cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urethral complications following ischiectomy in spinal cord injury patients: a urethral pressure study.

AbstractIschial ulcers are the most common pressure sores in spinal cord injury patients and ischiectomy often is used in the over-all management. Because a high percentage of spinal cord injury patients with total ischiectomy had complications of the membranous and proximal bulbous urethra, we evaluated urodynamically 15 ischiectomy patients in the supine and sitting positions to determine if pressure usually borne by the ischial tuberosities was transmitted to the membranous and proximal bulbous urethra. Of the 8 patients with a complete ischiectomy at least on 1 side 5 had problems of the membranous and proximal bulbous urethra, and the average urethral pressure Increase from the reclining to the sitting position was 111cm. water. The increase in urethral pressure was not related to any change In bladder or abdominal pressure. The average urethral pressure Increase in the nonischiectomy patients was only 16cm. water and none had any problems of the membranous and proximal bulbous urethra.Some retrospec...
Inactivation of glucose carriers in human erythrocyte membranes by 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene.

Abstract Inactivation of the glucose transport carrier activities of isolated human erythrocyte membranes by 1-fluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (FDNB) was studied in the presence and the absence of d-glucose and correlated with accompanying dinitrophenylation of the membrane components. The inactivation was greatly enhanced by the presence of the sugar. Furthermore, the kinetics of inactivation in the presence of of the sugar differed from that seen in the absence of the sugar. In the absence of glucose, the inactivation was first order with respect to FDNB and had an activation energy of 32 Cal per mole. In the presence of the sugar, the inactivation was nearly second order with respect to FDNB and had an activation energy of 17 Cal per mole. The pH dependence of the inactivation was also significantly modified by the presence of the sugar. Neither the total amount of dinitrophenylation nor the kinetics of this process was significantly altered by the presence of the sugar. The kinetics of dinitrophenylation was similar to the kinetics of the inactivation in the absence of the sugar, but significantly different from that in the presence of the sugar. The inactivation of the glucose carrier by FDNB involves at least two mutually distinct reactivities of the carrier, namely glucose-independent and glucose-dependent dinitrophenylations. These reactivities may represent two different conformational states of the carrier in its operation.
Acupoints Initiate the Healing Process

Abstract Background: As an important modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture has been widely accepted by the Western world in the past 4 decades because of this modality's efficacy and safety. A vast amount of acupuncture research has been done. However, the mechanisms of acupuncture actions are still elusive. It is believed that the effects of acupuncture treatment begin from the moment of needle insertion. Methods: This review focuses on the acupuncture points and the three major reactions at the acupuncture points when needling is performed. These initial reactions may be the beginning of the healing process that initiates downstream effects through neuronal and humoral pathways. In addition to the physical reactions, this article also discusses the possibility of the effects of acupuncture on the healing process through a holistic pathway. Conclusions: Needling is the first step of traditional acupuncture therapy. Needling reactions— neuronal, biophysical, and biochemical—are the beginni...
Seeing Student/Teacher Relationships as Hidden Dramas of Personal Development

We suggest that a narrative structure is inherent in student/teacher relationships, and that teachers' artful shaping of relational stories between themselves and each of their students, most often unbeknownst to the students themselves, is key to the important personal development that takes place through schooling. From a detailed study of one such story, as it was consciously shaped over the course of an entire school year, we argue that the increased prevalence of a relational “narrative paradigm” of the teaching process would help both teachers and those who support their work attain a more authentically educative open-mindedness toward students, enabling them to see their roles somewhat less as general purveyors of intellectual instruction or psychological diagnosis, and more as unique facilitators of personal development.
Solving Unit Commitment Problem with Parallel Computing

The Unit commitment problem (UCP) involves finding the least-cost dispatch of available generation resources to meet the electricity demands over an electrical grid. It is an important planning problem in the electric utility industry. The purpose of the UCP is to determine when to start up and when to shut down a particular generating unit and how to dispatch the committed units to meet the electricity demands and satisfy the relevant security constraints. This paper presents a procedure for modeling and solving large scale unit commitment problems (UCP) by using a parallel computing approach. We assume that the electricity demands are known, and a predetermined amount of reserve is used to guarantee the security of the system. A parallel computing version of the Lagrangian Relaxation technique is used to solve this problem efficiently.
Employer-Provided Student Loan Repayment Assistance Benefits:

With 70% of recent hires being encumbered with student-loan debt, employers and employees have recently become interested in repayment assistance benefits. Since about 2015, 4% of employers and 8% of large employers have adopted such plans. An estimated 20% will have them by 2018. This article examines the background, growth and magnitude of federal and private student loans. It also examines those programs that have been adopted and gleans from them a number of questions that will help in the design and implementation of new programs by employers.
Reducing Carbon Growth

Under the present circumstances of global warming, two actions are urgently required. One is to reduce the emission from greenhouse gases, and the other is to encourage climate engineering efforts such as carbon capture and storage and solar radiation management. GHG reduction must be done at all cost by all nations, whereas climate engineering technology can be introduced by rich countries at the earliest. Energy efficiency is one of the major energy-related threats being faced in most of the countries. The International Energy Agency estimates that in order to meet the energy efficiency target for 2050, the global spending has to increase from the current level of 300 billion USD per year to 680 billion USD. A business-as-usual scenario suggests that USA and European Union would reduce oil and coal consumption to improve energy efficiency by 2050. However, China and India, the two most populous nations will continue to rely heavily on coal and oil in near future and will not be able to transit to renewable source to the expected level. Like it or not, we will have to explore all possibilities of switching over to a combination of source from renewable energy basket including opting for draft animal power.
Sample containerization and planetary protection using brazing for breaking the chain of contact to Mars

Returning samples from Mars to Earth in a future NASA mission would require protection of our planet from the potential risks of bringing uncontrolled biological materials back with the samples. Part of the planetary protection process would involve a process called “breaking the chain of contact (BTC)”, where any returned material reaching Earth for further analysis would have to be sealed inside a container at extremely high confidence. The sterilization process would require destroying any potential biological materials that may contaminate the external surface of the container. A novel process for containing returning samples has been conceived and is under development at JPL. The process consists of using induction heated brazing to synchronously sterilize, separate, seam and seal the container. The braze material is heated to the melting temperature that is higher than 500°C and, thus, it assures sterilizing exposed areas since all carbon bonds are broken above this temperature. The container consists of double walls with “Earth clean” interstitial space. The process consists of two-steps, where one is intended to be prepared on Earth and the second would be executed on orbit around Mars. The latest results of this study will be described and discussed.
Phonon Engineering to Modify Acoustic Phonon Velocity in Hexagonal Layered Superlattices

This letter presents the possibility of using the effective medium model coupled with the piezoelectric stiffening to quantitatively explain and engineer acoustic phonons as a heat dissipation channel in GaN-based devices. These effects will be described for a GaN/AlN superlattice that exhibits enhanced acoustic phonon velocities as compared with bulk GaN. We numerically calculate the stiffened elastic constant values and apply them within the effective medium model for elastic constants. With the recent advances in epitaxial GaN growth technology, it may be possible to consider this phonon engineering option to investigate the effect on the longitudinal sound velocity to increase the rate of heat transport in GaN/AlN superlattice.
Chemosensory sensilla of the Drosophila wing express a candidate ionotropic pheromone receptor.

The Drosophila wing was proposed to be a taste organ more than 35 years ago, but there has been remarkably little study of its role in chemoreception. We carry out a differential RNA-seq analysis of a row of sensilla on the anterior wing margin and find expression of many genes associated with pheromone and chemical perception. To ask whether these sensilla might receive pheromonal input, we devised a dye-transfer paradigm and found that large, hydrophobic molecules comparable to pheromones can be transferred from one fly to the wing margin of another. One gene, Ionotropic receptor (IR)52a, is coexpressed in neurons of these sensilla with fruitless, a marker of sexual circuitry; IR52a is also expressed in legs. Mutation of IR52a and optogenetic silencing of IR52a+ neurons decrease levels of male sexual behavior. Optogenetic activation of IR52a+ neurons induces males to show courtship toward other males and, remarkably, toward females of another species. Surprisingly, IR52a is also required in females for normal sexual behavior. Optogenetic activation of IR52a+ neurons in mated females induces copulation, which normally occurs at very low levels. Unlike other chemoreceptors that act in males to inhibit male–male interactions and promote male–female interactions, IR52a acts in both males and females, and can promote male–male as well as male–female interactions. Moreover, IR52a+ neurons can override the circuitry that normally suppresses sexual behavior toward unproductive targets. Circuit mapping and Ca2+ imaging using the trans-Tango system reveals second-order projections of IR52a+ neurons in the subesophageal zone (SEZ), some of which are sexually dimorphic. Optogenetic activation of IR52a+ neurons in the wing activates second-order projections in the SEZ. Taken together, this study provides a molecular description of the chemosensory sensilla of a greatly understudied taste organ and defines a gene that regulates the sexual circuitry of the fly.
Equilibrium Relationships in the Uranium-Tungsten-Oxygen System in Oxygen Partial Pressures from 0.01 to 1 atm

Equilibrium relationships in the uranium-tungsten-oxygen system have been established as a function of temperature at different oxygen pressures. Isobaric sections in air and oxygen and oxygen partial pressures of 0.01 and 0.07 were constructed, using the thermobalance. Mixtures of U3O8 and WO3 pick up weight in air, forming UWO6, which exists over a wide range of compositions taking both uranium oxides and WO3 in solid solution. The compound WO3 takes a limited amount of uranium oxide in solid solution and U3O8 also dissolves a limited amount of WO3 The miscibility gap between the solid solutions of UWO/sub 6-x/ and U3O/sub 8-y/ on the one hand and the solid solutions of UWO/sub 6-x/ and WO/sub 3-z/ on the other hand decreases by decreasing oxygen partial pressure and/or by increasing temperature. Each group of compatible solutions finally merges into a single phase deficient in oxygen. The two single phases exist over a wide range of compositions and melt over ranges of temperatures depending on the initial composition. Above a critical oxygen partial pressure (between 0.01 and 0.07 atm), solid solutions of UWO/sub 6-x/ and U3O/sub 8-y/, as well as solid solutions of UWO/sub 6-x/ and WO/sub 3-z/, melt partially with isothermal oxygenmore » loss. Increasing the oxygen partial pressure increases the melting temperatures and produces eutectic liquids richer in oxygen.« less
BRAF/MEK Pathway is Associated With Breast Cancer in ER-dependent Mode and Improves ER Status-based Cancer Recurrence Prediction

Abstract Background Aberrant BRAF/MEK signaling was found in nearly 50% of human malignancies and proved to play a critical role in the tumorigenesis of multiple cancers. However, this pathway was relatively seldom studied in breast cancer, and the role of this pathway in the pathogenesis of breast cancer is still controversial. Materials and Methods Breast cancer gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and 43 Affymetrix microarray datasets were analyzed. The BRAF/MEK pathway activity was presented with phosphorylated ERK level (for the TCGA dataset) or computed by a gene signature-based algorithm (for Affymetrix datasets). Aberrant activation of BRAF/MEK pathway in breast cancer was assessed in matched normal/tumor tissues. The associations of the BRAF/MEK pathway with clinical outcome in patients with breast cancer were analyzed by logistic regression, Cox regression, and Kaplan-Meier methods. Results Down-regulation of the BRAF/MEK pathway was observed in atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive breast cancers, with the exception of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers. Higher BRAF/MEK pathway activities were associated with better survival in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (overall hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; P = 5.47E−5; n = 3128) or progesterone receptor-positive (overall HR, 0.85; P = 4.19E−3; n = 1537) breast cancers, but with worse survival in ER-negative (overall HR, 1.13; P = .01; n = 1107) or progesterone receptor-negative (overall HR, 1.13; P = .01; n = 1219) breast cancers. Combination with BRAF/MEK pathway activities could improve ER status-based recurrence prediction for breast cancer. Conclusion BRAF/MEK pathway was associated with the recurrence risk of breast cancer in an ER status-dependent mode. Combination with BRAF/MEK pathway activities could improve the ER status-based recurrence prediction in breast cancer.
On Colorings Avoiding a Rainbow Cycle and a Fixed Monochromatic Subgraph

Let $H$ and $G$ be two graphs on fixed number of vertices. An edge coloring of a complete graph is called $(H,G)$-good if there is no monochromatic copy of $G$ and no rainbow (totally multicolored) copy of $H$ in this coloring. As shown by Jamison and West, an $(H,G)$-good coloring of an arbitrarily large complete graph exists unless either $G$ is a star or $H$ is a forest. The largest number of colors in an $(H,G)$-good coloring of $K_n$ is denoted $maxR(n, G,H)$. For graphs $H$ which can not be vertex-partitioned into at most two induced forests, $maxR(n, G,H)$ has been determined asymptotically. Determining $maxR(n; G, H)$ is challenging for other graphs $H$, in particular for bipartite graphs or even for cycles. This manuscript treats the case when $H$ is a cycle. The value of $maxR(n, G, C_k)$ is determined for all graphs $G$ whose edges do not induce a star.
Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein–2 Use in Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: Comparative Analysis and Healthcare Utilization at 24 Months’ Follow-up:

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objective:Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein–2 (rhBMP-2) is used to achieve fusion in adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Our aim was to investig...
A Novel Phase-Locked Loop based Four-leg Converter Control for Unbalanced Load Compensation under Distorted and Unbalanced Grid Condition

This paper presents a new reduced-order generalized integrator (ROGI) based synchronization technique, namely ROGI-PLL for unbalanced non-linear load compensation using four-leg converter under distorted and unbalanced grid condition. In this approach, the phase angle of fundamental frequency positive sequence component of distorted and unbalanced grid voltage can be estimated accurately and rapidly by using ROGI along with conventional PLL. Such scheme enables to increase the open-loop bandwidth of PLL and improve the dynamic performance of synchronization. A Triple-ROGI (TROGI) based control algorithm is proposed to compensate unbalanced non-linear loads using four-leg converter under distorted grid voltage conditions. The compensation and rectification modes of the four-leg converter are decoupled, which adds more flexibility and selectivity in terms of control methods. The effectiveness of the proposed PLL and control strategy is verified through simulation and experimental results.
Design and Implementation of a Load Following Emulator for Nuclear Power Generation

This study describes research in the area of load following with nuclear power plants. Nuclear power plants cannot continuously adjust their output due to reactor operation limitations. An energy storage system must be coupled with nuclear generation to account for changes in load demand. The first step in this study is the design and implementation of a power controller (an emulator for a scaled down system). This includes detailed design of the DSP controller, power electronics stage, and load. Introduction to the research, procedures involved, data acquired, and results are summarized in this extended abstract.
Positive and negative time attitudes, intrinsic motivation, behavioral engagement and substance use among urban adolescents

Introduction: Behavioral engagement in schools is an important contributor to academic outcomes for adolescents, but may also protect them from substance abuse. Positive and negative attitudes to t...
Landsat-Based Reconstruction of Corn and Soybean Yield Histories in the United States Since 1999

The open Landsat archive provides a consistent view of the Earth's surface for much longer than most currently available agricultural datasets throughout the world. Here we present a summary of recent work to extend pixel-level (30 m) maps of corn and soy areas and yields back to 1999 across the entire Corn Belt of the United States. We find consistent performance back in time, as judged by comparison with county level statistics. The approaches presented here can be readily extended to other regions and to incorporate other sensors.
Reading the signs: Performative white allyship

IN THIS HOUSE, WE BELIEVE: BLACK LIVES MATTER WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS NO HUMAN IS ILLEGAL SCIENCE IS REAL LOVE IS LOVE KINDNESS IS EVERYTHING.These declarations grace the manicured lawns of...
Healing by Leaps and Gowns: A Novel Patient Gowning System to the Rescue.

Patient attire is paramount to a patient’s dignity and hospital experience. The traditional hospital gown is dehumanizing, anachronistic, and was designed for providers’ convenience. In this descri...
Phenology of the Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its Associated Parasitoids in Minnesota

Field surveys were conducted in Minnesota to determine the seasonal incidence of parasitism of alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), by Bathyplectes curculionis (Thomson), B. anurus (Thomson)...
Leadership and cooperation in the Europian Monetary System: A simulation approach

Abstract To assess the importance of economic interdependence and the potential gains from policy coordination in the European area, this article analyzes the international transmission of policies and disturbances in a rational expectation dynamic general equilibrium simulation model of the world economy, and applies the analysis to the study of the European Monetary System. International spillover effects and potential gains from coordination appear to be small under the assumption of flexible exchange rates in the European area. The implications of a fixed-rate EMS with German leadership are compared with those of a cooperative fixed exchange rate regime. Finally, capital controls under fixed rates fail to insure policy autonomy and insulation from external disturbances for the countries that restrict the capital movements.
A Promoter Melting Region in the Primary σ Factor of Bacillus subtilis: Identification of Functionally Important Aromatic Amino Acids

Sigma factor (sigma) is a dissociable subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase that determines promoter recognition. It has been proposed that a cluster of highly conserved aromatic amino acids in bacterial sigma factors (region 2.3) defines a melting motif that functions in strand-separation during open complex formation. We demonstrate that many alterations in region 2.3 of the Bacillus subtilis sigma A protein specifically impair open complex formation. The region 2.3 mutations can be grouped in three classes: (1) mutations that do not significantly affect promoter recognition or melting; (2) mutations that lead to cold-sensitive transcription of linear templates; and (3) mutations that lead to little activity on linear templates but retain activity at high temperatures on supercoiled templates. RNA polymerase holoenzymes containing sigma factor melting mutants (classes 2 and 3) form predominantly closed complexes at 40 degrees C and are defective for RNA synthesis when initiation is rate-limiting. The melting defect of these mutant sigma factors is suppressed by template supercoiling, but further enhanced by inclusion of the auxiliary RNA polymerase subunit delta. Consequently, in the presence of the delta polypeptide, the mutant holoenzymes display cold-sensitive transcription on supercoiled templates: conditions which mimic the in vivo situation. A subset of these mutations also affects promoter selectivity, suggesting that region 2.3 may participate in both -10 recognition and DNA melting.
The Relationship of Western Boundary Current Heat Transport and Storage to Midlatitude Ocean‐Atmosphere Interaction

Much of the heat transported poleward by the oceans is carried in the midlatitude western boundary currents in the northern hemisphere. As these currents separate from the coastal boundaries and extend eastward into the ocean interior, they ∞ux some of their heat to the atmosphere and store some of their heat in the recirculation gyres south of the current core; the heat content anomalies are negatively correlated with changes in the volume of an isothermal layer known as the \subtropical mode water." An analysis of upper ocean heat content observations (1955{2001) shows that there are substantial interannual variations in the amount of heat stored in the upper 400 m of the water column. About 26% of the variations in heat content in the North Atlantic and North Paciflc Oceans (corresponding to the flrst principal component and with maxima in the western boundary current extension regions) are in phase and slightly lag the atmospheric Northern hemisphere Annular Mode (NAM or Arctic Oscillation). The simplest explanation, that changes in the westerlies cause corresponding changes in the air-sea ∞uxes and therefore in heat content, can be ruled out by by the sign of the correlation: strong westerlies (strong AO) are correlated with positive heat content anomalies. This conclusion is supported by previous analyses of the upper ocean heat budget, which show that the heat content anomalies are primarily caused by variations in ocean advection. The heat content anomalies, rather than being caused by changes in air-sea ∞uxes, instead appear to be the source of interannual variations in those ∞uxes. The magnitude of the ∞ux anomalies, their association with advection and heat storage in the mode water, and the coherence between the two oceans suggest a role for ocean circulation in interannual to decadal variations in climate variability through local air-sea interaction.
Student Strategy Choices on a Constructed Response Algebra Problem.

A central goal of secondary mathematics is for students to learn to use powerful algebraic strategies appropriately. Research has demonstrated student difficulties in the transition to using such strategies. We examined strategies used by several thousand 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-grade students in five different school systems over three consecutive years on the same algebra problem. We also analyzed connections between their strategies and their success on the problem. Our findings suggest that many students continued to struggle with algebraic problems, even after several years of instruction in algebra. Students did not reflect the anticipated growth toward the consistent use of efficient strategies deemed appropriate in solving this problem. Instead a surprisingly large number of students continued to rely on strategies such as guessing and checking, or offered solutions that were unintelligible or meaningless and not useful to the researchers. Even those students who used algebraic strategies consistently did not show the anticipated improvement of performance that would be expected from several years of continuing to study mathematics.
Care Bundles and Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Colorectal Surgery

Surgical site infection (SSI) remains a significant clinical problem and is especiallyworrisomeafter colorectal surgery,with rates ranging from 15% to 30%despite substantial effortsmade to eliminate these infections.1 In colorectal cancer surgery, SSI has been shown to reduce survival2 and substantially increase costs1 and is a leading cause of hospital readmission.3 High-quality evidence exists for SSI prevention measures. These include administration of intravenous antibiotics within 60 minutes of surgery with dosing based on weight and again at time intervals based on the antibiotic’s half-life; the use of ertapenem rather than cefotetan prophylaxis; preoperative bowel preparation with oral antibiotics; chlorhexidine with alcohol in preference to povidone-iodine skin preparation; normoglycemia in the perioperative period; maintenance of intraoperative normothermia; optimization of patient risk factors such as smoking cessation, control of diabetes, and improved nutrition as measured by serum albumin level; laparoscopic rather than open surgery; and the prevention of contamination during surgery. Moderate-quality evidence exists regarding the benefit of supplemental perioperative oxygen for prevention of SSI. Only low-quality evidence exists for perioperative antibacterial showers, topical antibacterial and antiseptic agents, antibacterial irrigation, antibacterial-coated sutures, wound sealants, and antibacterial impregnated dressings for the prevention of SSI.1 Many of these interventions have shown impressive results when tested individually in large,well-controlled randomized trials. The results are not as impressive when assessed in real-world applications. For example, in observational studies, the combination of cefazolin/metronidazole prophylactic antibiotics was as good or better than ertapenem for SSI prevention.4 JAMASURGERY
SU-E-T-137: Attenuation of Carbon Fiber IGRT Couch Top for SBRT By Using a MapCheck 2 and Ion Chamber

Purpose: It is common to use posterior oblique beams in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for regular and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). Beam attenuation by the treatment couch is not negligible when the couch is in the beam portal. In this study, we have correlated relative dose versus beam angle through a MapCheck 2TM diode array and an ionization chamber measurement. Methods: A Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator equipped with the image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) carbon fiber couch was used for delivery of radiation with different photon energies of 6MV, 15MV and 6MV FFF. A MapCHECK 2TM diode array with a MapPhan was employed for the measurement at three field sizes (3 by 3, 5 by 5, and 10 by 10 cm). The independent measurement was performed with an ionization chamber placed at the center of an acrylic cylindrical phantom at the isocenter. The measured data with the MapCHECK 2TM diode array were averaged over the central 2×2 cm diodes for each measurement. The couch attenuation was deduced from the angular dependence with and without the couch involvement. Results: For the MapCHECK 2TM with MapPhan used only the obvious attenuation was observed at the beam angle between 5 and 10 degree from the angular dependence using a 6MV photon beam. The similar Result was obtained for the MapCHECK 2TM /MapPhan with the couch involvement. The couch attenuation was then deduced from the difference of these two sets of data measurements. Maximum couch attenuation was found up to 4.2% which was verified with the ion chamber measurement. Conclusion: A maximum attenuation of 4.2% was found for the carbon fiber couch top using the MapCHECK 2TM/MapPhan, which is consistent with the ion chamber measurement.
Plotting of Ethylene Glycol Blood Concentrations Using Linear Regression before and during Hemodialysis in a Case of Intoxication and Pharmacokinetic Review.

Introduction. As blood concentration measurement of commonly abused alcohol is readily available, the equation was proposed in previous publication to predict the change of their concentration. The change of ethylene glycol (EG) concentrations was studied in a case of intoxication to estimate required time for hemodialysis (HD) using linear regression. Case Report. A 55-year-old female with past medical history of seizure disorder, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain was admitted due to severe agitation. The patient was noted to have metabolic acidosis with elevated anion gap and acute kidney injury, which prompted blood concentration measurement of commonly abused alcohol. Her initial EG concentration was 26.45 mmol/L. Fomepizole therapy was initiated, soon followed by HD to enhance clearance. Discussion. Plotting of natural logarithm of EG concentrations over time showed that EG elimination follows first-order kinetics and predicts the change of its concentration well. Pharmacokinetic review revealed minimal elimination of EG by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) which could be related to genetic predisposition for ADH activity and home medications as well as presence of propylene glycol. Pharmacokinetics of EG is relatively well studied with published parameters. Consideration and application of pharmacokinetics could assist in management of EG intoxication including HD planning.
A BRIEF NOTE ON LEGAL PLURALISM AND COMPARATIVE LAW

At first blush, one might think that scholars of legal pluralism and those who study comparative law would be fellow travellers. After all, both groups of scholars are fundamentally focused on the multiplicity of legal systems in the world. Comparativists seek to catalog the components of various legal orders, either to demonstrate fundamental differences among those components or to reveal fundamental similarities. Meanwhile, legal pluralists study the inevitable interaction and overlap among legal and quasi-legal systems. Accordingly, legal pluralists and comparativists would seem to share a common analytical framework, based on the simultaneous existence of multiple legal orders. Yet, the two scholarly fields have not always operated in concert. The divergence arises because comparative law scholars, like most legal scholars, have tended to study only official state-based municipal law, and they have often ignored the numerous other legal and quasi-legal orders that inevitably occupy the social field. These non-state normative systems are precisely the ones that legal pluralists insist we recognize and study. Accordingly, there has been a sometimes unspoken, but nevertheless real tension between the two bodies of scholarly literature. But is that tension inevitable? Is comparative law by definition tied to formal state-based municipal systems? To me, there seems no reason for that to be the case. It is true, of course, that it is often easier, as a practical matter, to pull apart components of municipal systems for study. After all, such systems tend to have codified and written down their substantive and procedural rules, as well as the outcomes of individual cases. Thus, the materials are far more easily accessible on electronic databases and through official newspaper accounts. It is not at all clear, however, that there is any conceptual reason to limit comparative law study to official municipal law. All that is required for comparative law scholars to ply their trade is for there to be some form of institutionalized doctrine to use Roger Cotterrell’s helpful definition of law as well as a group of human beings applying that doctrine. Neither of those parameters requires that the “law” in question be municipal law. Consider three classic strands of comparative law scholarship. The first strand focuses on comparing and contrasting procedural and substantive norms. The second emphasizes migration and transplantation of procedural and substantive norms from one legal order to another. And the third aims to identify various structural, substantive, ideological and historical features that are common to “families” of legal systems. Taken together, these strands encompass most of what comparative law scholars do, and yet, again, none of these activities necessarily requires that the procedural and substantive norms or the institutional structures in question actually be formal municipal law.
The Fifty-Year Decline of Cancer in America

PURPOSE: From 1950 to 1990, the overall cancer mortality rate increased steadily in the United States, a trend which ran counter to declining mortality from other major diseases. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of lung cancer on all-cancer mortality over the past 50 years. METHODS: Data from the National Centers for Health Statistics were used to develop mortality rates for all forms of cancer combined, lung cancer, and other-cancer (all-cancer minus lung cancer) from 1950 to 1998. RESULTS: When lung cancer is excluded, mortality from all other forms of cancer combined declined continuously from 1950 to 1998, dropping 25% during this period. The decline in other-cancer mortality was approximately 0.4% annually from 1950 to 1990 but accelerated to 0.9% per year from 1990 to 1996 and to 2.2% per year from 1996 to 1998. CONCLUSION: The long-term decline is likely due primarily to improvements in medical care, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
Numerical simulation of the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing of tight/shale gas reservoirs on near-surface groundwater: Background, base cases, shallow reservoirs, short-term gas, and water transport.

Hydrocarbon production from unconventional resources and the use of reservoir stimulation techniques, such as hydraulic fracturing, has grown explosively over the last decade. However, concerns have arisen that reservoir stimulation creates significant environmental threats through the creation of permeable pathways connecting the stimulated reservoir with shallower freshwater aquifers, thus resulting in the contamination of potable groundwater by escaping hydrocarbons or other reservoir fluids. This study investigates, by numerical simulation, gas and water transport between a shallow tight-gas reservoir and a shallower overlying freshwater aquifer following hydraulic fracturing operations, if such a connecting pathway has been created. We focus on two general failure scenarios: (1) communication between the reservoir and aquifer via a connecting fracture or fault and (2) communication via a deteriorated, preexisting nearby well. We conclude that the key factors driving short-term transport of gas include high permeability for the connecting pathway and the overall volume of the connecting feature. Production from the reservoir is likely to mitigate release through reduction of available free gas and lowering of reservoir pressure, and not producing may increase the potential for release. We also find that hydrostatic tight-gas reservoirs are unlikely to act as a continuing source of migrating gas, as gas contained within the newly formed hydraulic fracture is the primary source for potential contamination. Such incidents of gas escape are likely to be limited in duration and scope for hydrostatic reservoirs. Reliable field and laboratory data must be acquired to constrain the factors and determine the likelihood of these outcomes.
Review of a new gastrointestinal drug--metoclopramide

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic and diagnostic uses, toxicity, adverse reactions, and contraindications of metoclopramide are reviewed. Metoclopramide enhances the rate of gastric emptying by (1) augmenting esophageal peristalsis, gastric antral contractions, and small intestine transit time and (2) increasing resting pressures of the lower esophageal and pyloric sphincters. The drug does not stimulate gastric acid secretions. The injectable form is approved for use to facilitate intubation of the small intestine and the passage of barium into the intestine for radiographic procedures. Tablets are approved for the treatment of symptoms associated with diabetic gastroparesis. The drug has been used in the treatment of vomiting of various etiologies. The side effects of metoclopramide are usually mild, transient, and reversible with discontinuation of the drug. They include drowsiness, GI disturbances, extrapyramidal reactions, and increased lactation. Metoclopramide should not be given in combination with MAO inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, sympathomimetic amines, or to patients with pheochromocytoma, GI hemorrhage, obstruction, or perforation. Metoclopramide appears to be an effective drug in stimulating the mobility of the upper gastrointestinal tract without increasing gastric secretions. Further studies are needed to assess its value in the treatment of vomiting secondary to anesthesia and chemotherapy, and to assess its precise role in the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis.
Non-linear vibrations of beams and plates

Abstract Free and forced response of beams and plates undergoing moderately large amplitude steady state oscillations is determined using the averaging method of Ritz. The supports of these structural elements are assumed immovable during bending and the resulting membrane stress is the source of non-linearity in these problems. The application of Ritz's method to solve the governing non-linear partial differential equations yields non-linear algebraic equations. These algebraic equations are solved by forming the Bigradient Matrix for the polynomials. The response relations are represented graphically. Comparison of these results with the existing results for free oscillations shows remarkable agreement.
Bleeding at Circumcision: Patient or Operator Issue?:

Objective. The goal of this study is to define precisely bleeding after circumcision and to determine whether patient-related variables or experience of the operator is associated with subsequent bleeding. Methods. This is a prospective cohort study of 537 consecutive Gomco circumcisions. The authors defined bleeding and operator experience, both current and long term, and sought to correlate them. They selected patient variables (age, weight, gestational age, APGAR scores, and demographic data) to determine if there were associations with subsequent bleeding. Results. There were 24 bleeds out of 537 Gomco procedures (4.47%). In comparing bleeders with nonbleeders, there was no significant association between long-term operator experience and subsequent bleeding (P = .609). However, bleeding was significantly associated with less current operator experience (P = .014). The authors were unable to detect any patient-related variables or demographics associated with subsequent bleeding. Conclusions. Regardin...
Commentary: International Competitiveness of U.S. Futures Exchanges

In this commentary I am not going to disagree with the “Father of Finance” (and my dissertation advisor to boot). Instead I will make a few comments on Merton Miller’s article and then develop in somewhat more depth two issues raised in it.
Dissipative transport in nanoscale monolayer MoS 2 transistors

Performances of monolayer MoS2 transistors with phonon scattering are investigated. The on-current of a 20nm long device can be degraded by 40% with phonon scattering compared with the ballistic limit. The sub-threshold swing (SS) and drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) are found to be insensitive to phonon scattering. SS 5nm and DIBL 8nm for a double gate structure with a 3nm thick high-k gate insulator. Treatment of phonon scattering is important for accurate assessment of intrinsic delay and on/off ratio even at LG ~ 10nm.
Objective Bayesian Testing of a Poisson Mean

We consider testing hypotheses about a single Poisson mean. When prior information is not available, use of objective priors is of interest. We provide intrinsic priors based on the arithmetic intrinsic and fractional Bayes factors, and evaluate their characteristics.
Aristotle's Use of Medicine as Model of Method in His Ethics

Philosophy, in general, moves in a sphere of abstraction, and its statements claim to be necessary and of universal validity. The reader therefore expects them to appeal directly to his reason, and he does not normally reflect much on the time and historical conditions that determined what the philosopher took for granted. It is only in this age of historical consciousness that we have come to appreciate these factors more readily, and the great thinkers of the past appear to us more or less closely related to the culture of their age. The writings of Plato and Aristotle in particular are for us an inexhaustible source of information about Greek society and civilisation. This is true also in regard to the relation of Greek philosophy to the science of its time, and this is of special importance for our understanding. That relation can be traced throughout Aristotle's logical, physical, and metaphysical works; but the influence of other sciences and arts is no less evident in his ethics. In this paper I propose to examine the numerous references to medicine that occur in the Nicomachean Ethics. They are mostly concerned with the question of the best method of treating this subject. The problem of the right method is always of the utmost importance for Aristotle. The discussion of it begins on the first page of the Ethics, where he tries to give a definition of the subject of this course of lectures and attributes it to a philosophical discipline that he calls ‘politics’. He does so in agreement with the Platonic tradition. We can trace it back to one of the dialogues of Plato's first period, the Gorgias, in which the Platonic Socrates for the first time pronounces his postulate of a new kind of philosophy, the object of which ought to be the care of the human soul (φυχῆς θeραπeία). He assigns this supreme task to ‘political art’, even though it does not fulfil this function at present.
The influence of vitaral on some mineral and enzyme disturbances in subacute poisoning with hydrogen sulfide.

Investigations have been made with rabbits to indicate some disturbances in the living organism brought by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) about poisoning and to see if administration of some trace metals present in Vitaral has any effect upon these disturbances.
An examination of integrated marketing communication in US public institutions of higher education

This research analyzes the strategic process of integrated marketing communication (IMC) and its current application in US public institutions of higher education (IHEs). The basis for this research was a survey questionnaire that analyzed the impact of IMC on 42 leading US public colleges and universities (as ranked by U.S. News & World Report). To further expand upon the findings of the survey, interviews were conducted with nine of the 42 survey respondents. The research revealed that several variables impact IMC in US public IHEs to include leadership and formal communication mechanisms. In addition, IMC was shown to contribute to heightened institutional brand recognition. The research also considers whether differences exist between an institution's IMC level and its Carnegie classification and geographic location.
Self-injurious behavior and sleep disturbance in adults with developmental disabilities.

Sleep patterns of 30 individuals with self-injurious behavior and mental retardation were compared with those of 30 matched controls residing in the same residential facility that did not self-injure. Individuals were recorded as asleep or awake during 30 min intervals for eight hours per night. The results of a Wilcoxon signed-ranks test (p < .05) indicated that individuals with self-injury slept significantly less than individuals without self-injury. chi2 analyses (p < .01) indicated significantly greater variability in the number of intervals recorded as asleep among individuals with self-injury than their matched controls. These results are congruent with previous findings of sleep disturbance among persons with mental retardation and behavior problems. The possibility of neurochemical dysregulation in sleep disturbance among individuals with daytime self-injury is discussed.
Tris as a blocking agent of the proton-sensitive component of the sodium efflux in barnacle muscle fibers.

Studien uber den Natriumtransport in den Muskeln vonBalanus sp. haben bewiesen, dassTris den protonempfindlichen Anteil der Natrium-Pumpe verlangsamt und dasTris hauptsachlich an der Aussenseite des Sarkolemms aktiv ist.
SENSITIVITY OF WOMEN'S LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION TO THEIR PERCEIVED HEALTH CONDITION

This paper examines the impact of the perceived health status of married women on their supply of labour to the market. Controlling for other sociodemographic factors, women who viewed their health condition to be unsatisfactory worked almost 4 weeks less per year than women who perceived their health to be extremely satisfactory. Implications of the study are discussed.
Non-antiarrhythmic medications for atrial fibrillation: From bench to clinical practice

Many treatment modalities have been developed over the years for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). While they are still considered the first line of treatment for suppression of AF, antiarrhythmics often lead to treatment failure, complications and undesired consequences. Pulmonary vein ablation is an invasive procedure which is not always curative. Recently, there have been a variety of studies reporting the potential antiarrhythmic effects of various nonantiarrhythmic agents. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the findings reported thus far about the antiarrhythmic effects of agents which are not antiarrhythmic drugs themselves, but which have been found to offer promise in the prevention and treatment of AF.