cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Running, Monofilament Barbed Suture for Subcutaneous Tissue Closure on Infection Rates in Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Abstract Background Recently, running, monofilament barbed suture has become more popular as an efficient and economical alternative to traditional braided interrupted suture for wound closure following total joint arthroplasty. Its overall association with wound complications following surgery remains unknown at this time. Several studies have investigated its use in total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but there is limited literature surrounding use in total hip arthroplasty (THA). In this retrospective cohort study, our primary objective was to determine whether the use of monofilament barbed suture in THA was associated with reduced rates of postoperative infection when compared to traditional braided suture. Methods Patients who underwent primary unilateral THA between November 2011 and December 2017 by a single senior surgeon with closure using either monofilament barbed suture (162 patients) or braided interrupted suture (429 patients) were retrospectively reviewed for postoperative wound complications during the first 90 days after surgery. Demographics, comorbidities, and perioperative data were also included to assess for risk factors for infection. Results There was no difference between braided and barbed suture in overall rates of major complication, including periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) (0.47% vs 0.62%, P = .82) or revisions (1.86% vs 1.23%, P = .60). The overall rate of minor, superficial wound complications was also similar between both groups (6.1% vs 3.1%, P = .15). However, when superficial complications were categorized by type (dehiscence vs infection), the use of barbed suture was associated with a decreased rate of superficial wound infection (0% vs 5.4%, P = .003) and an increased rate of wound dehiscence (3.1% vs 0.7%, P = .04). Conclusion The use of monofilament barbed suture for superficial skin closure in THA leads to similar overall rates of both major and minor wound complications when compared to traditional interrupted braided suture. However, while barbed suture was associated with fewer superficial infections, there was an increased incidence of wound dehiscence. Overall, barbed suture demonstrated a cumulatively equivalent rate of superficial wound complications compared to braided suture. Based on this investigation, barbed suture appears safe to use in THA and may represent an efficient and effective alternative to braided suture for wound closure. Level of Evidence Level IV; retrospective cohort study.
Free-Radical Polymerization and Copolymerization of Acrylimides: Homopolymers of Oxazolidinone Acrylimide and Control of 1,5-Stereochemistry in Copolymers Derived from Isobutylene and an Oxazolidinone Acrylimide

The polymerization and copolymerization of N-acryloyl imides was investigated. Thus, Lewis acids were used to control the free-radical copolymerization of N-acryloyl imides derived from oxazolidinones and isobutylene. Complexation of an appropriate Lewis acid (Sc(OTf)3) to acrylimides of achiral and chiral oxazolidinone auxiliaries allowed the preparation of alternating 1:1 copolymers as determined from integration of the copolymer 1H NMR spectra. Highly isotactic copolymers were made when chiral oxazolidinones were used as starting material if Lewis acid was present in the reaction. NMR analysis (1H and 13C) of the copolymers showed that the m/r dyad ratio was in excess of 95:5 for some of the chiral acrylimides. Homopolymerization of the parent achiral acrylamide was also carried out. NMR analysis of the homopolymer showed a temperature-dependent preference for the r dyad with a m/r dyad ratio as low as 0.25 in polymerizations carried out at −78 °C.
The Safe Distance to the Popliteal Neurovascular Bundle in Pediatric Knee Arthroscopic Surgery: An Age-Based Magnetic Resonance Imaging Anatomic Study:

Background:The close proximity of the popliteal neurovascular bundle to the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus puts it at risk of compromise during lateral meniscal repair. This is particularly...
Sumar: diálogos transatlánticos

This essay reflects on Carlos Fuentes' book El naranjo, o los circulos del tiempo, where the author plays with the rewriting process, both of history and fiction. As Ortega concludes, it is an exercise full of irreverence and humor that results in "a stage where the dead acquire the narration 's voice in order to return to the discourse of their days". The narrator in Fuentes is "a hyperbole of enunciation ». Rather than a subject, the narrator is an "act of speech",so vivid that it ends being "a parable of the present", where two temporalities cross each other creating a mythical time, built with a series of parallel instances.
Secondary Encephalocele in an Adult Leading to Subdural Empyema

Brain abscesses are an uncommon but potentially fatal infection. They can spread directly from an adjacent source or hematogenously from a distant source. Encephaloceles represent a rare form of neural tube defects that can potentially be complicated by the development of meningitis or brain abscess. We report a case of a 63-year-old female who presented with bilateral lower extremity weakness and was ultimately found to have a Streptococcus pneumoniae subdural empyema and an associated frontal lobe encephalocele extending through the left frontal sinus. She was treated with surgical drainage, intravenous antimicrobials, and ultimately surgical repair of the encephalocele. This report highlights a unique presentation of brain abscess. Clinicians should be aware of this potential infectious complication of a neural tube defect.
Patterns of Storage, Use, and Disposal of Prescription Opioids by Young Adults with Cancer.

Studies have demonstrated that adults with cancer and parents of children with cancer do not use and store prescription opioids safely. Most YAs (135/146, 92%) unsafely stored opioids. Fifty-two of...
Using an agent-based sexual-network model to analyze the impact of mitigation efforts for controlling chlamydia

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with a major cause of infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ectopic pregnancy among women. Despite decades of screening women for Ct, rates increase among young African Americans (AA). We create and analyze a heterosexual agent-based network model to help understand the spread of Ct. We calibrate the model parameters to agree with survey data showing Ct prevalence of 12% of the women and 10% of the men in the 15-25 year-old AA in New Orleans, Louisiana. Our model accounts for both long-term and casual partnerships. The network captures the assortative mixing of individuals by preserving the joint-degree distributions observed in the data. We compare the effectiveness of intervention strategies based on randomly screening men, notifying partners of infected people, which includes partner treatment, partner screening, and rescreening for infection. We compare the difference between treating partners of an infected person both with and without testing them. We observe that although increased Ct screening, rescreening, and treating most of the partners of infected people will reduce the prevalence, these mitigations alone are not sufficient to control the epidemic. The current practice is to treat the partners of an infected individual without first testing them for infection. The model predicts that if a sufficient number of the partners of all infected people are tested and treated, then there is a threshold condition where the epidemic can be mitigated. This threshold results from the expanded treatment network created by treating an individual's infected partners' partners. Although these conclusions can help design future Ct mitigation studies, we caution the reader that these conclusions are for the mathematical model, not the real world, and are contingent on the validity of the model assumptions.
A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Physical Activity during COVID-19 in a Sample of Rural and Non-Rural Participants in the US

Physical activity (PA) pre-COVID-19 was lower in rural areas compared to non-rural areas. The purpose of this study was to determine COVID-19's impact on PA in rural and non-rural residents. A cross-sectional study consisting of a convenience sample of 278 participants (50% rural, 50% non-rural) from 25 states completed an online survey describing their PA behaviors and perceptions during COVID-19. The global physical activity questionnaire was used to determine PA in various domains and summed to determine if the participant met the PA guidelines. Rural participants had a significantly higher body mass index, lower income, and a lower educational attainment. Conversely, non-rural participants reported more barriers to PA. There was no difference in the perception of COVID-19's impact on PA, specifically; however, rural participants were significantly less likely to meet cardiorespiratory PA recommendations compared to non-rural participants. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the continued disparity in PA between rural and non-rural residents, despite the supposition of COVID-19 being less impactful in rural areas due to sparse populations. Efforts should be pursued to close the PA gap between rural and non-rural residents.
Childhood adversities and life satisfaction: The moderator role of perceived resilience in early adulthood

The present study investigated the effects of childhood physical neglect (CPN), childhood physical abuse (CPA), and the moderator role of perceived resilience on adult life satisfaction (LS). The N...
Investigating Degree of Blending Between Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement and Virgin Binder Using Atomic Force Microscopy and Focused Ion Beam

Adding reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) into asphalt mixes is a common practice and has many merits such as reducing costs and emissions. In recent decades, many state highway agencies have embarke...
Efficacy of Ustekinumab in Crohn's Disease With and Without Concurrent Autoimmune Skin Disease.

BACKGROUND Approximately 33% of Crohn's disease (CD) patients have associated autoimmune skin disease. The pathophysiology of the latter frequently involves interleukin-12/interleukin-23 signaling pathways that may also impact gut inflammation. Ustekinumab is an anti-IL-12/23 FDA-approved biologic for psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease. However, its relative efficacy has never been studied in CD with autoimmune skin disease (CD-ASD) vs CD without autoimmune skin disease (CD-none). METHODS This is a retrospective, single-center, case-control study comparing markers of disease activity between CD-ASD and CD-none. Biomarkers (fecal calprotectin [FCP], C-reactive protein [CRP]) prior to drug initiation and after at least 5 months of standard IBD dose ustekinumab therapy were extracted from the medical record. In addition, 2 blinded observers performed 5-point Likert scoring before and after endoscopic, pathologic, and imaging reports. RESULTS In all, 395 CD patients received ustekinumab therapy (79 CD-ASD, 316 CD-none). Patients were similar in age; gender; ethnicity; CD severity, phenotype, and duration; tobacco, immunomodulator, and steroid use. Ustekinumab had greater efficacy in CD-ASD when evaluated by FCP (P = .0337) and CRP (P = .078). The CD-ASD group also showed better outcomes in Likert scores of endoscopy (P = .016), histopathology (P = .074), and imaging (P = .094). In all Likert parameters, CD-ASD had more patients with complete resolution of moderate/severe disease (P < .05). Additional subanalyses for surgeries, ulcers, abscesses, fistulas, and colitis were conducted, with colitis reaching statistical significance (P = .0011). CONCLUSIONS Concurrent autoimmune skin disease in CD is associated with greater ustekinumab effectiveness in controlling intestinal inflammation.
Cosmic Distances Calibrated to 1% Precision with Gaia EDR3 Parallaxes and Hubble Space Telescope Photometry of 75 Milky Way Cepheids Confirm Tension with ΛCDM

We present an expanded sample of 75 Milky Way Cepheids with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) photometry and Gaia EDR3 parallaxes which we use to recalibrate the extragalactic distance ladder and refine the determination of the Hubble constant. All HST observations were obtained with the same instrument (WFC3) and filters (F555W, F814W, F160W) used for imaging of extragalactic Cepheids in Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) hosts. The HST observations used the WFC3 spatial scanning mode to mitigate saturation and reduce pixel-to-pixel calibration errors, reaching a mean photometric error of 5 millimags per observation. We use new Gaia EDR3 parallaxes, vastly improved since DR2, and the Period-Luminosity (PL) relation of these Cepheids to simultaneously calibrate the extragalactic distance ladder and to refine the determination of the Gaia EDR3 parallax offset. The resulting geometric calibration of Cepheid luminosities has 1.0% precision, better than any alternative geometric anchor. Applied to the calibration of SNe~Ia, it results in a measurement of the Hubble constant of 73.0 +/- 1.4 km/sec/Mpc, in good agreement with conclusions based on earlier Gaia data releases. We also find the slope of the Cepheid PL relation in the Milky Way, and the metallicity dependence of its zeropoint, to be in good agreement with the mean values derived from other galaxies. In combination with the best complementary sources of Cepheid calibration, we reach 1.8% precision and find H_0=73.2 +/- 1.3 km/sec/Mpc, a 4.2 sigma difference with the prediction from Planck CMB observations under LambdaCDM. We expect to reach ~1.3% precision in the near term from an expanded sample of ~40 SNe Ia in Cepheid hosts.
Governance by Persuasion: Hedge Fund Activism and the Market for Corporate Influence

This article provides a comprehensive survey of the academic finance research on hedge fund activism. We review the development, current state, and potential future trends beginning with the institutional background in which hedge fund activists operate, activists’ objectives, tactics, and the selection of target companies. We also review the various outcomes, with a focus on the financial and operating performance of targeted firms, the dynamics of engagement with fellow investors, and the impact on other stakeholders. The evidence from the full body of the literature generally supports the view that hedge fund activism constitutes an important venue of corporate governance that is both influence-based and market-driven, placing activist hedge funds in a unique position to mitigate the agency costs which are fundamentally associated with the separation of ownership and control.
Principals Give Voice to the ISLLC Standards--An Investigation of Leadership Job Priorities

PRINCIPALS GIVE VOICE TO THE ISLLC STANDARDS-AN INVESTIGATION INTO PRINICPAL PRIORITIES By Marcia D. Muse A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Director: William C. Bosher, Jr., Ed. D. Executive Director, Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute Distinguished Professor, Public Policy and Education School of Education and Center for Public Policy Due to the increasing demands on educational administrators it has become essential that leadership priorities be established. This study investigated elementary school principals' job responsibilities and how the school administrator prioritized the many facets of the job. The literature supported the continued escalation of job demands on the school principal. Thus with growing accountability, it is essential that school leaders learn to balance the responsibilities of being the instructional leader and the
Evaluating Negotiation Behavior and Results: Can We Identify What We Say We Know?

For professors in skills or clinical courses, grading student work is a troubling and time consuming process. For example, when a professor grades students in negotiation courses on criteria other than the result of the negotiation exercises, she must design comprehensible grading standards, observe the student in a real or simulated exercise, critique the student's performance, and grade the student based on those standards. Some professors, however, do grade solely on the results the students obtain in the negotiation problems. Each student is compared to other students who negotiate the same side of the problem in what is called a "duplicate bridge" format. Other teachers use a subjective standard. Rather than grade on the result, these teachers evaluate the way each student handles the problem. A third method is pass/fail grading. Finally, some professors use a combination of these methods. None of these methods is entirely satisfactory.
Fluid and Gas Expulsion on the Northern Gulf of Mexico Continental Slope: Mud-Prone to Mineral-Prone Responses

In the northern Gulf of Mexico slope province, complex structural relationships resulting from dynamic adjustments between large volumes of sediments and salt provide numerous faulted pathways for deep subsurface fluids and gases to be transported to the modern seafloor. Geological response at the seafloor to these hydrocarbon-rich fluids and gases is highly variable and dependent largely on rate and duration of delivery as well as fluid and gas composition. In a qualitative framework, rapid expulsions of fluids (including fluidized sediment) and gases generally result in buildups of sediment in the form of cones (mud volcanoes) that vary from a few meters to several kilometers in diameter and/or sheet-like flows that may extend tens of kilometers downslope. Conversely, slow seepage promotes lithification of the seafloor through precipitation of a variety of mineral species. Most important is the microbial utilization of hydrocarbons and precipitation of 13 C-depleted Ca-Mg carbonates as by-products. These carbonates have δ 13 C values that range between -18% to -55% (PDB), suggesting mixed carbon sources from crude oil to biogenic methane. The 13 C-depleted carbonates form mounds and hardgrounds that occur over the full depth range of the slope. Mounded carbonates can have relief of up to 30 m, but mounds of 5-10 m relief are most common at sites thus far investigated. Mound-building carbonates are mixed mineral phases of aragonite, Mg-calcite, and dolomite with Mg-calcite being the most common. Barite is another product that is precipitated from mineral-rich fluids that arrive at the seafloor in low-to-moderate seep rate settings. However, barite precipitation is not as pervasive as that of 13 C-depleted carbohates. The Gulf's intermediate flux settings seem best exemplified by areas where gas hydrates occur at the seafloor or in the very shallow subsurface. Intermediate flux environments display considerable variability with regard to surficial geology and on a local scale have elements of both rapid and slow flux settings. However, the intermediate flux environments appear to have the unique set of conditions necessary to support and sustain densely populated communities of chemosynthetic organisms. Since most of these areas are associated with faulting at the edges of intraslope basins, surficial or shallow subsurface gas hydrates (accessible by piston coring) are oriented along these faults and not in broad areas characterized by distinct bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs) as is the case in many simpler geologic settings. These shallow gas hydrates are composed of a complex mixture of biogenic-thermogenic methane and other thermogenic gases. Slight variations in nearbottom water temperature resulting from a variety of natural oceanographic processes cause gas hydrate dissociation and out-gassing resulting in the degradation to disappearnace of surficial gas hydrate mounds.
Prognostic indicators in hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review of 72 studies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in cirrhosis. It commonly leads to decompensation of cirrhosis and is one of the leading causes of death in cirrhotic patients (1, 2). Identifying the accurate prognostic indicators of death for HCC allows the provider to counsel individual patients and also forms the basis of any decision-making process. Most cases of HCC in the western world occur in the setting of cirrhosis and, therefore, prognosis is determined not only by factors related to the tumour but also by factors related to cirrhosis. In fact, current prognostic models for HCC include parameters of liver dysfunction and parameters related to HCC (3–5). However, studies on the prediction of death in HCC include patients both with and without underlying cirrhosis, and this heterogeneity may impact the clinical utility of current prognostic models. Additionally, one could hypothesize that, as in cirrhosis not associated with HCC (2), the prognostic factors for HCC would be different in patients with underlying compensated vs. decompensated cirrhosis, with factors related to the tumour having a greater prognostic significance in the former and factors related to both tumour and liver disease being more important in the latter. The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the predictors of death in patients with HCC and underlying cirrhosis to determine whether the predictors differ between patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis.
BEYOND THREE GORGES: NU RIVER HYDROPOWER AND ENERGY DECISION POLITICS IN CHINA

Abstract This paper examines hydropower development on the Nu (Salween) River in China. A 13-dam, 21-Gigawatt cascade scheduled for ecologically and culturally rich western Yunnan was halted in 2004 by Premier Wen Jiabao, a decision lauded by environmental protection and cultural preservation advocates. Labeled “predatory development” by the Minister of Water Resources, the status of the projects remains unclear, yet preliminary work continues, signaling a disjuncture between central planners on the one hand and local government and hydropower industry interests on the other. This paper details the cascade and situates it in a rapidly changing institutional background fraught with tensions created by new laws, old habits, and increasingly open debate. The Nu River case highlights the greater flexibility for opportunistic behavior brought by recent hydropower reforms and the continued marginalization of communities impacted by China's hydropower program.
SUIT: software user interface design tool

SUIT, a software user interface design tool, is a visualization and prototyping tool that facilitates collaboration between programmers and usability personnel by offering multiple views of a user interface design. The authors describe the roles of different views on prototypes in user interface design and then explain how SUIT generates multiple views with a node-flow model of object-based and event-driven programs. The node-flow model allows visualization of programs with graphical user interfaces, which make it easy for people not skilled in window programming to find usability problems. >
Pancreatic pseudocyst as a cause for secondary achalasia

Secondary achalasia is commonly due to cancer. Benign causes are rare and an association with pancreatitis has never been made. Our patient presented with clinical, manometric, endoscopic, and radiographic features of achalasia that occurred in conjunction with a pancreatic pseudocyst extending into the mediastinum. Documentation of this unique relationship was made on two occasions after episodes of complicated pancreatitis and was confirmed by restoration of normal esophageal function after drainage of the pseudocyst. Onset of dysphagia occurring in association with pancreatitis suggests the presence of a pseudocyst and secondary achalasia.
A two-component histidine kinase gene that functions in Dictyostelium development.

Abstract A mutant which failed to complete development was isolated from a population of cells that had been subjected to insertional mutagenesis using restriction enzyme-mediated integration. The disrupted gene, dhkA, encodes the conserved motifs of a histidine kinase as well as the response regulator domain. It is likely that the histidine in DhkA is autophosphorylated and the phosphate passed to one or more response regulators. Such two-component systems function in a variety of bacterial signal transduction pathways and have been characterized recently in yeast and Arabidopsis. In Dictyostelium, we found that DhkA functions both in the regulation of prestalk gene expression and in the control of the terminal differentiation of prespore cells.
Gender differences in weight bias internalisation and eating pathology in overweight individuals.

The present study explores gender differences in weight bias internalisation, measured by the Weight Bias Internalisation Scale (WBIS), and eating pathology (EDE-Q). Participants were 644 overweight and obese (mean body mass index [BMI]: 34.51 ± 7.58) adults who completed a survey that included measures of disordered eating behaviours and attitudes. Women reported higher levels of weight bias internalisation, shape/weight concern, and more weight cycling than men. Among women, weight bias internalisation was more strongly associated with disordered eating-related attitudes and depressive symptoms than in men. In contrast, among men, weight bias internalisation was associated with higher BMI and more objective and subjective binge episodes than in women. In overweight individuals, there are gender differences in the relationship between weight bias internalisation and eating pathology. These attitudinal and behavioural differences have important implications for clinicians treating overweight individuals.
Brief refeeding restores reproductive readiness in food-restricted female musk shrews (Suncus murinus).

Food deprivation blocks sexual behavior and disrupts estrous cycles in mammals. We asked whether reduced copulatory behavior, produced by limited food intake, could be reversed by brief refeeding intervals in the female musk shrew. In Experiment 1, animals were food restricted to 60% of ad lib (FR), and an additional group of FR females were refed for 90 min prior to testing (RF). Refed and ad lib (AL) fed females were significantly more likely to mate than FR females. To test the hypothesis that food-induced restoration of copulatory behavior is not the result of changes in peripheral steroids, we repeated Experiment 1 using ovariectomized and testosterone-implanted females. The results from Experiment 2 were similar to those found in the first study. Next, a more severe refeeding schedule was employed; females were restricted to 50% of ad lib intake. Females in the RF and FR groups were significantly less likely than the AL animals to mate. In the last experiment, females were food restricted to 50% and longer refeeding intervals were employed. Four and one-half hours of food intake did not reinstate sexual behavior, but females refed for 12 h were as likely to mate as ad lib fed controls. We also did not detect any differences in plasma concentrations of testosterone and cortisol in AL, FR, and RF ovary-intact animals. These results define a nutritional threshold for copulatory behavior in the musk shrew. Since this species is highly sensitive to small alterations in food intake, it is a useful model for studies of interactions between metabolic fuels and behavior.
The Landscape in 2009: A Conversation with Bruce C. Vladeck

Michael Birnbaum interviews Bruce C. Vladeck about the landscape for national health reform in 2009. Vladeck, who worked under President Clinton directing Medicare and Medicaid as administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration, discusses some of the challenges and opportunities facing the Obama administration. By comparing the current political and economic environments with those he faced while working in the Clinton administration, Vladeck argues that this time around America might be ready for pragmatic reforms leading toward universal coverage. He explores the future of employer-based coverage; problems and solutions for America's aging workforce; poor customer service in Medicare; the "Medicaid Stigma"; the promise of immigration; and the trade-offs between access, quality, and cost in the American system. Finally, Vladeck offers a silver lining to the current economic catastrophe. As he sees it, common sense and results may be taking the place of ideology in policy making and policy analysis: "The intellectual hegemony of neoclassical economics has been blown out of the water."
Work in progress — Developing a cognitively based digital logic calculator

Cognitive research in digital logic has shown that students struggle to organize their knowledge of concepts and tools into meaningful categories that facilitate problem solving or design. When students learn about digital logic design tools, they must practice using these tools independently and often come to think of these tools as “problems-unto-themselves,” rather than as tools that can be used to solve more complicated problems. To help students properly organize their knowledge of digital logic design tools, we propose the creation of a digital logic calculator that helps students learn the purposes and functionality of the different digital logic design tools.
The combination of olanzapine and fluoxetine in mood disorders.

Depression can occur either with or without alternation with periods of mania. Depression that alternates with mania (bipolar depression) is a particularly difficult problem in clinical practice. The evidence base of the treatment for this condition is not strong and the choices at best are limited. Furthermore, although there are a number of effective antidepressants for the non-cycling variety (‘unipolar’ major depression), > 50% of patients experience incomplete response to any given drug. Given the proportion of the population involved, these represent fairly sizeable markets. Studies over the last several years indicate that the combination of the novel antipsychotic olanzapine and the serotonin-selective re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI), fluoxetine, may be effective for both conditions. One trial in 28 patients showed that this combination was an effective treatment, compared to the individual components with unipolar depressed patients who had not responded to two antidepressants of different chemical cl...
A common silencer element in the SCG10 and type II Na+ channel genes binds a factor present in nonneuronal cells but not in neuronal cells

We have localized a cell type-specific silencer element in the SCG10 gene by deletion analysis. This neural-restrictive silencer element (NRSE) selectively represses SCG10 expression in nonneuronal cells and tissues. The NRSE contains a 21 by region with striking homology to a sequence present in a silencer domain of the rat type II sodium channel (Nall), another neuron-specific gene. We have identified a sequence-specific protein(s) that binds the SCG10 NRSE, as well as the homologous element in the Nall gene. A point mutation in the NRSE that abolishes binding of this neural-restrictive silencerbinding factor (NRSBF) in vitro also eliminates silencing activity in vivo. NRSBF is present in nuclear extracts from nonneuronal cells but not in extracts from neuronal cells, suggesting that the neuron-specific expression of SCG10 reflects, at least in part, the absence or inactivity of this protein. These data identify the NRSE as a potentially general DNA element for the control of neuron-specific gene expression in vertebrates.
Crystal Structures of Symmetrical Tetra-n-Alkyl Ammonium and Phosphonium Halides. Dissection of Competing Interactions Leading to “Biradial” and “Tetraradial” Shapes

We analyzed experimentally and by calculations the crystal packing of eight ammonium and phosphonium halide salts, each with four equivalent n-alkyl chains containing 10−18 carbon atoms. All of the salts crystallize as stacked monolayers with an “ionic plane” consisting of an array of anions and positively charged N or P atoms in the middle of each layer. The four alkyl chains of each molecule adopt either a biradial or a tetraradial shape. In the biradial salts, the chains are paired and each pair is projected on opposite sides of the ionic plane. In the tetraradial case, the chains are unpaired and take the shape of a crude tetrahedron. There are gauche bends along at least some of the chains of each salt. MM2 force-field computational analyses, coupled with entropy calculations based on conformational statistics, predict correctly that the tetraradial → biradial shape transformation will occur when the alkyl chains reach ca. 12 carbon atoms in length. Detailed analyses of the several factors responsibl...
The Moduli Space of Yang–Mills Connections Over a Compact Surface

Yang–Mills connections over closed oriented surfaces of genus ≥1, for compact connected gauge groups, are constructed explicitly. The resulting formulas for Yang–Mills connections are used to carry out a Marsden–Weinstein type procedure. An explicit formula is obtained for the resulting 2-form on the moduli space. It is shown that this 2-form provides a symplectic structure on appropriate subsets of the moduli space.
The History and Biology of the Juniper Midge (Contarinia juniperina Felt)

In the late fall of 1936, the junior author found an unusual amount of dead tip growth on the native red cedars in and around Kansas City, Missouri. An examination of the dead tips showed that they had been girdled or hollowed out by an insect, and during early December some of the twigs still contained the small, orange maggots which caused the injury. The litter beneath the trees and the surface two or three inches of soil were found to contain thousands of the same maggots. In the fall of 1937, and again in 1938, this same injury became worse and it then showed up throughout the state and in the adjoining states. So great was the injury at Kansas City and at Columbia that some large trees lost practically all of their tip growth, and from twenty to fifty maggots to the square inch of soil were counted under some trees in Kansas City following a cool shower on November 3, 1938.
Improved phosphorus recommendations using modified Morgan phosphorus and aluminum soil tests

Abstract The need for reliable recommendations for phosphorus (P) application on cropland has become increasingly important in recent years with the need to optimize economic inputs and minimize adverse water quality impacts. We used results from a series of recent laboratory and field experiments with Vermont and New York soils, combined with those of earlier work, to revise state recommendations for P application on field crops. Based on results of field and greenhouse studies, we established a critical value of 4 mg kg‐1 (optimum range of 4.0 to 7.0) using modified Morgan extractant [1.25 M ammonium acetate (NH4OAc), pH 4.8] as a measure of plant‐available P. Aluminum (Al) in the same extractant ("reactive”; Al) correlated well with the amount of added P needed to increase soil test P. Consequently, P rate recommended for soils below 4 mg kg‐1 is based on a combination of extractable P and Al. Within the “Optimum”; range only a low rate of P is recommended. Modified Morgan P also correlated well with P...
Determination of Topological Equivalence in Molecular Graphs from the Topological State

A method for computer perception of topological equivalence is presented along with consequences for analysis of molecular graphs and applications to SAR. This method is based on a new concept called the topological state of skeletal atoms. Topological equivalence is the molecular characteristic associated with structure equivalences within the molecular skeleton without regard to full three-dimensional geometry. In this investigation, structure is represented by the chemical graph (hydrogen-suppressed graph). Topological equivalence, the equivalence of skeletal atoms, is based upon numerical equality of the topological state values introduced in this method. The topological state value for an atom is defined in terms of three quantities: the number of skeletal paths terminating on that atom, the number of atoms in each path (graph separation), and a numerical expression for the chemical identity of each atom. Atom identity is encoded by the molecular connectivity valence delta value. Several algorithms for computation of topological state value are examined, all based on use of the geometric mean of the valence delta values of the atoms in each path. It is shown for a large number of molecules with a wide variety of structure types that proper topological equivalence perception is achieved by this method for several algorithm formulations. This formalism of topological state may prove highly useful as a characterization of the environment of skeletal atoms. The total topological index also introduced here appears to be a highly discriminating index of molecular graphs. Implications for structure-activity studies are discussed and two example QSAR uses of the total topological index are presented: gas chromatographic retention index for alcohols and inhibition of T. mentagrohpytes by phenylpropylethers.
Rotating X-Ray Collimating Slit for Line-Scan Dual-Energy Medical Imaging

A rotating slit system has been designed and tested which can effectively translate a fan-shaped X-ray beam at the same average speed and in the same direction of travel as a patient moving continuously during a line-scan dual-energy medical imaging procedure. The slit has been shown to eliminate the artifacts due to bone in logarithmically subtracted images obtained with monochromatic X-ray beams derived from synchrotron radiation, where one beam is just above and the other just below the K-edge of iodine. Images of iodine-containing phantoms and in vivo canine images after intravenous iodine injection show vessel detail without artifacts due to bone. Corresponding images taken without the rotating slit have severe artifacts.
Optimization and characterization of an imaging Hadamard Spectrometer

Hadamard Transform Spectrometer (HTS) approaches share the multiplexing advantages found in Fourier transform spectrometers. Interest in Hadamard systems has been limited due to data storage/computational limitations and the inability to perform accurate high order masking in a reasonable amount of time. Advances in digital micro-mirror array (DMA) technology have opened the door to implementing an HTS for a variety of applications including fluorescent microscope imaging and Raman imaging. A Hadamard transform spectral imager (HTSI) for remote sensing offers a variety of unique capabilities in one package such as variable spectral and temporal resolution, no moving parts (other than the micro-mirrors) and vibrational insensitivity. An HTSI for remote sensing using a Texas Instrument digital micro-mirror device (DMD) is being designed for use in the spectral region 1.25 - 2.5 micrometers . In an effort to optimize and characterize the system, an HTSI sensor system simulation has been concurrently developed. The design specifications and hardware components for the HTSI are presented together with results calculated by the HTSI simulation that include the effects of digital (vs. analog) scene data input, detector noise, DMD rejection ratios, multiple diffraction orders and multiple Hadamard mask orders.
Quality of life in cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Background Little is known about quality of life in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Objective We sought to determine how cutaneous lupus affects quality of life and which independent variables are associated with poor quality of life. Methods A total of 157 patients with cutaneous lupus completed surveys related to quality of life, including the Skindex-29 and the Short Form-36. Results Quality of life in cutaneous lupus is severely impaired, particularly with respect to emotional well-being. Patients with cutaneous lupus have worse quality of life than those with other common dermatologic conditions, such as acne, nonmelanoma skin cancer, and alopecia. With respect to mental health status, patients with cutaneous lupus have similar or worse scores than patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, recent myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. Factors related to poor quality of life include female gender, generalized disease, severe disease, distribution of lesions, and younger age. Limitations The study was done at a single referral-only center. Conclusion Patients with cutaneous lupus have very impaired quality of life, particularly from an emotional perspective.
Efficacy and Safety of Midodrine Hydrochloride in Patients With Refractory Vasovagal Syncope

Midodrine hydrochloride is a peripheral -receptor agonist capable of inducing venous and arterial vasoconstriction.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10] As a result of this action, midodrine has been approved in the United States for treatment of orthostatic hypotension, and several reports attest to its effectiveness in that setting. [6 and 7] In addition, other studies suggest that, at least during short-term follow-up, midodrine may also be effective as a preventive measure in patients with vasovagal syncope. [3, 4, 5 and 10] This report extends prior experience with midodrine as a therapeutic measure in patients with refractory recurrent vasovagal syncope.
Critical Role of a Conserved Intramembrane Tyrosine Residue in Angiotensin II Receptor Activation

Abstract The rat type 1a (AT) angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor contains a highly conserved tyrosine residue in the fifth transmembrane region that is present in most G protein-coupled receptors. The role of this amino acid in AT1receptor activation was analyzed in a mutant receptor (Y215F) created by replacing Tyrwith phenylalanine. The mutant receptor was highly expressed in transfected COS-7 cells, and its binding affinity for the peptide antagonist [Sar1,Ile8]Ang II was similar to that of the wild type receptor. Although the structural integrity of the peptide ligand binding domain was preserved in the Y215F mutant receptor, its affinity for the native agonist, Ang II, was significantly reduced. Also, whereas guanosine 5′-3- O-(thio)triphosphate markedly reduced Ang II binding to the wild type receptor, it had little effect on agonist binding to the mutant receptor. Agonist-induced internalization of the mutant receptor was also impaired, and its ability to mediate inositol phosphate responses to Ang II stimulation was abolished. The concomitant decreases in receptor internalization and G protein-mediated signaling of the Y215F mutant receptor indicate that Tyrhas a critical role in AT1receptor activation. In view of its conservation among members of the seven transmembrane domain receptor superfamily, this residue is likely to be of general importance in signal transduction from G protein-coupled receptors.
Can empty waves be detected

Abstract A number of proposed and performed experiments which have the object of detecting the so-called “empty” wave are analyzed. The wave, if it exists, may be unobservable.
Prior pill experiences and current continuation among pill restarters.

CONTEXT: Discontinuation of oral contraceptives often puts women at risk for unintended pregnancies. Understanding why a woman discontinued pill use can provide insight into her risk of discontinuation if she restarts use. METHODS: Women younger than 25 obtaining oral contraceptives at three university health centers in 2003-2005 were recruited to participate in a randomized trial; 628 former users were interviewed about their previous experience with the method and were followed up three months after restarting use. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between prior reasons for stopping pill use and method continuation. RESULTS: Women who had discontinued using oral contraceptives because of side effects were less likely to be very sure about restarting the pill at baseline (73%) than were those who had stopped for logistical or fertility-related reasons (88-94%). They also were less likely to have been satisfied with the pill in the last use interval (49% vs. 95-98%) and less likely to be satisfied with it in the three months after restarting (76% vs. 89-93%). These women were more likely to report a short duration of use than an intermediate duration or continuous use during follow-up (odds ratios 2.5 and 4.5). CONCLUSIONS: When counseling women who are restarting pill use providers should ask about their experiences with the method and reasons for discontinuation; counseling for women who discontinued because of side effects should address their risk factors for early discontinuation and informing them about other contraceptive choices.
Current Knowledge of Acute Lung Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) continues to be a major cause of mortality in adult and pediatric critical care medicine. This article discusses the pulmonary sequelae associated with ALI and ARDS, the support of ARDS with mechanical ventilation, available adjunctive therapies, and experimental therapies currently being tested. It is hoped that further understanding of the fundamental biology, improved identification of the patient's inflammatory state, and application of therapies directed at multiple sites of action may ultimately prove beneficial for patients suffering from ALI/ARDS.
The influence of finite mixing on OH and NOx concentrations in a jet-stirred reactor

The paper reviews measurements of OH and NO(x) in a premixed jet-stirred reactor to determine the influence of finite mixing and the formation of pollutants. Reactor fuels were CH/sub 4/ and C/sub 3/H/sub 8/ for the OH measurements, and H/sub 2/CO, CH/sub 4/, C/sub 3/H/sub 8/, and C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ for the NO(x) measurements. Absolute OH was determined from optical absorption analysis, and NO(x) - by gas sampling and chemiluminescent methods. The OH measurements were indicative of a stirred reactor operated with a finite mixing rate which was found by extending the established theories for a mixing influenced reactor to the case of OH behavior. The NO(x) concentration was uniform at the fuel-lean conditions, but was nonuniform at fuel-rich conditions. The amount of NO(x) formed depended on fuel-type, increasing as the fuel was switched from H/sub 2/CO to C/sub 2/H/sub 2/.
Stable particles as building blocks of matter

Abstract Only absolutely stable indestructible particles can be truly elementary. A simple theory of matter based on the three constituents, proton, electron and neutrino (and their antiparticles), bound together by the ordinary magnetic forces is presented, which allows us to give an intuitive picture of all processes of high-energy physics, including strong and weak interactions, and make quantitative predictions.
Inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase in brain and liver by cyanamide.

Abstract Cyanamide (H 2 N—C  N) is effective as an agent to treat alcoholism presumably because it inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase. In this study it was found that, in vivo , cyanamide is a very potent inhibitor of liver aldehyde dehydrogenases. but less effective against the brain enzymes. The ED 50 for liver was found to be 8 mg/kg when given intraperitoneally. The inhibition diminishes with time but is measurable for at least 24 hr, even though the bulk of the 14 C-labeled cyanamide is excreted within 6 hr. Cyanamide is not effective when added to the assay mixture in vitro , suggesting that a metabolite is the inhibitor in vivo . A urinary metabolite has been isolated and partially characterized. It is an acid with a p K a' of 3.9 and an extinction coefficient of 1.72 × 10 3 in base at 219 nm; the compound apparently retains the cyano group. However, it does not inhibit the enzyme in vitro .