The requirement of a light trigger to induce photolysis provides a more spatial and temporal control to the intracellular delivery process. Methods In this report, we examine the molecular level mechanisms by which cell-penetrating peptides such as TAT when labeled with small organic fluorophore molecules acquire a photo-induced lytic activity using a simplified model of lipid vesicles. Results The peptide TAT labeled with 5(6)-carboxytetramethylrhodamine binds to negatively charged phospholipids, thereby bringing the fluorophore in close proximity to the membrane of liposomes. Upon light irradiation, the excited fluorophore produces reactive oxygen species at the lipid bilayer and oxidation of the membrane is achieved. In addition, the fluorescent peptide causes aggregation of photo-oxidized lipids, an activity that requires the presence of arginine residues in the peptide sequence. Conclusions These results suggest that the cell-penetrating peptide plays a dual role. On one hand, TAT targets a conjugated fluorophore to membranes. On the other hand, TAT participates directly in the destabilization of photosensitized membranes. Peptide and fluorophore therefore appear to act in synergy to destroy membranes efficiently. General significance Understanding the mechanism behind Fl–CPP mediated membrane photodamage will help to design optimally photo-endosomolytic compounds.
Covalent immobilization of an antimicrobial peptide on poly(ethylene) film

An antimicrobial film was produced by covalently attaching synthetic peptide E14LKK to poly(ethylene) film. E14LKK is a 14 residue, magainin-class peptide with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The poly(ethylene) surface was first oxidized with chromic/sulphuric acid, then PEGylated by using carbodiimide chemistry to attach ω-amino-α-carboxyl-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The peptide was covalently coupled to the free terminus of the PEG, again using carbodiimide coupling. Surface contact angles for distilled water decreased from 101° initially to 61° following oxidation and 45° following PEGylation. Film surface chemistry showed the expected changes during the modifications: dye adsorption assays indicated changes in the number of acidic and basic groups and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy showed increasing oxygen and nitrogen levels. Antimicrobial activity was demonstrated in broth cultures against E.coli: growth was reduced by atleast 3 log cycles compared to controls. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Early pregnancy-abortion model using sulprostone

Sulprostone has been demonstrated to be effective as a parenteral abortifacient, but not as a vaginal suppository. A vaginal preparation was given to 19 women to determine its mechanism of action, and to confirm the principle of uterine conversion as a biological model for the induction of an early abortion. The drug was administered to women with confirmed pregnancies and amenorrhea and not exceeding 49 days. A 95% success rate was obtained with an incidence of drug related side effects of 20% as opposed to the general 80-90% figure of PGE2 and F2a. The hormone profile obtained revealed a parallel fall in hCG and estradiol, and progesterone. This study confirms the value of uterine conversion, a concept that describes the change in uterine reactivity following PG administration and determines the phase when uterine activity is no longer dependent on exogenous oxytocic medication.
A COMPLIANCE‐RESOURCE THEORY OF REGULATORY FAILURE: THE CASE OF O.S.H.A.

Neither capture theory, nor neo‐conservative theory and technical failure arguments adequately account for the behaviour of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) during the 1970s. A framework drawn from organisation theory suggests that regulatory failure is due to a crisis of compliance resources caused by a flawed legislative mandate. Lacking effective compliance mechanisms, regulatory agencies are forced into a bargaining posture rather than an enforcement stance towards industry. This leads to creation of de facto policy which diverges substantially from the original legislative mandate, and this is read as evidence for regulation failure.
Solution of the hydrodynamic equations for laminar time-independent flames with arbitrarily large deviations from the kinetic steady state☆

Abstract For the study of flame processes and their variation with fuel properties it is essential to have methods suitable for all ranges of deviation from the kinetic steady state. A method is proposed which has been shown to be useful in extensive calculations whose results have been published elsewhere. Tests used as evidence for the validity of the procedure are discussed. The minimum detailed description required for general use is given.
Displacement of a cis-Olefin from a trans-Olefin Complex: CpRu(CO)2(trans-olefin)+

Ruthenium(II)−olefin complexes CpRu(CO)2(η2-trans-olefin)+ (Cp = η5-C5H5; olefin = trans-3-hexene, trans-2-pentene, trans-3-octene, trans-4-octene, trans-5-decene) have been synthesized and characterized by IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopies. The reactions of these complexes with a wide range of ligands (L) result in the formation of CpRu(CO)2(L)+ and the release of both cis- and trans-olefins: [CpRu(CO)2(trans-olefin)]BF4 + L → [CpRu(CO)2(L)]BF4 + cis/trans-olefin. The relative amounts of cis- and trans-olefin released are controlled by several factors: identity and amount of the incoming ligand L, identity of the olefin, temperature, and solvent. For 4-substituted pyridines, the cis/trans ratio increases as the electron-donating ability of the 4-substituent increases: F3C (18/82) < H (67/33) < CH3 (74/26) < CH3O (76/24). Increases in temperature, solvent polarity, and olefin side-chain length reduce the cis/trans ratio. A mechanism is proposed to account for the isomerization of trans-olefin liga...
Flame-centered grid transformation for numerical simulation of strained flames

This communication presents a method for greatly reducing the computational solution time for simulating a series of one-dimensional, laminar, premixed, strained flames
The distribution and abundance of copepods in relation to the physical structure of the Gulf Stream

Abstract The horizontal and vertical distributions of selected copepod species across the Gulf Stream in September 1982 were investigated along a transect east of Cape Hatteras where the Stream turns offshore. Copepod species distributions across the Stream, and the extent of their diel migrations, can be grouped into several distinct patterns associated with different environmental habitats within the Stream, some of which change depth across the Stream along sloping isopycnals. Copepod behavior, such as probable temperature and depth preferences and diel vertical migration, interacts with the complex physical structure of the Stream to determine at what depths in the water column a species is found at different cross-stream locations. The different environmental habitats are also characterized by different current velocities and directions, and therefore the species groups experience different degrees of downstream and cross-stream transport. Direct cross-stream transport, in addition to mesoscale events such as ring formation, is a likely mechanism connecting some populations of Slope Water and Sargasso Sea zooplankton.
Decentralized control of a vehicular microgrid with constant power loads

Constant power loads may form a major proportion of the system loads in automotive power systems. Without proper control the presence of constant power loads in a multi-converter environment can cause system instability. In this paper, the concept of autonomous control of a dc microgrid is extended to automotive power systems. An autonomous control law is derived for an automotive power system which consists of system of parallel connected boost converters supplying a constant power load. The control law derived using the passivity based approach consists of two stages. The first, primary stage involves a non-linear droop of the microgrid voltage with respect to the current supplied by each of the converters thereby enabling current sharing. The primary controller also damps the oscillations in the dc microgrid caused by the presence of the constant power load. The secondary controller adjusts for the voltage deviations due to the primary controller without affecting the current sharing. The conditions to ensure the asymptotic stability of the equilibrium points are derived. Experimental results are presented to verify the proposed control law.
Sucrose substitution in prevention and reversal of the fall in metabolic rate accompanying hypocaloric diets

Hypocaloric diets cause a fall in resting metabolic rate that interferes with weight loss. To evaluate the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, resting metabolic rate was measured sequentially in six healthy obese women on a weight maintenance diet (more than 2,300 kilocalories), after 15 days of an 800 kilocalories carbohydrate-free diet, and after isocaloric sucrose replacement for an additional 15 days. The carbohydrate-free diet produced a 21 percent decline in resting metabolic rate (p less than 0.005) as well as a decrease in circulating triiodothyronine (41 percent, p less than 0.02) and insulin (38 percent, p less than 0.005) concentrations. Plasma norepinephrine levels also tended to decline (10 percent, 0.05 greater than p less than 0.1). However, when sucrose was substituted, resting metabolic rate rose toward baseline values even though total caloric intake was unchanged and weight loss continued. The sucrose-induced rise in resting metabolic rate was accompanied by a rise in serum triiodothyronine values, but not plasma insulin or norepinephrine concentrations. Throughout, changes in resting metabolic rate correlated with changes in serum triiodothyronine levels (r = 0.701, p less than 0.01). In four obese women, a hypocaloric sucrose diet was given at the outset for 15 days. The fall in both resting metabolic rate and triiodothyronine concentration was markedly reduced as compared with values during the carbohydrate-free diet. It is concluded that carbohydrate restriction plays an important role in mediating the fall in resting metabolic rate during hypocaloric feeding. This effect may, at least in part, be related to changes in circulating triiodothyronine levels. Incorporation of carbohydrate in diet regimens may, therefore, minimize the thermic adaptation to weight loss.
Binding of Ragweed Antigen labelled with Iodine-131 by Sera of Untreated Allergic Subjects

IT has recently been shown that purified horse serum albumin and two other mammalian serum proteins labelled with iodine-131 were bound by sera of allergic individuals with cutaneous reactivity to these proteins1. The binding was demonstrated by immunological precipitation of human γ-globulin from a pre-incubated mixture of human serum and labelled antigen. The quantity of antigen in the precipitate was then estimated by its radioactivity. This procedure has been applied to the detection of iodine-131 ragweed antigen combined with the sera of untreated ragweed-sensitive individuals.
Economic and health risk trade-offs of swim closures at a Lake Michigan beach.

This paper presents a framework for analyzing the economic, health, and recreation implications of swim closures related to high fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) levels. The framework utilizes benefit transfer policy analysis to provide a practical procedure for estimating the effectiveness of recreational water quality policies. Evaluation criteria include the rates of intended and unintended management outcomes, whether the chosen protocols generate closures with positive net economic benefits to swimmers, and the number of predicted illnesses the policy is able to prevent. We demonstrate the framework through a case study of a Lake Michigan freshwater beach using existing water quality and visitor data from 1998 to 2001. We find that a typical closure causes a net economic loss among would-be swimmers totaling $1274−37 030/day, depending on the value assumptions used. Unnecessary closures, caused by high indicator variability and a 24-h time delay between when samples are taken and the management decisio...
A Lower Bound on the Number of Corrections Required for Convergence of the Single Threshold Gate Adaptive Procedure

The adaptive single threshold gate realization procedure, originally proposed by Rosenblatt, has been rather extensively studied, and several upper bounds on the number of corrections required for its convergence have been derived. In this note a lower bound on the number of required corrections is determnined, and shown to differ from the upper bound by a factor of about n2 where n is the number of binary variables. This new bound then implies the existence of classes of linearly separable functions for which the number of required corrections increases exponentially with n.
Single-Molecule Kinetic Theory of Heterogeneous and Enzyme Catalysis

Recent experimental advances in single-molecule enzymology stimulated many efforts to develop single-molecule kinetic theories of enzyme catalysis, especially for the classic Michaelis−Menten mechanism. Our group recently studied redox catalysis by single metal nanoparticles at single-turnover resolution. Compared with enzymes, which are homogeneous catalysts and have well-defined active sites, nanoparticles are heterogeneous catalysts and have many different surface sites for catalysis. To provide a theoretical framework to understand nanoparticle catalysis at the single-molecule level, here we formulate in detail the single-molecule kinetic theory of a Langmuir−Hinshelwood mechanism for heterogeneous catalysis, which includes the multitude of surface sites on one nanoparticle. We consider two parallel product dissociation pathways that give complex single-molecule kinetics of the product dissociation reaction. We derive the probability density functions of the stochastic waiting times for both the produ...
Preparation and physical properties of chitin fatty acids esters.

Abstract Trifluoroacetic anhydride is an effective promoter for the preparation of chitin single- and mixed-acid esters. Complete dissolution is achieved within 30 min when powdered chitin is heated at 70 °C in a mixed solution of carboxylic acid(s) and trifluoroacetic anhydride. Chitin esters prepared are chitin acetate, chitin butyrate, chitin hexanoate and chitin octanoate, chitin co-acetate/butyrate, chitin co-acetate/hexanoate, chitin co-acetate/octanoate, chitin co-acetate/palmitate, each from a solution of the respective reactants. The products have degrees of O -acyl substitution in a range of DS 1–2 depending on the nature of acyl group, as analyzed by gas–liquid and high-pressure liquid chromatography. Acetic acid as a mutual component for the mixed-acid esters increases the total degree of substitution, and the acetyl substitution is close to the relative distribution in the reaction mixture for chitin co-acetate/butyrate. It is favored over hexanoate, octanoate, and palmitate. The parent molecules, as calculated by the composition of the chitin esters and their molecular weights by light-scattering spectroscopy, are 30 kDa for the smallest and 150–151 kDa for the largest. Films of these chitin derivatives when cast from solution are strong and flexible with limited extensibility. By dynamic mechanical analysis of the ester film, it was found that both the glass transition temperature ( T g ) and the tensile modulus ( E′ at 25 °C) are highest for chitin acetate (218 °C and 5.8 GPa), and lowest for chitin octanoate (182 °C and 1.5 GPa). For the other esters, these values lie between the above-cited values, where the T g and the E′ decrease with an increase in the chain length of the acyl constituent.
Finite bath adsorption of β-galactosidase onto monoclonal antibody ligand immobilized on nonporous glass coated beads

The dynamic experimental data of the finite bath adsorption of β-galactosidase onto monoclonal anti-β-galactosidase ligand immobilized on nonporous glass coated beads, are presented for four different temperatures. Mathematical models that describe the finite bath adsorption of a single adsorbate onto ligand immobilized on nonporous particles, are constructed, and it is found that the overall adsorption rate of β-galactosidase is controlled by film mass transfer and the dynamics of the interaction mechanism (adsorption step). The agreement between experiment and theory is reasonable when the dynamics of the interaction mechanism are described by a second-order reversible kinetic model. Also, the estimated values of the association constant of specific adsorption (interaction of β-galactosidase with immobilized anti-β-galactosidase) were significantly larger than those of nonspecific adsorption (interaction of β-galactosidase with a control adsorbent). Furthermore, the values of the association constant of...
Conceptual design of the Mars Rover Sample Return system

The results of the prephase A study of the Mars Rover Sample Return system are presented. Four mission scenarios are studied, two in the B-configuration, and two D-configuration missions. They incorporated variations in delivery-to-Mars mode, earth-return mode (propulsive or aerocapture), landing site latitude, and rover size and capability in order to identify system drivers.
Development of a computational model to study effects of rotator cuff tear size and location on muscle moment arms

Rotator cuff tendon tear causes alterations to cuff muscle architecture and tendons including muscle fascicle contracture and increased tendon length, fatty infiltration of the muscle fibers, muscle fiber pennation angle changes, asymmetric muscle atrophy, and altered muscle fiber type composition, e.g. [1]. These changes ultimately result in a reduction in muscle force, and frequently lead to a reduction of shoulder strength and a loss of functionality. Recently, division of the cuff tendons in a manner related to cuff tear has been shown to alter tendon excursions and cause muscle moment arms reductions in a cadaver experiment [2] and a computational study [3]. Evaluations of the effects of cuff tear size and location on cuff muscle moment arms have not been conducted. Consequently, the mechanisms by which the muscle force and moment arm changes affect joint strength are not well understood. An improved understanding of these relationships would increase potential for rehabilitation of joint strength following cuff repair. Models for evaluating rotator cuff tear are non-existent since subject-specific models have focused on healthy normal shoulders. Consequently, models have not been used to quantify the effects of clinically observed changes in muscle and tendon architecture on muscle moment arm and force generating capacity.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Actin cap associated focal adhesions and their distinct role in cellular mechanosensing

The ability for cells to sense and adapt to different physical microenvironments plays a critical role in development, immune responses, and cancer metastasis. Here we identify a small subset of focal adhesions that terminate fibers in the actin cap, a highly ordered filamentous actin structure that is anchored to the top of the nucleus by the LINC complexes; these differ from conventional focal adhesions in morphology, subcellular organization, movements, turnover dynamics, and response to biochemical stimuli. Actin cap associated focal adhesions (ACAFAs) dominate cell mechanosensing over a wide range of matrix stiffness, an ACAFA-specific function regulated by actomyosin contractility in the actin cap, while conventional focal adhesions are restrictively involved in mechanosensing for extremely soft substrates. These results establish the perinuclear actin cap and associated ACAFAs as major mediators of cellular mechanosensing and a critical element of the physical pathway that transduce mechanical cues all the way to the nucleus.
Design and evaluation of a hierarchical decoupled architecture

The speed gap between processor and main memory is the major performance bottleneck of modern computer systems. As a result, today's microprocessors suffer from frequent cache misses and lose many CPU cycles due to pipeline stalling. Although traditional data prefetching methods considerably reduce the number of cache misses, most of them strongly rely on the predictability for future accesses and often fail when memory accesses do not contain much locality. To solve the long latency problem of current memory systems, this paper presents the design and evaluation of our high-performance decoupled architecture, the HiDISC (Hierarchical Decoupled Instruction Stream Computer). The motivation for the design originated from the traditional decoupled architecture concept and its limits. The HiDISC approach implements an additional prefetching processor on top of a traditional access/execute architecture. Our design aims at providing low memory access latency by separating and decoupling otherwise sequential pieces of code into three streams and executing each stream on three dedicated processors. The three streams act in concert to mask the long access latencies by providing the necessary data to the upper level on time. This is achieved by separating the access-related instructions from the main computation and running them early enough on the two dedicated processors. Detailed hardware design and performance evaluation are performed with development of an architectural simulator and compiling tools. Our performance results show that the proposed HiDISC model reduces 19.7% of the cache misses and improves the overall IPC (Instructions Per Cycle) by 15.8%. With a slower memory model assuming 200 CPU cycles as memory access latency, our HiDISC improves the performance by 17.2%.
Inoculating Against Reactance to Persuasive Health Messages

This investigation examined the possibility of decreasing psychological reactance to health campaigns through the use of inoculation messages. It was hypothesized that an inoculation message, which forewarned of the potential of subsequent reactance, would decrease participants’ likelihood of reacting negatively to a freedom-threatening message aimed to reduce excessive alcohol consumption. Participants (N = 275) who were inoculated against potential reactance felt less threatened and experienced less reactance compared to those who did not read an inoculation message. Structural equation modeling showed that inoculation indirectly predicted lower intention to drink alcohol via the theorized mediated reactance process. This research suggests that it is possible to inoculate against self-generated cognitions that might otherwise lead toward negative health behaviors.
Transmission of order in some unusual dilute systems.

As a system is diluted, the critical temperature T may fall to zero at a concentration X sub c greater than the percolation concentration, because mere connectivity does not guarantee the transmission of order even at T = 0. Detailed results, including bounds on X sub c, are presented for the three-state Potts antiferromagnet on a triangular lattice and for quadrupolar models of (o-H2)x(p-H2)1-x mixtures on fcc and triangular lattices.
Luminescence and Mechanical Properties of Photoluminescent Core Bicomponent Fibers

Photoluminescent fibers with a sheath-core morphology are produced to impart good mechanical properties. Both photoluminescent and mechanical properties are examined for these fibers with respect to photoluminescent pigment concentrations in the core, draw ratios, and polymer types. The photoluminescent pigment concentration in the core of the fibers directly influences their luminance intensity and afterglow properties as well as their mechanical properties.
Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with cognitive behavioral therapy

Abstract Editors' Preface The management of chronic low back pain (CLBP) has proven to be very challenging in North America, as evidenced by its mounting socioeconomic burden. Choosing amongst available nonsurgical therapies can be overwhelming for many stakeholders, including patients, health providers, policy makers, and third-party payers. Although all parties share a common goal and wish to use limited health-care resources to support interventions most likely to result in clinically meaningful improvements, there is often uncertainty about the most appropriate intervention for a particular patient. To help understand and evaluate the various commonly used nonsurgical approaches to CLBP, the North American Spine Society has sponsored this special focus issue of The Spine Journal , titled Evidence-Informed Management of Chronic Low Back Pain Without Surgery. Articles in this special focus issue were contributed by leading spine practitioners and researchers, who were invited to summarize the best available evidence for a particular intervention and encouraged to make this information accessible to nonexperts. Each of the articles contains five sections (description, theory, evidence of efficacy, harms, and summary) with common subheadings to facilitate comparison across the 24 different interventions profiled in this special focus issue, blending narrative and systematic review methodology as deemed appropriate by the authors. It is hoped that articles in this special focus issue will be informative and aid in decision making for the many stakeholders evaluating nonsurgical interventions for CLBP.
“Marriage is Half of Faith and the Rest is Fear Allah”: Marriage and Spousal Abuse Among American Muslims

Understanding the problem of woman abuse requires attention to the cultural context in which it occurs. American Muslim women are a group whose culturally specific experiences of abuse in families have remained largely unstudied. To address this gap in knowledge, this study examined the cultural context of abuse among American Muslim women using an interpretive approach. This article examines culturally specific marriage practices and the ways that these practices interwine with women's abuse experiences. Findings indicate that American Muslim women's marriage practices are distinctly different from dominant American practices and that these practices significantly shape abuse experiences over time.
Quantum Statistics of Nonlinear Optics

Nonlinear interaction of light with matter is described from the quantum-statistical point of view. The cases of two-photon absorption, Raman transition, sum-frequency generation, parametric amplification, and incoherent scattering are discussed. It is shown that the nonlinear optical effects depend strongly on the statistical properties of the light fields. The rate of nonlinear absorption, generation, and amplification is higher for chaotic than for coherent, and also higher for multimode than for single-mode pump fields. Measurements of the statistics of the output fields may yield information about the statistics of the input fields and the properties of the medium.
Building Meaning in Schizophrenia

The schizophrenia syndrome is clinically characterized by abnormal constructions of meaning during comprehension (delusions), perception (hallucinations), action (disorganized and non-goal-directed behavior) and language production (thought disorder). This article provides an overview of recent studies from our laboratory that have used event-related potentials and functional magnetic resonance imaging to elucidate abnormalities in temporal and spatial patterns of neural activity as meaning is built from language and real-world visual events in schizophrenia. Our findings support the hypothesis that automatic activity across semantic memory spreads further within a shorter period of time in thought-disordered patients, relative to non-thought-disordered patients and healthy controls. Neuroanatomically, increased activity to semantic associates is reflected by inappropriate recruitment of temporal cortices. In building meaning within sentences, the fine balance between semantic memory-based mechanisms and semantic-syntactic integration (dictating "who does what to whom") is disrupted, such that comprehension is driven primarily by semantic memory-based processes. Neuroanatomically, this imbalance is reflected by preserved (and sometimes increased) activity within temporal and inferior prefrontal cortices, but abnormal modulation of dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices. In building meaning across sentences (discourse), patients fail to immediately construct coherence links, but may show inappropriate recruitment of temporal and inferior prefrontal cortices to incoherent discourse, again reflecting inappropriate semantic memory-based processing (abnormal inferencing). Finally, these abnormalities may generalize to real-world visual event comprehension, where patients show reduced neural activity in determining relationships around goal-directed actions, and comprehension is again dominated by semantic memory-based mechanisms.
On the self-association of the normal alcohols and the glass transition in alcohol-alcohol solutions

The glass-transition temperature (Tg) in mutual binary mixtures of the primary alkanols from methanol throughn-octanol has been measured as a function of composition. For mixtures of the alkanols heavier than ethanol,Tg is found to be a linear function of the number-average molecular length. Methanol and ethanol mixtures show higherTg values than indicated by this relation. These results are found to be consistent with association of the heavier alkanols into chains of very great length in the supercooled liquid, while ethanol and methanol must form networks with a moderate degree of crosslinking between chains.
Acceleration of experimental endochondral ossification by biophysical stimulation of the progenitor cell pool

Endochondral ossification can be modulated by a number of biochemical and biophysical stimuli. This study uses the experimental model of decalcified bone matrix-induced endochondral ossification to examine the effect of one biophysical stimulus, an electromagnetic field, on chondrogenesis, calcification, and osteogenesis. A temporal acceleration and quantitative increase in sulfate incorporation, glycosaminoglycan content, and calcification suggests that the stimulation of endochondral ossification is due to an increase in extracellular matrix synthesis. The locus of that stimulation is identified in the mesenchymal stage of endochondral bone development, and stimulation at this stage is essential for accelerated bone formation. The data suggest that enhanced differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells present at this stage is most likely responsible for the increase in extracellular matrix synthesis and bone maturation.
New Biology Identified by Genetic Analysis of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Kozlitina and colleagues characterized sequence variation in the 2736 patients of the Dallas Heart Study. By means of association analysis, they then identified variants of interest for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the most common form of liver disease. This analysis replicated two previously described sequence variants in PNPLA3, the gene for the triacylglycerol lipase adiponutrin, as significant ( P values of 4.0 × 10–16 and 6.9 × 10–12). But the authors also found that a coding variant in a previously uncharacterized gene—TM6SF2—was significant ( P = 5.7 × 10–8). To work out the biological function of the fatty liver–associated TM6SF2 variant, the authors performed secondary analyses in the original Dallas Heart Study cohort as well as in three additional cohorts, the Dallas Biobank (8585 subjects) and the Copenhagen City Heart Study and the Copenhagen General Population study (73,532 combined subjects). The TM6SF2 variant proved to be associated with blood levels of alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL), and triglyceride levels in these populations. These clinical parameters are also associated with the PNPLA3 variation, strengthening the case for the association. To understand the biological function of TMS6SF2, which is predicted to have seven transmembrane domains, the authors expressed human wild-type and mutant TMS6SF2 in a hepatoma cell line. These cells were lysed and then fractionated on a sucrose gradient, with the TM6SF2 protein localizing solely to the membrane fraction, suggesting that TM6SF2 is a polytopic membrane protein. The amount of mutant protein, however, was 46% lower than the amount of wild-type protein, suggesting that the mutation leads to more rapid degradation of TMS6SF2. Given this evidence that the TM6SF2 variant results in less protein, the authors then assessed how lower protein levels would influence metabolic processes. They used adeno-associated viral vectors that express short hairpin RNAs to reduce the amount of TM6SF2 protein in mice. These animals showed higher hepatic triglyceride content and lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels, suggesting that reduced TM6SF2 expression impairs VLDL secretion. These results imply that one of the pathogenic mechanisms for nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases may be impaired VLDL secretion, leading to a build-up of fat in the liver. J. Kozlitina et al ., Exome-wide association study identifies a TM6SF2 variant that confers susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Nat. Genet. , published online 16 February 2014 (10.1038/ng.2901). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ng.2901.html
Isoperimetric inequalities, isometric actions and the higher Newman numbers

M will be a compact connected n-dimensional Riemannian manifold. If M contains a closed connected k-dimensional, 2 ≤ k < n, minimal immersed submanifold of M, we define the kth isoperimetric number of M, Nk(M), as the infimum of the volumes of all such submanifolds. We obtain a number of interesting estimates for Nk(M), for both general and special manifolds, which appear to be new.
Deficiency of ADAMTS13 in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, characterized by the presence of systemic hyaline thrombi in the arterioles and capillaries, is a potentially fatal disease that responds to plasma infusion or exchange. Recent studies have demonstrated that a metalloprotease in the normal plasma cleaves endothelial von Willebrand factor to a series of multimers. A deficiency of the protease, due to autoimmune IgG inhibitors or genetic mutations’, is detected in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Positional cloning based on kindreds with a genetic deficiency of the protease and amino acid sequencing of the purified protein have identified the protease as a novel member of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeat) zinc metalloprotease family located on the long arm of chromosome 9. Mutations of the gene are detected in patients with the congenital form of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. In the circulation, proteolysis of von Willebrand factor is critical in regulating vWF-platelet interaction. These advances in knowledge provide the basis for a rational approach to improving the diagnosis and treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.
Transcriptional Regulation of the Prothrombin Gene in Muscle

Thrombin has been shown to mediate neurite retraction in neurons and synapse elimination at the neuromuscular junction. The presence of prothrombin mRNA has been demonstrated in brain and in muscle, but extra-hepatic regulation of the prothrombin gene has not been investigated. To identify cis-acting DNA elements involved in the expression of the prothrombin gene in muscle, we have isolated and analyzed a 1.3-kilobase pair promoter region of the mouse prothrombin gene. Using a series of transiently transfected plasmid constructs in which gene segments of the prothrombin promoter were linked to the luciferase gene, we have identified a sequence, −302 to −210, essential for prothrombin promoter activity in C2-myotubes. Fine analysis revealed that deletion of nucleotides between −248 and −235 eliminated prothrombin promoter activity in C2-myotubes. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that a nuclear factor present in C2-myotubes, but not in C2-myoblasts or HepG2 hepatocytes, specifically binds to the sequence −241 to −225. Substitutional mutation of nucleotides −237 to −231 abolished myotube-specific promoter activity and inhibited the nuclear factor binding. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction demonstrated the expression of prothrombin mRNA in myotubes, but not in myoblasts, of primary, C2, and G8 muscle cells. This result correlates with the lack of prothrombin promoter activity in C2-myoblasts. The data thus suggest that a myotube-specific nuclear factor binds to a cis-acting sequence encompassing the core nucleotides −237 to −231 and plays a critical role in muscle-specific, differentiation-dependent expression of the mouse prothrombin gene.
Liposomes can mimic virus membranes

CONSIDERABLE insight into mechanisms of membrane permeability and transport has been obtained from the study of simple lipid membranes. For the study of membrane–membrane interactions, however, such model systems have been used to a much lesser extent. If present ideas that biological membranes possess extended areas of lipid bilayer are correct, then it is probable that bilayer regions are involved in intermembrane phenomena such as adhesion and fusion, and it becomes reasonable to use simple lipid membranes to mimic such behaviour.
Association of self-reported sleep duration with eating behaviors of American adults: NHANES 2005–2010

Background: Published evidence suggests an inverse association between sleep duration and body weight status. Objective: We examined the association of sleep duration with eating behaviors reported by adult Americans to understand the relation between sleep duration and body weight status. Design: This cross-sectional study used sleep duration and dietary data from the continuous NHANES conducted from 2005 to 2010 (n = 15,199, age ≥20 y). Eating behaviors examined included the following: reporting of and energy from main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) and snacks (before breakfast, after dinner, and after 2000 h), intermeal intervals, time of day of main meal reporting, and intakes of macronutrients and beverages. Multiple regression methods were used to examine the independent association of hours of sleep duration grouped as short (≤6 h), average (7–8 h), and long (≥9 h) with eating behavior outcomes. Results: Relative to average-duration sleepers, a smaller percentage of short-duration sleepers mentioned breakfast, lunch (women only), and dinner in the recall (P ≤ 0.04). They also reported a lower mean percentage of energy from main meals but higher energy from all snacks (P ≤ 0.0004) and after 2000 h (P = 0.03). Short-duration sleepers reported the earliest eating time of the first episode and the latest time of the last eating episode. Absolute amounts of sugar and caffeine and percentage of energy from beverages (women only) were higher in short-duration sleepers. However, the total number of eating episodes and energy intake were not related with sleep duration. Conclusions: Short-duration sleepers began eating earlier and ended their eating later in the day, but despite the longer eating period, they did not report more eating events. Profiles of the relative contribution of main meals and snacks, at or after 2000 h eating, and beverages in short-duration sleepers were suggestive of eating behaviors that may increase energy intake, but 24-h energy intake did not differ among categories of sleep duration.
Low frequencies and peak amplitude in UWB pulse propagation

Previous studies of ultra-wideband electromagnetic pulses that propagate through causal, dispersive and attenuative dielectric material have shown the existence of a Brillouin precursor, a component of the propagated field that decays algebraically with propagation distance rather than exponentially. Because each nonzero frequency component of the pulse decays exponentially with distance, in accordance with the Beer-Lambert law, the Brillouin precursor is commonly attributed to the dc or low frequency content of the initial pulse. Here, the effect of low frequency components on the formation and peak amplitude of the Brillouin precursor is studied. A cascade of single-pole high-pass filters, each with cutoff angular frequency ω H , is applied to a step modulated sine wave and a closed-form asymptotic approximation to the propagated field is given. Our results show that the Brillouin precursor exists even with the low frequency content suppressed. However, the decay rate of the Brillouin precursor does decrease with increasing ω H .
Comparing two-particle and multi-particle initiated processes in the one-instanton sector

Abstract We compare the 2 → n and n 1 + n 2 → n processes in the one-instanton sector of the sin 2 θ ω = 0 limit of the Electroweak Theory. n 1 and n 2 refer to the number of initial right-moving and left-moving gauge bosons with n i = v i / α and v i small. Doing perturbative calculations about an instanton we find evidence for a smooth v → 0 limit.
Specimen Preparation of Raw and Cooked Carrot Phloem and Xylem for the Scanning Electron Microscope1

Xylem and phloem tissues of raw and cooked carrots were prepared (1) by mechanical excision and (2) by cryofracturing the tissue in liquid nitrogen. Both sets were subse quently fixed with gluteraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and critical point dried aftersuc cessive dehydrations with acetone. It was concluded that for these particular tissues and sample preparations the cryofractured-critical point drying technique was less damaging, more preserving with fewer artifactual distortions, and gave more information on the sur face structure and interfacial properties than did mechanical excision of these tissues.