cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BRAF mutation predicts for poor outcomes after metastasectomy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND BRAF mutations occur in 5% to 11% of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and have been associated with poor prognosis. The current study was undertaken to determine the clinicopathologic characteristics, PIK3CA (phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha) mutation frequency, and outcomes after metastasectomy in patients with BRAF-mutant mCRC. METHODS Data from 1941 consecutive patients with mCRC who underwent KRAS/BRAF mutation testing between 2009 and 2012 at a single institution were identified to identify BRAF-mutant mCRC cases (92 cases). BRAF wild-type mCRC cases from 2011 (423 cases) served as a control group. RESULTS BRAF-mutated mCRC was found to be significantly associated with older age at diagnosis, female sex, right-sided location, poorly differentiated morphology, and mucinous histology compared with wild-type cases. BRAF-mutant cases more frequently progressed from stage III disease (32% vs 17%; P = .003) and among those patients with stage III disease, T4 disease was more common (48% vs 27%; P = .05). PIK3CA was found to be co-mutated in 5% of BRAF-mutant tumors versus 17% of KRAS-mutant tumors (P < .01) and 4% of BRAF/KRAS wild-type cases. Patients with BRAF-mutated mCRC presented more frequently with peritoneal involvement (26% vs 14%; P < 0.01) and less frequently with liver-limited metastases (41% vs 63%; P < .01). Patients with BRAF-mutated mCRC were less likely to undergo metastasectomy (41% vs 26% at 2 years from diagnosis of metastatic disease; P < .01) and were found to have lower overall survival (P < .01) after metastasectomy. CONCLUSIONS BRAF-mutant mCRC is associated with worse clinical outcome. Patients with BRAF-mutant tumors more commonly develop peritoneal metastases, less frequently present with disease limited to the liver, and have shorter survival after metastasectomy compared with patients with BRAF wild-type tumors. Cancer 2014;120:2316–2324. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
Detecting Occlusions as an Inverse Problem

Occlusions generally become apparent when integrated over time because violations of the brightness-constancy constraint of optical flow accumulate in occluded areas. Based on this observation, we propose a variational model for occlusion detection that is formulated as an inverse problem. Our forward model adapts the brightness constraint of optical flow to emphasize occlusions by exploiting their temporal behavior, while spatio-temporal regularizers on the occlusion set make our model robust to noise and modeling errors. In terms of minimization, we approximate the resulting variational problem by a sequence of convex optimizations and develop efficient algorithms to solve them. Our experiments show the benefits of the proposed formulation, both forward model and regularizers, in comparison to the state-of-the-art techniques that detect occlusion as the residual of optical-flow estimation.
Geomorphic transport laws for predicting landscape form and dynamics

A geomorphic transport law is a mathematical statement derived from a physical principle or mechanism, which expresses the mass flux or erosion caused by one or more processes in a manner that: 1) can be parameterized from field measurements, 2) can be tested in physical models, and 3) can be applied over geomorphically significant spatial and temporal scales. Such laws are a compromise between physics-based theory that requires extensive information about materials and their interactions, which may be hard to quantify across real landscapes, and rules-based approaches, which cannot be tested directly but only can be used in models to see if the model outcomes match some expected or observed state. We propose that landscape evolution modeling can be broadly categorized into detailed, apparent, statistical and essential realism models and it is the latter, concerned with explaining mechanistically the essential morphodynamic features of a landscape, in which geomorphic transport laws are most effectively applied. A limited number of studies have provided verification and parameterization of geomorphic transport laws for: linear slope-dependent transport, non-linear transport due to dilational disturbance of soil, soil production from bedrock, and river incision into bedrock. Field parameterized geomorphic transport laws, however, are lacking for many processes including landslides, debris flows, surface wash, and glacial scour. We propose the use of high- resolution topography, as initial conditions, in landscape evolution models and explore the applicability of locally parameterized geomorphic transport laws in explaining hillslope morphology in the Oregon Coast Range. This modeling reveals unexpected morphodynamics, suggesting that the use of real landscapes with geomorphic transport laws may provide new insights about the linkages between process and form.
Efficacy of Nephrectomy for the Treatment of Nephrogenic Hypertension in a Pediatric Population

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated the efficacy of nephrectomy for the management of nephrogenic hypertension in children.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 320 children who underwent nephrectomy between 1991 and 2001, and 22 underwent nephrectomy for the management of hypertension. Of the 22 patients 16 (73%) had long-term followup, including 8 with end stage renal disease who were dialysis dependent, and 8 with normal renal function and unilateral parenchymal renal disease (UPRD). Within the UPRD group 3 patients had renovascular hypertension, 3 had reflux nephropathy, 1 had renal artery thrombosis and 1 had Page kidney. Age at hypertension onset, age at nephrectomy and elapsed time between diagnosis and intervention were studied. Antihypertensive medication requirements before surgery and after postoperative followup were evaluated to assess treatment efficacy. Complete success was defined as blood pressure normalization without antihypertensive requirements. Partial success w...
An endocytic pathway as a target of tubby for regulation of fat storage

The tubby loci provide a unique opportunity to study adult-onset obesity. Mutation in either mammalian tubby or its homologue in Caenorhabditis elegans, tub-1, results in increased fat storage. Previously, we have shown that TUB-1 interacts with a new Rab GTPase-activating protein, RBG-3, for the regulation of fat storage. To understand further the molecular mechanism of TUB-1, we identified the Rab GTPase downstream of RBG-3. We found that RBG-3 preferentially stimulates the intrinsic GTPase activity of RAB-7 in both human and C. elegans. Importantly, either mutation or RNA interference knockdown in rab-7 reduces stored fat in wild type and tub-1 mutants. In addition, the small GTPase rab-5 and genes that regulate Rab membrane localization and nucleotide recycling are required for the regulation of fat storage, thereby defining a role for endocytic recycling in this process. We propose that TUB-1 controls receptor or sensory molecule degradation in neurons by regulating a RAB-7-mediated endocytic pathway.
Choice as a Moderator of Placebo Expectation Effects: Additional Support From Two Experiments

Two experiments investigated the hypothesis that treatment choice enhances placebo treatment efficacy. In Experiment 1, prior to a pain task, participants were given either an expectation that two (inert) products could reduce pain or no expectation. In addition, participants either selected between the two products or were assigned a product to use. Participants given both the placebo expectation and treatment choice reported the lowest pain. Experiment 2 conceptually replicated this finding using a placebo paradigm with aversive auditory stimuli. Additional control conditions indicated that a choice availability (rather than choice restriction) explanation best accounted for these results.
Characterization of thunderstorm induced maxwell current densities in the middle atmosphere

Abstract Middle atmospheric transient Maxwell current densities generated by lightning induced charge perturbations are investigated via a simulation of Maxwell's equations. A time domain finite element analysis is employed for the simulations. The atmosphere is modeled as a region contained within a right circular cylinder with a height of 110 km and a radius of 80 km. A composite conductivity profile based on measured data is used with charge perturbations centered about the vertical axis at altitudes of 6 and 10 km. The simulations indicate that the temporal structure of the Maxwell current density is relatively insensitive to altitude variations within the region considered. It is also shown that the electric field and Maxwell current density are not generally aligned.
Medicine Clerkships and Portable Computing: A National Survey of Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors

Background: Portable computers are widely used by medical trainees, but there is a lack of data on how these devices are used in clinical education programs. Purposes: The objective is to define the current use of portable computing in internal medicine clerkships and to determine medicine clerkship directors' perceptions of the current value and future importance of portable computing. Methods: A 2006 national survey of institutional members of the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine. Results: Eighty-three of 110 (75%) of institutional members responded. An institutional requirement for portable computing was reported by 32 schools (39%), whereas only 13 (16%) provided students with a portable computer. Between 10 and 31 institutions (12–37%) reported student use for patient care activities (i.e. order entry, writing patient notes) and only 2 to 4 institutions (2–5%) required such use. The majority of respondents (59–95%) reported portable computer use for educational activities (i.e., tracking pati...
Magnesium Sulfate Reduces Myocardial Infarct Size When Administered Before but Not After Coronary Reperfusion in a Canine Model

Background The role of magnesium in treating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been controversial. Several small clinical trials indicate that magnesium may have a role in treating AMI early, whereas the other results suggest that magnesium is of questionable benefit. Methods and Results We looked at the effect of magnesium on infarct size (IS) when given during a coronary occlusion and after reperfusion. Magnesium sulfate (6-mEq bolus plus 2 mEq/h for 5 hours) was given at 15 or 45 minutes of coronary occlusion or 15 minutes of reperfusion. The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded for 90 minutes, followed by 300 minutes of reperfusion. IS to area at risk (IS/AR) was measured by planimetry after triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Collateral myocardial blood flow was measured with radioactive microspheres. The IS/AR ratio in the control group was 52.3±19.6% compared with 20.5±11.7% and 21.3±6.5% at 15 and 45 minutes of occlusion, respectively (P<.05). There were no significant dif...
Women’s health in perspective: Framing problems, framing solutions

The launch of the Safe Motherhood Initiative 20 years ago was a significant milestone in global health. Until that point deaths among women during pregnancy and childbirth in developing countries had been largely ignored by the global health community which led to the question "where is the M in MCH?". Women were being asked to safeguard their childrens health with a number of preventive interventions while receiving few services to support their own health and well-being. They were valued as caretakers but overlooked as individuals in their own right. The Safe Motherhood Initiative attempted to balance the global health landscape and made the reduction of maternal deaths a global priority. (excerpt)
Thermally induced elimination of stilbene from (η5-C5H5)2Zr[CH(SC6H5)C6H5]2

Abstract The thermolysis of (η5-C5H5)2Zr[CH(SC6H5)C6H5)]2 (3) in toluene solution follows clean first-order kinetics to give (η5-C5H5)2Zr(SC6H5)2 and C6H5CHCHC6H5 in high yield. Activation parameters ΔH≠ 24.8(1.4) kcal mol−1 and ΔS≠ − 4.56(0.39) eu for the decomposition of 3 were determined. A mechanism is proposed to account for the formation of (η5-C5H5)2Zr(SC6H5)2 and stilbene from complex 3.
Automated alignment of serial thoracic scans using bone structure descriptors

In this manuscript we present an automated algorithm for the alignment of thoracic scans using descriptors of bone structures. Bone structures were utilized because they are expected to be less susceptible to sources of errors such as patient positioning and breath hold. The algorithm employed the positioning of ribs relative to the spinal cord along with a description of the scapula. The spinal cord centroid was detected by extracting local maxima of the distance transform followed by point tracing along consecutive slices. Ribs were segmented using adaptive thresholding followed by the watershed algorithm to detach ribs from the vertebra, and by imposing requirements of rib proximity to the lung border. The angles formed between the spinal cord centroid and segmented rib centroids were used to describe rib positioning. Additionally, the length of the scapula was extracted in each slice. A cost function incorporating the difference of features from rib positioning and scapula length between two slices was derived and used to match slices. The method was evaluated on a set of 12 pairs of full and partial CT scans acquired on the same day. Evaluation was based on whether the slices showing a nodule at its maximum diameter in each scan were matched. Full-to-partial and partial-to-full alignment were performed. Results showed that the proposed metric matched nodule slices within an average distance of 1.08 and 1.17 slices from the target for full-to-partial and partial-to-full alignment respectively. These preliminary results are encouraging for using this method as a first step in an overall process of temporally analyzing CT lung nodules.
The behavior of epididymis, processus vaginalis and testicular descent in cryptorchid boys treated with buserelin.

This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was initiated to analyze the behavior of epididymis, processus vaginalis and testicular descent in cryptorchid boys treated with a low dose (20 μg) of a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (Buserelin), administered daily, as a nasal spray, for a short period (28 days). Fifty-nine true cryptorchid boys were randomly assigned to 3 groups: buserelin, treatment [22], surgical treatment [18] or placebo control group [19]. The 3 groups of patients were similar before treatment in regard to testicular position, chronological and bone age, height and weight, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, penile size and the volume of the contralateral descended testis. None of the patients had retractile testes. Buserelin significantly induced testicular descent compared to the boys treated with a placebo (P<0.01). A normal epididymis was found more often in boys with successful descent (P<0.003). A closed processus vaginalis was also more frequently observed in the group treated with buserelin than in surgically treated one (P<0.05). In conclusion, buserelin was capable of inducing testicular descent besides provoking further development of the epididymis and closing the processus vaginalis.
A note on mse coverage intervals in a partial spline model

A partial spline model is used to estimate an unknown function which is smooth except for some break points. Assuming the break points are known, a Generalized Cross-Validated smoothing spline estimation method is proposed. Some interval estimation methods for the magnitude of the discontinuities based on the mean square error are introduced and investigated.
Dissociating hippocampal and basal ganglia contributions to category learning using stimulus novelty and subjective judgments

We identified factors leading to hippocampal and basal ganglia recruitment during categorization learning. Subjects alternated between blocks of a standard trial and error category learning task and a subjective judgment task. In the subjective judgments task subjects categorized the stimulus and then instead of receiving feedback they indicated the basis of their response using 4 options: Remember: Conscious episodic memory of previous trials. Know-Automatic: Automatic, rapid response accompanied by conscious awareness of category membership. Know-Intuition: A “gut feeling” without fully conscious knowledge of category membership. Guess: Guessing. In addition, new stimuli were introduced throughout the experiment to examine effects of novelty. Categorization overall recruited both the basal ganglia and posterior hippocampus. However, basal ganglia activity was found during Know judgments (both Automatic and Intuition), whereas posterior hippocampus activity was found during Remember judgments. Granger causality mapping indicated interactions between the basal ganglia and hippocampus, with the putamen exerting directed influence on the posterior hippocampus, which in turn exerted directed influence on the posterior caudate nucleus. We also found a region of anterior hippocampus that showed decreased activity relative to baseline during categorization overall, and showed a strong novelty effect. Our results indicate that subjective measures may be effective in dissociating basal ganglia from hippocampal dependent learning, and that the basal ganglia are involved in both conscious and unconscious learning. They also indicate a dissociation within the hippocampus, in which the anterior regions are sensitive to novelty, and the posterior regions are involved in memory based categorization learning.
Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome: Assessment and Treatment with the Use of the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol-Revised

Alcoholism is a chronic, complex disease and addictive disorder. Sudden cessation of alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol withdrawal, an acute process with devastating and potentially life-threatening consequences. Assessment of alcohol withdrawal is key to a successful outcome. Appropriate assessment of withdrawal symptoms begins with the use of the revised Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment for Alcohol, which evaluates the presence and severity of withdrawal symptoms. The higher the patient's score, the greater the risk for experiencing serious withdrawal symptoms. Pharmacotherapy may be gauged to treat the symptoms according the score.
Self-assembly of block copolymer micelles in an ionic liquid

Four amphiphilic poly((1,2-butadiene)-block-ethylene oxide) (PB−PEO) diblock copolymers were shown to aggregate strongly and form micelles in an ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF6]). The universal micellar structures (spherical micelle, wormlike micelle, and bilayered vesicle) were all accessed by varying the length of the corona block while holding the core block constant. The nanostructures of the PB−PEO micelles formed in an ionic liquid were directly visualized by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM). Detailed micelle structural information was extracted from both cryo-TEM and dynamic light scattering measurements, with excellent agreement between the two techniques. Compared to aqueous solutions of the same copolymers, [BMIM][PF6] solutions exhibit some distinct features, such as temperature-independent micellar morphologies between 25 and 100 °C. As in aqueous solutions, significant nonergodicity effects were also observed. This work demonstrat...
The Possible and the Actual in Phyllotaxis: Bridging the Gap between Empirical Observations and Iterative Models

This article presents new methods for the geometrical analysis of phyllotactic patterns and their comparison with patterns produced by simple, discrete dynamical systems. We introduce the concept of ontogenetic graph as a parsimonious and mechanistically relevant representation of a pattern. The ontogenetic graph is extracted from the local geometry of the pattern and does not impose large-scale regularity on it as for the divergence angle and other classical descriptors. We exemplify our approach by analyzing the phyllotaxis of two asteraceae inflorescences in the light of a hard disk model. The simulated patterns offer a very good match to the observed patterns for over 150 iterations of the model.
Lateral eye movement, reading speed, and visual attention

An S, looking at the eyes of a questioner, will make a lateral eye movement, consistently right or left, as he begins to reflect on the answer to the question. To test the hypothesis that right movers do better at tasks requiring visual attention, the S troop color-word interference test was administered to two groups, right and left movers. Right movers were subject to significantly less interference than left movers, thus confirming the hypothesis. Right movers were also found to read faster a list of color names printed in black on white. It is suggested that slower reading time on the color-word card is due in part to the covert response of reading the word, and that the better performance of right movers is due to their greater facility in the making of this covert reading response.
Dynamic Modeling for Machine Tool Thermal Error Compensation

This paper proposes a new thermal error modeling methodology called the Dynamic Thermal Error Modeling which improves the accuracy and robustness of the machine tool thermal error model. The characteristics of the thermoelastic system are investigated from the dynamic system viewpoint. The pseudo-hysteresis effect is revealed to be the major factor causing poor robustness of the conventional static thermal error model. System identification theory is applied to build the dynamic thermal error model for machine tool thermal error on-line prediction. The modeling procedure for the linear Output Error (OE) madel is illustrated using simulation work for both one-dimensional spindle and two-dimensional machine structure thermal deformations. Model performance evaluation through spindle experiments shows that the thermal error dynamic model has advantages over the conventional static model in terms of model accuracy and robustness.
Exact Formulae for the Lovász Theta Function of Sparse Circulant Graphs

The Lovasz theta function has attracted much attention for its connection with diverse issues such as communicating without errors and computing large cliques in graphs. Indeed, this function enjoys the remarkable property of being computable in polynomial time despite being sandwiched between clique and chromatic numbers, two well-known, hard to compute quantities. In this paper I provide a closed formula for the Lovasz function of all the circulant graphs of degree 4 with even displacement, thus generalizing Lovasz results on cycle graphs (circulant graphs of degree 2).
Cloning the Cryptococcus neoformans TRP1 gene by complementation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have cloned the phosphoribosyl anthranilate isomerase (PRAI)-encoding gene (TRP1) of Cryptococcus neoformans by genetic complementation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sequence analysis of this gene revealed it to be 939 bp in length, and without known promoter or termination sequences. Unlike some of the filamentous fungi, where PRAI enzymatic activity is controlled by a trifunctional gene product, the C. neoformans PRAI appears to be unifunctional. PRAI of C. neoformans exhibits 39% amino acid (aa) sequence identity compared to the S. cerevisiae counterpart. The TRP1 gene of C. neoformans maps to different size chromosomes in strains with different serotypes. The cloning of this gene for vector constructions, and the demonstration that S. cerevisiae can be used as a surrogate for C. neoformans gene expression, should help with the molecular studies of this significant fungal pathogen in our increasing immunocompromised population.
Nonparametric likelihood ratio goodness-of-fit tests for survival data

Berk and Jones (Z. Wahrsch. Verw. Gebiete 47 (1979) 47) described a nonparametric likelihood test of uniformity that is more efficient, in Bahadur's sense, than any weighted Kolmogorov-Smirnov test at any alternative. This article shows how to obtain a nonparametric likelihood test of a general parametric family for incomplete survival data. A nonparametric likelihood ratio test process is employed to measure the discrepancy between a parametric family and the observed data. Large sample properties of the likelihood ratio test process are studied under both the null and alternative hypotheses. A Monte Carlo simulation method is proposed to estimate its null distribution. We show how to produce a likelihood ratio graphical check as well as a formal test of a parametric family based on the developed theory. Our method is developed for the right-censorship model, but can be easily extended to some other survival models. Illustrations are given using both real and simulated data.
Special session - preparing the engineers of 2020: A dialogue

This Special Session addresses a fundamental question: What changes must we make to ensure that engineering students will become what the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has referred to as "the engineer of 2020"? These graduates will compete in Friedman's "flat world," a world in which workers from China, India, and the former Soviet Block countries now possess the education and connectivity required to compete in a global economy with America's engineers at much lower salaries. The session seeks to generate discussion of the meaning of attributes central to conceptions of the Engineer of 2020 and to provide guidance from the engineering education community for an NSF-funded national survey of engineering education's readiness and capacity to produce the engineers of 2020. The session involves small-group discussions focusing on three attributes of the Engineer of 2020 (design and problem-solving skills, interdisciplinary competence, and contextual competence), and closes with brief group reports and extended discussion of these attributes.
Analysis of the Stanford geothermal reservoir model experiments using the LBL reservoir simulator

Abstract This paper describes the results of an analysis of data obtained from a series of heat-sweep experiments performed in the Stanford Geothermal Reservoir Model using the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory reservoir simulator. The physical reservoir model is an experimental system consisting of a pressure vessel which contains a granite rock matrix with production and recharge capabilities to simulate the heat-sweep process in a fractured hydrothermal reservoir under liquid-phase conditions. Arrangements were made with the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory to test their geothermal reservoir simulator on the physical model data. The objectives were to provide insight into the detailed physical processes occurring in the relatively complex physical system and to provide feedback to LBL on the capability and possible improvements to the LBL reservoir simulator to model a complex physical system. The overall conclusion of this work is that the LBL simulator does an excellent job of predicting the physical processes in the Stanford Geothermal Reservoir Model experiments for extreme thermal gradient conditions and for a system with very complex boundary conditions. The analysis demonstrates the importance of specifying relevant parameters accurately to provide adequate modeling for the important physical processes.
On the meridional extent and fronts of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

Large-scale features of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) are described using all historical hydrographic data available from the Southern Ocean. The geopotential anomaly of the sea surface relative to 1000 db reveals the highly-sheared eastward flow of the ACC and the strong steering of the current by the ridge system around Antarctica. The near-surface property distributions differentiate the ACC waters from the warmer and saltier waters of the subtropical regimes. The Subtropical Front (STF), interrupted only by South America, marks the northern most extent of subantarctic waters. Distributions of properties on isopycnal surfaces show an abrupt end to the characteristic signal of the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW), as this water mass shoals southward and is entrained into the surface mixed layer. This sharp water mass boundary nearly coincides with the southernmost circumpolar streamline passing through Drake Passage. To its south are the weakly-sheared circulations of the subpolar regime. Inspection of many hydrographic crossings of this transition reveals that the poleward edge of the UCD W signal is a reasonable definition of the southern boundary of the ACC. At Drake Passage, three deep-reaching fronts account for most of the ACC transport. Well-established indicators of the Subantarctic Front and Polar Front are traced unbroken around Antarctica. The third deep-reaching front observed to the south of the Polar Front at Drake Passage also continues with similar characteristics as a circumpolar feature. It is called here the southern ACC front. Stations from multiple synoptic transects of these circumpolar fronts are used to describe the average property structure within each ACC zone. Between the STF and the southern boundary of the ACC, the shear transport of the circumpolar current above 3000 m is at all longitudes about 100 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−) eastward.
Rural-Urban Analyses of Health-Related Quality of Life among People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Context Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a multi-dimensional construct including aspects of life quality or function that are affected by physical health and symptoms, psychosocial factors, and psychiatric conditions. HRQOL gives a broader measure of the burden of disease than physical impairment or disability levels. Purpose To identify factors associated with HRQOL among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) utilizing the SF-8 Health Survey. Methods Data presented in this study were collected in a survey of 1,518 people with MS living in all 50 states. The survey sample was randomly selected from the database of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, using ZIP codes to recruit the survey sample. A multiple linear regression model was employed to analyze the survey data, with the Physical Component Summary and the Mental Component Summary of the SF-8 the dependent variables. Independent variables were demographic characteristics, MS-disease characteristics, and health services utilized. Findings People with MS in rural areas tended to report lower physically related HRQOL. Worsening MS symptoms were associated with reduced physical and mental dimensions of HRQOL. In addition, people with MS who received a diagnosis of depression tended to have reduced physical and mental dimensions of HRQOL. Receiving MS care at an MS clinic was associated with better physically related HRQOL, while having a neurologist as principal care physician was associated with better mental-related HRQOL. Conclusion The challenge is to increase the access that people living with MS in rural areas have to MS-focused specialty care.
Regularities in Eyewitness Identification

What do eyewitness identification experiments typically show? We address this question through a meta-analysis of 94 comparisons between target-present and target-absent lineups. The analyses showed that: (a) correct identifications and correct-nonidentifications were uncorrelated, (b) suspect identifications were more diagnostic with respect to the suspect’s guilt or innocence than any other response, (c) nonidentifications were diagnostic of the suspect’s innocence, (d) the diagnosticity of foil identifications depended on lineup composition, and (e) don’t know responses were nondiagnostic with respect to guilt or innocence. Results of diagnosticity analyses for simultaneous and sequential lineups varied for full-sample versus direct-comparison analyses. Diagnosticity patterns also varied as a function of lineup composition. Theoretical, forensic, and legal implications are discussed.
True nanocable assemblies with insulating BN nanotube sheaths and conducting Cu nanowire cores.

Nanocable models comprised of BN nanotubes filled with close-packed Cu nanowires were investigated by gradient-corrected density functional theory (DFT) computations. The optimal distance between the sidewall of BN nanotubes and the atoms in a copper nanowire is about 0.35 nm, with a weak insertion energy (ca. −0.04 eV per Cu atom). Hence, such nanocables are assembled by weaker van der Waals (vdW) forces, rather than by chemical bonding interactions. The electronic band structures of the BN/Cu hybrid systems are superposition of those of the separate components, the BN nanotubes, and the Cu nanowires. Since charge density analyses show that the conduction electrons are distributed only on the copper atoms, charge transport will occur only in these inner nanowires, which are effectively insulated by the outer BN nanotubes. On the basis of these computational results, BN/Cu hybrid structures should be ideal nanocables.
Hispanic perception of police performance: An empirical assessment

Abstract This exploratory study examines relationships between the police and Hispanics in Texas. Specifically, data were collected on Hispanic evaluations of police performance, expectations of police performance, and overall satisfaction with the police. A sample of 500 Hispanics throughout the state of Texas were surveyed on their experienced and perceived relationships with three levels of police agencies: local (municipal) police, sheriff's officers, and the state's Department of Public Safety. Findings are reported based upon overall ratings of the police, victim-related data, and data from individuals who had any form of contact with the police. Significant findings show that any form of contact with the police appeared to lower the rating of police performance. This appears to be a product of the interaction between high public expectations and qualitatively poor police performance. Further findings indicate that an increase in the fear of crime among Hispanics lowered evaluations of local police. Similarly, victimization lowered the evaluation of local police, the county sheriff, and the Department of Public Safety. Hispanics also perceived that officers have a “bad attitude,” that the police need to patrol and investigate more, that response time should be improved, and that there should be less discrimination against Hispanics. These findings appear to be largely influenced by ineffective communication (both symbolic and linguistic) and cultural conflict.
Ten years after: Interference of hospital slack in process performance benefits of quality practices

Abstract We investigate the long-term relationship between an organization's quality management practices and process-level performance. Further, we examine whether availability of organizational slack over the study interval interferes with the relationship between quality practices and process performance. Organizational slack consists of the available and accessible resources in an organization; we focus here on unabsorbed slack in the form of financial resources. We investigate the quality practices of U.S. general acute care hospitals, measured by their depth of implementation of practices characterizing a total quality management system, and use them to predict process performance related to four medical conditions. Analysis reveals differing effects that are dependent on hospital slack conditions. In hospitals with high slack, quality practices significantly predict three of four studied process performance measures. In contrast, in hospitals with low slack, quality practices predict only one of the four process performance measures, while other factors outweigh the effects of quality practices. This study lends support to management taking a long-term perspective related to implementation of quality management systems, and highlights the relevance of slack conditions in garnering the benefits of such systems.
Microscopic Origin of Low-Frequency Flux Noise in Josephson Circuits

We analyze the data and discuss their implications for the microscopic origin of the low-frequency flux noise in superconducting circuits. We argue that this noise is produced by spins at superconductor insulator boundary whose dynamics is due to RKKY interaction. We show that this mechanism explains size independence of the noise, different frequency dependences of the spectra reported in large and small SQUIDs, and gives the correct intensity for realistic parameters.
Are There Additional Benefits from Being in Small Classes for More than One Year

Evidence from Project STAR has suggested a considerable advantage of being in small classes in early grades. However, the extra benefits of additional years in small classes have not been discussed in detail. The present study examined the additional effects of being in small classes for more than 1 year. We find that once previous grade achievement and small-class membership are controlled for, small-class effects are typically insignificant except in 1st grade. Findings from longitudinal analyses showed no independent effects of small classes in early grades. Again, the exception was the estimate in 1st-grade mathematics. Thus, there is little evidence about the accumulated benefits of additional years in small classes. If indeed being in small classes for only 1 year is sufficient in early grades, the evidence points to reducing class size in first grade.
Relation of the utility of exercise testing for risk assessment in pediatric patients with ventricular preexcitation to pathway location

The gradual loss of ventricular preexcitation during exercise stress testing (EST) has an unclear risk of an association with life-threatening arrhythmia and could be related to the accessory pathway (AP) location. We compared the loss of preexcitation during EST with the risk assessment during invasive electrophysiology testing and determined whether the loss of preexcitation correlates with the AP location. We retrospectively reviewed patients aged ≤21 years with ventricular preexcitation who had undergone both EST and an electrophysiology study. The patients were divided into 3 groups: sudden loss (SL), gradual loss (GL), or no loss (NL) of preexcitation during EST. A total of 76 patients were included, with 11 (14%) in the SL group, 18 (24%) in the GL group, and 47 (62%) in the NL group. The SL group demonstrated a longer cycle length with 1-to-1 conduction by way of the AP during incremental atrial pacing compared with the NL group (375 ± 135 ms vs 296 ± 52 ms, p = 0.002), with no difference between the GL and NL groups (325 ± 96 vs 296 ± 52 ms, p = NS). Of the patients with 1-to-1 AP conduction of <270 ms, none (0 of 11) were in the SL group compared to 18 of 47 in the NL group (p = 0.0017), with no significant difference in the GL group (5 of 18) compared to the NL group (p = NS). The patients in the GL group were more likely to have a left-sided AP (14 of 18) than the NL group (17 of 47, p = 0.002) and the SL group (3 of 11, p = 0.002). In conclusion, a sudden loss of preexcitation during an EST predicted a long cycle length with 1-to-1 conduction by way of the AP. Also, the AP conduction characteristics in patients with GL compared to those with NL did not differ, and the GL of preexcitation was more frequently seen in patients with a left-sided AP.
Matrix reordering effects on a parallel frontal solver for large scale process simulation

Abstract For the simulation and optimization of large scale chemical processes, the overall computing time is often dominated by the time needed to solve a large sparse system of linear equations. A parallel frontal solver can be used to significantly reduce the wallclock time required to solve these linear equation systems using parallel/vector supercomputers. This is done by exploiting both multiprocessing and vector processing, using a multifrontal-type approach in which frontal elimination is used for the partial factorization of each front. However, the algorithm is based on a bordered block-diagonal matrix form and thus its performance depends on the extent to which the matrix can be reordered to this form. Various approaches to achieving this ordering are discussed here. The performance of these different matrix reordering strategies for achieving the bordered block-diagonal form is then considered. Results, including a visualization of the different matrix orderings on one problem, are presented for several large scale process engineering problems.
Photon-gated electron transfer in two-component self-assembled monolayers

The preparation and characterization of a photoactive, two-component self-assembled monolayer (SAM) consisting of 99:1 cis-p-(C6H5)NN(C6H4)O(CH2)11SH) (1) and trans-p,p-Fc(C6H4)NN(C6H4)(CH2)4SH (Fc...
Sustained expression after nonviral ocular gene transfer using mammalian promoters

The CMV promoter drives high transgene expression and is one of the most commonly used promoters for gene transfer. Tissue-specific mammalian promoters provide an alternative, and it would be useful to have a system to directly compare them to viral promoters free from potential confounding vector-related effects. In this study, we describe how electroporation after subretinal injection of plasmid DNA can be used to perform comparative quantitative analysis of promoter activities. Luciferase assay of eyecup homogenates was carried out after coinjection/electroporation of pGL2, a plasmid containing the promoter fragment of interest coupled to the firefly luciferase gene, and pRL-CMV, a plasmid containing the CMV promoter coupled to the Renilla luciferase gene for normalization. This technique was used to compare activity of different fragments of the 5′-upstream region of the vitelliform macular dystrophy 2 (VMD2) gene, which is selectively expressed in the retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells, and results indicated positive regulatory elements between −104 and −154 bp and between −424 and −585 bp. Addition of a fragment from intron 1 reduced the activity of the −585/+38 bp fragment by 75%. Deletion analysis implicated a 342 bp region near the 5′-end of intron 1 in the repression. Results of transient transfections in two cell lines that constitutively express VMD2 were similar, and results in transgenic mice were consistent, providing validation for promoter analysis by in vivo electroporation. We then explored the time course of expression of the −585/+38 VMD2 promoter fragment and found that compared to cassettes driven by CMV or SV40 promoters, which showed peak luciferase activity on day 2 followed by a rapid decrease in activity, the VMD2 promoter fragment showed lower activity initially, but the activity was sustained for up to 56 days (longest time point measured). A promoter fragment from another RPE-specific gene, Rpe65, showed a similar pattern of sustained expression for at least 112 days. These data indicate that nonviral gene transfer can be used to quantitatively evaluate the activity of promoter fragments independent of influence from viral vectors. A potentially important finding using this new technique is the demonstration that relatively sustained passenger gene expression can be achieved with nonviral gene transfer using mammalian rather than viral promoters.
Binding of antiarrhythmic drugs to purified human α1-acid glycoprotein

Abstract The binding of lidocaine, verapamil, propafenone and propranolol to isolated, purified human α 1 -acid glycoprotein was studied using equilibrium dialysis. Lidocaine and verapamil bound to a single class of binding sites which was characterized by high affinity ( k d 1 for lidocaine was 5.79 × 10 −6 M −1 and for verapamil 3.43 × 10 −6 M −1 ) and low capacity (n = 0.40 for lidocaine and 0.62 for verapamil). The binding of propafenone revealed two classes of binding sites, both with high affinity ( k d 1 was 7.62 × 10 −6 M −1 and kd 2 was 6.00 × 10 −8 M −1 ) and low capacity (n 1 = 0.79 and n 2 = 0.20). Propranolol bound to at least two classes of binding sites ( k d 1 was 2.56 × 10 −6 M −1 ; n 1 = 0.58). Complete characterization of the binding parameters of the second site was not possible due to failure to achieve saturation.
The mitotic feedback control gene MAD2 encodes the α-subunit of a prenyltransferase

THE mad2-l mutation inactivates the cell-cycle feedback control that prevents budding yeast cells from leaving mitosis until spindle assembly is complete1. The gene product of MAD2 shows significant sequence similarity to the α-subunit of prenyltransferases2. Here we isolate a new temperature-sensitive mad2 mutant, mad2-2ts, and find that Mad2p is required for the membrane association of Yptlp and Sec4p, two prenylated small GTP-binding proteins involved in protein trafficking. Extracts from mad2-2ts mutant cells fail to geranylgeranylate a number of substrates at the non-permissive temperature. mad2-2ts is synthetically lethal with bet2-1, a mutation in the gene that encodes for the β-subunit of the Yptlp and Sec4p geranylgeranyl transferase3,4. Therefore MAD2 and BET2 gene products may physically interact to form a geranylgeranyl transferase complex. In addition, the difference between the phenotypes of mad2-l and mad2-2ts suggests that MAD2 has distinct roles in protein transport and the mitotic feedback control.
Females in proestrus state maintain splenic immune functions and tolerate sepsis better than males.

Objectives To determine: a) whether the cell-mediated immune response during sepsis differs in females vs. males; and b) whether the survival rate in females is different than in males after a septic insult.Design A prospective, randomized animal study.Setting University research laboratory.Subjects
The rising tide of cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia

Summary Background Expert consensus defines biliary dyskinesia as a rare disorder of the gall-bladder characterised by pain and impaired gall-bladder function. Aim To determine trends in cholecystectomy rates for biliary dyskinesia in the United States. Methods As biliary dyskinesia does not have a distinct diagnosis code, the narrative diagnoses for patients were reviewed and abstracted for 200 patients treated for the most commonly used diagnosis codes for biliary dyskinesia (validation sample). Time trends in cholecystectomies and hospitalisations for biliary diseases were assessed using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) based on codes for cholecystectomy and diagnosis codes for different biliary disorders. Results In the validation sample, biliary dyskinesia accounted for 81% of the patients with ICD-9 code 575.8 (gall-bladder disease not elsewhere specified). Between 1997 and 2010, admissions for acute cholecystitis and complications of gallstone disease decreased slightly, whereas admissions with the primary diagnosis code ICD-9 575.8 tripled. This rise was most pronounced in the paediatric population (700% increase), with biliary dyskinesia accounting for more than 10% of cholecystectomies. Compared with acute biliary diseases, significantly more of the elective hospitalisations were covered by private insurances. Conclusions Practice patterns differ from expert opinion, with biliary dyskinesia accounting for an increasing fraction of cholecystectomies. The rise in these elective interventions is associated with a shift to a younger, low risk and predominantly privately insured population. Considering the benign nature of biliary dyskinesia, it is time to reassess the need for operative interventions, which have never been compared with active conservative therapy.