cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Mean-Value Theorems

In the present chapter we obtain two estimates for the average behaviour of a multiplicative function, and pay attention to the error terms involved. Besides being of interest in their own right the results which we shall prove will be applicable to the study of additive functions, both globally in the next chapter, and locally in Chapter 21.
Congenital Ulnar Drift (Windblown Hand)

Congenital ulnar drift (CUD) of the fingers was first reported by Boix [1] who quoted Brissaud describing a congenital deviation of the digits (deviation des doigts en coup de vent), which Boix postulated was an “insufficiency of the palmar aponeurosis.” En coup de vent literally means windblown and other names for this condition have been congenital ulnar drift, windmill-vane hand, congenital cutaneous ulnar drift, windswept hand among others. The curious windblown eponym has survived as a colorful, somewhat descriptive term. The predominant features of the hand are metacarpophalangeal (MP) joint flexion, ulnar deviation of the digits, and in many children a flexed adducted thumb (clasped thumb) (Fig. 19.1). The dynamic pathology causing these postures varies and as we shall see the clinical ulnar deviation and flexion may represent the end-stage of a number of processes. Within the first few years of life the drift often becomes evident as the joints are passively reducible. With time secondary soft tissue and skeletal changes will result in fixed contractures (Fig. 19.2).
Habit Reversal Treatment Manual for Trichotillomania

This chapter describes the use of habit reversal for the treatment of trichotillomania in children, adolescents, and adults. Azrin and Nunn developed habit reversal in 1973 for the treatment of a variety of habits including hair pulling (Azrin, Nunn, & Frantz, 1980). A number of studies have shown habit reversal to be an effective procedure for trichotillomania (for a review see Chapter 8 and Elliott & Fuqua, 2000). Habit reversal is comprised of three main treatment components: awareness training, in which the client learns to become aware of each instance of hair pulling; competing response training, in which the client learns to engage in an incompatible behavior contingent on hair pulling or antecedents to hair pulling; and social support, in which a significant other helps the client successfully use the competing response to control the hair pulling (e.g., Rapp, Miltenberger, Long, Elliott, & Lumley, 1998). The protocol outlined below describes the details of habit reversal applied to trichotillomania.
Mathematical chemistry illustrations: a personal view of less known results

We have selected to review half a dozen outstanding results of application of mathematics to chemistry, which despite their importance are not well and widely known to chemists. Most of them involve novel mathematical concept or part of mathematics not widely known in chemistry, such as concept of circuits with alternating C=C and C–C bonds within individual Kekule valence structures, known as conjugated circuits; paths and partial ordering leading to periodic tables of isomers; aromatic sextets in polycyclic benzenoid compounds; local aromaticity derived from ring bond orders based on Pauling CC bond orders; construction of orthogonal molecular descriptors producing stable regression equations; graphical and numerical representation of DNA and proteins; numerical characterization and comparative study of proteomics maps; and finally we will overview the exact solution to the protein alignment problem.
1681-P: Polyendocrinopathy in Type 1 Diabetes: A Transatlantic Comparison

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with additional autoimmune and endocrine disorders; however, their prevalences internationally are poorly understood. We analyzed 22,632 patients from the U.S. T1D Exchange (T1DX) registry (median age 18 years) and 38,470 patients from the German/Austrian DPV registry (median age 16 years) with T1D duration ≥1 year (median duration 10 and 6 years, respectively) with data between 01/2016 and 03/2018. Reported prevalences of thyroid disease, arthritis, Addison’s disease, and atrophic gastritis were compared using logistic regression models with registry, age group, and sex as covariates. Thyroid disease was more frequent in the T1DX, whereas arthritis was more frequent in the DPV. Prevalence increased with age in both registries. We found no significant differences between T1DX and DPV for Addison’s disease (Figure). Atrophic gastritis was rare in both registries (T1DX: n=3, DPV: n=21). After adjustment for age, thyroid disease was about twice as frequent in females compared with males (T1DX: 25 vs. 13%, DPV: 15 vs. 7%, both p Disclosure J. Hermann: None. K. Miller: None. G. Szinnai: None. N.C. Foster: None. T.M. Kapellen: None. L. DiMeglio: Research Support; Self; Amgen Inc., Caladrius Biosciences, Inc., Janssen Research & Development, Medtronic, Sanofi. Other Relationship; Self; Dexcom, Inc. E. Frohlich-Reiterer: None. J.B. McGill: Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Gilead Sciences, Inc., Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Medtronic, Novartis AG, Sanofi US. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Dexcom, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., MannKind Corporation. R.W. Holl: None. D.M. Maahs: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc. Consultant; Self; Abbott, Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Tandem Diabetes Care. Funding German Center for Diabetes Research; The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; German Center for Diabetes Research; German Diabetes Association; European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes; INNODIA
Perspectives on Patient-Centered Family Planning Care from Incarcerated Girls: A Qualitative Study.

Abstract Study Objective We applied a patient-centered care (PCC) framework to explore incarcerated girls’ experiences of and preferences for family planning (FP) care. Design We conducted qualitative semistructured interviews with incarcerated girls to explore domains of PCC: access to care, patient preferences, information and education, emotional support, family and friends, physical comfort, coordination of care, and continuity and transition. Setting A juvenile detention center (JDC) in an urban California county. Participants Girls incarcerated during the study period. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Transcripts were analyzed using directed content analysis to identify themes related to PCC and additional overarching themes. Results Twenty-two participants completed interviews. Overarching themes of stigma and autonomy emerged as influential in girls' experiences and preferences for FP care. Participants described stigma related to incarceration, sexual activity, and lack of contraception use. Participants' desire for autonomy contributed to concerns around FP care. Despite this, most desired access to FP care while incarcerated. Many valued relationships they had with JDC providers, reporting more trust and familiarity with JDC providers than those in the community. Constraints of incarceration decreased availability of emotional supports and decreased involvement of family in health-related decision-making, which worsened girls’ experiences with FP care and enhanced their sense of autonomy. Difficulties with care coordination and transitions between the JDC and community often resulted in fragmented care. Conclusion Providing patient-centered FP care in JDCs is desirable but complex, and requires prioritizing patient preferences while recognizing the strengths and limitations of providing FP care within JDCs.
Business Decision-Making and ERM/COSO

This chapter presents the details of the business decision-making that is based on the managerial accounting regulatory requirements laid out in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). ERM is based on accounting principles developed by COSO (the Committee for the Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission that, itself, was created to add internal control requirements such as for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002). The overall resource-allocation decision-making is addressed under an enterprise-wide system such as the formal concept of “Enterprise Risk Management.”
Hypernatremia is associated with poorer outcomes following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a nationwide inpatient sample analysis.

BACKGROUND Hypernatremia is one of the most common electrolyte disturbances following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) and has been correlated with increased mortality in single institution studies. We investigated this association using a large nationwide healthcare database. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of adults between 2002 and 2011 with a primary diagnosis of aSAH using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS). Patients were grouped according to whether or not an inpatient diagnosis of hypernatremia was present. The primary outcome was the NIS-SAH outcome measure. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS), and non-routine hospital discharge. Outcomes analyses adjusted for SAH severity using the NIS-SAH Severity Score, Charlson Comorbidity Index, and the presence of cerebral edema. RESULTS A total of 18,377 patients were included in the study. The incidence of a poor outcome as defined by the NIS-SAH outcome measure was 65.9% in the hypernatremia group and 33.4% in the normonatremia group (OR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.68-2.27). There was higher mortality in the hypernatremia group (OR=1.60, 95% CI: 1.37-1.87). Patients with hypernatremia had a significantly higher rate of non-routine hospital discharge and gastrostomy. The incidences of poor outcome, in-hospital mortality, and non-routine disposition were higher in the hypernatremia group regardless of treatment type (clipping vs. endovascular embolization). Pulmonary complications and acute kidney injury were more common in the hypernatremia group as well. CONCLUSIONS In patients with aSAH, hypernatremia is associated with poorer functional outcomes regardless of SAH severity.
Predictive regulation of associative learning in a neural network by reinforcement and attentive feedback.

Abstract : A real time neural network model is described in which reinforcement helps to focus attention upon and organize learning of those environmental events and contingencies that have predicted behavioral success in the past. Computer simulations of the model reproduce properties of attentional blocking, inverted-U in learning as a function of interstimulus interval, primary and secondary excitatory and inhibitory conditioning, anticipatory condition-responses, attentional focussing by conditioned motivational feedback, and limited capacity short term memory processing. Qualitative explanations are offered of why conditioned responses extinguish when a conditioned excitor is presented alone, but do not extinguish when a conditioned inhibitor is presented alone. These explanations invoke associative learning between sensory representations and drive, or emotional, representations (in the form of conditioned reinforcer and incentive motivational learning), between sensory representations and learned expectations of future sensory events, and between sensory representations and learned motor commands. Drive representations are organized in opponent positive and negative pairs (e.g.,m fear and relief), linked together by recurrent gated dipole, or READ, circuits. Cognitive modulation of conditioning is regulated by adaptive resonance theory, or ART, circuits which control the learning and matching of expectations, and the match-contingent reset of sensory short term memory. Dendritic spines are invoked to dissociate read-in and read-out of associative learning and to thereby design a memory which does not passively decay, does not saturate, and can be actively extinguished by opponent interactions.
Hygrothermal characterization and modeling of cross-laminated timber in the building envelope

Abstract Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a type of mass timber panel used in floor, wall, and roof assemblies. An important consideration in design and construction of timber buildings is moisture durability. This study characterized the hygrothermal performance of CLT panels with laboratory measurements at multiple scales, field measurements, and modeling. The CLT panels consisted of five layers, four with spruce-pine-fir lumber and one with Douglas-fir lumber. Laboratory characterization involved measurements on small specimens that included material from only one or two layers and large specimens that included all five layers of the CLT panel. Water absorption was measured with panel specimens partially immersed in water, and a new method was developed where panels were exposed to ponded water on the top surface. This configuration gave a higher rate of water uptake than the partial immersion test. The rate of drying was much slower when the wetted surface was covered with an impermeable membrane. Measured hygrothermal properties were implemented in a one-dimensional transient hygrothermal model. Simulation of water uptake indicated that vapor diffusion had a significant contribution in parallel with liquid transport. A simple approximation for liquid transport coefficients, with identical coefficients for suction and redistribution, was adequate for simulating panel-scale wetting and drying. Finally, hygrothermal simulation of a CLT roof assembly that had been monitored in a companion field study showed agreement in most cases within the sensor uncertainty. Although the hygrothermal properties are particular to the wood species and CLT panels investigated here, the modeling approach is broadly applicable.
Clostridium difficile : A Food Safety Concern?

Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming, toxin-producing human and animal pathogen. In humans, disease is primarily hospital-associated; antibiotic exposure and advanced age are major risk factors. However, the epidemiology of C. difficile has changed recently with the emergence of an antibiotic-resistant lineage and community-associated cases among individuals without traditional risk factors. The finding of C. difficile in food animals and retail foods has raised concerns that C. difficile may be a foodborne pathogen. However, the role of food as a cause of human C. difficile infection (CDI) has been difficult to assess. Transient asymptomatic carriage among healthy human subjects has been reported but the source of C. difficile colonization is unclear. Prospective studies investigating associations of diet, asymptomatic carriage, and human CDI are required to understand the complex epidemiology of C. difficile. On-farm antibiotic management and molecular epidemiologic surveillance will be necessary to mitigate emergence, spread, and potential zoonotic transmission of this important pathogen.
Radiation therapy following breast conserving surgery (BCS) in women with early-stage breast cancer and low oncotype scores.

e12547Background: Clinical trials have demonstrated radiation therapy (RT) significantly reduces local recurrence following BCS, but that omission of RT does not compromise survival in the majority...
Repeated fall prescribed fire in previously thinned Pinus ponderosa increases growth and resistance to other disturbances

Abstract In western North America beginning in the late 19th century, fire suppression and other factors resulted in dense ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests that are now prone to high severity wildfire, insect attack, and root diseases. Thinning and prescribed fire are commonly used to remove small trees, fire-intolerant tree species, and shrubs, and to reduce surface and aerial fuels. These treatments can be effective at lowering future fire severity, but prescribed burns must be periodically repeated to maintain favorable conditions and are feasible only outside the historical summer wildfire season. This study examines tree growth and mortality associated with spring and fall burning repeated at five (5 yr) and fifteen-year (15 yr) intervals in six previously thinned ponderosa pine stands in the southern Blue Mountain Ecoregion near Burns, Oregon, USA. Each stand consisted of an unburned control, and four season-by-burn interval treatments: spring 5 yr, spring 15 yr, fall 5 yr, and fall 15 yr. Burning was initiated in fall 1997 and spring 1998. Pine height and diameter growth was evaluated in 2013, 15 years following initial treatment. Mortality was assessed annually from 2002 to 2017, when these stands experienced severe defoliation from pine butterfly (PB, Neophasia menapia), followed by a moderate outbreak of western pine beetle (WPB, Dendroctonus brevicomis), allowing us to examine resistance to these disturbances. Pine in the 5 yr fall treatments added more diameter than spring 15 yr and marginally more than spring 5 yr, while fall 15 yr added marginally more diameter than spring 15 yr. In addition, the fall 5 yr treatments had lower mortality associated with prescribed fire, PB, WPB, Ips spp., red turpentine beetle (RTB, D. valens), and mountain pine beetle (MPB, D. ponderosae), but the effect was not always significant. Annosus root disease (ARD, caused by Heterobasidion irregulare) and black stain root disease (BSRD, caused by Leptographium wagneri var. ponderosum) appear to be unaffected by burning. However, BSRD occurrence dramatically declined in all treatments, probably a result of thinning prior to study initiation. Results from this study demonstrate that repeated fall burning, especially at 5-year intervals, improves ponderosa pine diameter growth and may provide resistance to future biotic and abiotic disturbances while spring burning, regardless of frequency, does not.
Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis-Associated Pouchitis: A Distinct Clinical Phenotype.

Background & Aims Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) commonly undergo ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for medically-refractory ulcerative colitis (UC) or colorectal dysplasia. Pouchitis develops more frequently in patients with PSC, potentially leading to increased morbidity. We aimed to assess clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes for pouchitis in patients with PSC compared to a matched, non-PSC cohort. Methods All patients with PSC who underwent IPAA and were diagnosed with pouchitis (PSC-pouchitis) were identified. A matched cohort composed of non-PSC patients who underwent IPAA for UC and subsequently developed pouchitis (UC-pouchitis) was developed. Relevant demographic, clinical, endoscopic, histologic, and treatment data were collected and compared between groups. Results Of those with PSC-pouchitis (n=182), 53.9% and 46.1% underwent IPAA for medically-refractory disease and dysplasia, respectively, compared to 88.7% and 11.3% in the UC-pouchitis group (P Conclusions PSC-associated pouchitis presents with a unique clinical phenotype, characterized by increased risk of chronic pouchitis, moderate-to-severe pouch inflammation, prepouch ileitis, and less response to conventional antimicrobial therapy.
6 GENOMICS, THE MICROBIOME, AND POSTHUMANISM

If robots and AI represent one trajectory of the future of humanity as imagined by sf, then biological change is the other, with an equally long tradition in the genre. This mode of sf has become particularly prominent since the 1990s, in the era of the Human Genome Project (HGP) and its promises of personalized medicine, but the idea of perfected embodiment was a central part of the sf imagination from the beginning, especially visible in the pulp tradition emerging from American magazines. The early, nineteenth-century iterations of such themes focus on evolutionary change, generally toward some superior form, although concerns about devolution were also apparent, especially in works by H. G. Wells.
Impact of High Deductible Health Plans on Diabetes Care Quality and Outcomes: Systematic Review

Abstract Objective To provide a review of the impact of high deductible health plans (HDHPs) on the utilizations of services required for optimal management of diabetes and subsequent health outcomes. Methods Systematic literature review of studies published between January 1, 2000, and May 7, 2021, was conducted that examined the impact of HDHP on diabetes monitoring (eg, recommended laboratory and surveillance testing), routine care (eg, ambulatory appointments), medication management (eg, medication initiation, adherence), and acute health care utilization (eg, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, incident complications). Results Of the 303 reviewed articles, 8 were relevant. These studies demonstrated that HDHPs lower spending at the expense of reduced high-value diabetes monitoring, routine care, and medication adherence, potentially contributing to the observed increases in acute health care utilization. Additionally, patient out-of-pocket costs for recommended screenings doubled, and total health care expenditures increased by 49.4% for HDHP enrollees compared with enrollees in traditional health plans. Reductions in disease monitoring and routine care and increases in acute health care utilization were greatest in lower-income patients. None of the studies examined the impact of HDHPs on access to diabetes self-management education, technology use, or glycemic control. Conclusion Although HDHPs reduce some health care utilization and costs, they appear to do so at the expense of limiting high-value care and medication adherence. Policymakers, providers, and payers should be more cognizant of the potential for negative consequences of HDHPs on patients’ health.
Ensemble learning-based quantitative structure-activity relationship platform predicts binding behavior of RNA-targeted small molecules

The diversity of RNA structural elements and their documented role in human diseases make RNA an attractive therapeutic target. However, progress in drug discovery and development has been hindered by a limited understanding of the parameters that drive RNA recognition by small molecules, including a lack of experimentally-validated structure-activity relationships (QSAR). We developed an adaptable ensemble learning-based method that quantitatively predicts both affinity and kinetic-based binding parameters of small molecules against the HIV-1 TAR model RNA system. A training set of small molecules was screened against the HIV-1-TAR construct using surface plasmon resonance, which provided the binding kinetics and affinities. Introduction of ensemble learning on these data combined with structure-based molecular descriptors afforded predictive models as well as explicit interpretation of the contributing parameters. The accuracy of the model was tested by external validation where binding properties of additional molecules outside training set were correctly predicted. The ensemble model presented herein is the first application of predictive and experimentally-validated 2D-QSAR against an RNA target, in this case HIV-1-TAR RNA, and provides a platform to guide future synthetic efforts. Furthermore, we expect the workflow described herein to be applicable to other RNA structures, ultimately providing essential insight into the small molecule descriptors that drive selective binding interactions and, consequently, exponentially increasing the efficiency of ligand design and optimization without the need for high-resolution structures.
Investigating Possible Effects of Sleep Deficiency on Students' Mathematical Proficency: A Review of the Literature

Mathematical proficiency relies on a host of cognitive processes that are shared with other mental functions, but three, in particular, are thought to play a central role: memory, attention, and executive functioning. This paper reviews some of the medical, psychological, and educational research literature on sleep deficiency and how it may affect one or more of these cognitive processes. It aims to provide a framework for future investigations into the mental processes of school-aged (K-12) and college-aged students that may be at risk from inadequate or insufficient sleep. Implications for mathematics teaching and learning are also briefly discussed.
SODA-boosting and its application to gender recognition

In this paper we propose a novel boosting based classification algorithm, SODA-Boosting (where SODA stands for Second Order Discriminant Analysis). Unlike the conventional AdaBoost based algorithms widely applied in computer vision, SODA-Boosting does not involve time consuming procedures to search a huge feature pool in every iteration during the training stage. Instead, in each iteration SODA-Boosting efficiently computes discriminative weak classifiers in closed-form, based on reasonable hypotheses on the distribution of the weighted training samples. As an application, SODA-Boosting is employed for image based gender recognition. Experimental results on publicly available FERET database are reported. The proposed algorithm achieved accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art approaches, and demonstrated superior performance to relevant boosting based algorithms.
Dorsolateral prefrontal lesions and oculomotor delayed-response performance: evidence for mnemonic "scotomas"

The spatial memory functions of the monkey's prefrontal cortex were examined with oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) paradigms that required the animal to remember the spatial location of peripheral visual cues, while maintaining fixation on a central visual target during the presentation of each cue and during a subsequent 1.5–8 sec delay period. Four rhesus monkeys received unilateral or serial prefrontal lesions in and around the principal sulcus after they reached criterion performance on the ODR tasks. Unilateral lesions disrupted the performance of memory-guided eye movements to spatial cues in the visual field contralateral to the hemisphere in which the lesion was placed. Memory-guided eye movements to ipsilateral cues were mildly affected by unilateral lesions, and these lesions had little or no effect on performance in visually guided control tasks. With addition of a second lesion in the opposite hemisphere, the deficit was extended to include the opposite hemifield. The impairment was characterized by eye movements of inappropriate direction, and, excepting the one lesion that extended into the frontal eye field region of the arcuate sulcus, saccadic reaction times and velocities were the same before and after the lesions. The effect of the lesions was delay dependent: performance was rarely altered at the shortest (1.5 sec) delay but became progressively worse as the delay period was lengthened. The present results strengthen the evidence that the delayed-response deficits of monkeys with prefrontal lesions are caused by failure to maintain a transient memory “trace” in working memory, and indicate for the first time that working memory mechanisms are lateralized: memories for visuo- spatial coordinates in each hemifield are processed primarily in the contralateral prefrontal cortex. These findings provide evidence for the concept of mnemonic hemianopias and mnemonic scotomas, that is, memory deficits for particular hemifields or visual field locations, unaccompanied by simple sensory or motor deficits.
Statistical constraints for EAI

Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) often requires a loosely coupled event-based architecture in which timing and statistical measures are important. Statistical constraints are proposed to address some of these requirements, although they may well have broader applicability. This idea is extended to the use of approximate terms such as "some" that can be given a statistical interpretation, as in "Some fault reports give rise to subscriptions." These can be a convenient way of expressing constraints that are important to the application architecture but are not absolute -- abstraction through approximation. They may be used to annotate diagrams in UML and are based on the existing Object Constraint Language (OCL) (1). Some of the examples use a more flexible syntax that is the subject of another paper (2).
From Etymology to Pragmatics: Metaphorical and Cultural Aspects of Semantic Structure

Dedication Acknowledgements Preface 1. Introduction 2. Semantic structure and semantic changes: English perception-verbs in an Indo-European context 3. Modality 4. Conjunction, coordination and subordination 5. Conditionals 6. Retrospect and prospect References Index.
Axis I Psychopathology and the Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence

OBJECTIVES: Initial evidence suggests that individuals with specific psychiatric conditions may perpetrate intimate partner violence (IPV) at greater frequency than nondiagnosed comparison samples. The present investigation examined the relationship between IPV and specific clinical diagnoses. METHOD: The current investigation utilized data provided by 190 (34% female) adult offenders during court-mandated substance use evaluations to investigate the incidence of past-year IPV among samples of dually diagnosed (bipolar, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) clients relative to 3 comparison samples matched on substance use and sociodemographic variables. RESULTS: Bipolar and PTSD diagnosed participants were more likely to perpetrate IPV than matched comparison and ADHD participants. Bipolar and PTSD diagnosed participants were equally likely to perpetrate IPV, as were ADHD and matched comparison samples. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of IPV perpetration among bipolar and PTSD diagnosed clients may complicate interpersonal and relationship functioning. The development of integrated treatments for IPV and underlying psychopathology is recommended. Language: en
An investigation of positive affect, prosocial behaviors and service quality

Abstract This research investigates the relationships among service provider and customer positive affect, employee- and customer-directed prosocial behaviors, and sales-oriented behavior; three types of behavior commonly exhibited in the context of service delivery. In addition, employee and customer perceptions of service quality are considered. Three studies are presented. The principle findings indicate that employee positive affect is positively related to employee perceptions of altruistic organizational citizenship behavior and customer-oriented behavior, and negatively related to sales-oriented behavior. Customer positive affect is positively related to customer perceptions of customer-oriented behavior and service quality, and negatively related to sales-oriented behavior. Managerial and research implications are also discussed.
The Situation Manager Component of Amit - Active Middleware Technology

Reactive applications are applications that include a substantial processing that is triggered by events. This paper describes an application development tool that resolves a major problem in this area: the gap that exists between events that are reported by various channels, and the reactive situations that are the cases to which the system should react. These situations are composition of events or other situations (e.g. "when at least four events of the same type occurred") or content filtering on events (e.g. "only events that relates to IBM stocks") or both ("when at least four purchases of more than 50,000 shares have been performed on IBM stocks in a single week"). The paper describes the generic application development tool that is being developed within Amit (active middleware technologies) project in HRL, describes its language and features and demonstrate some of its capabilities using examples.
Lantibiotics as antimicrobial agents

Lantibiotics are highly post-translationally modified peptides produced by bacteria with antibacterial activity against Gram-positive pathogens. Recently, new members of the class have been discovered with promising in vitro antimicrobial profiles and potent efficacy in vivo. Further, the therapeutic potential of existing members of the class is being optimised by site-directed mutagenesis. This brief editorial focuses on developments since 2004.
Comparative Hemolytic Activity of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Related Vibrios.

The hemolytic activities of 91 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from human diarrheal stools, sea fish, and sea water; 21 suspected V. parahaemolyticus cultures isolated from wound infections; 14 nonpathogenic marine vibrios; and 21 V. parahaemolyticus isolated from moribund blue crabs Callinectes sapidus were compared. Potentially pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains could be differentiated from the related nonpathogenic marine vibrios, because the former hemolyzed hamster, sheep, and human blood, whereas the latter were nonhemolytic. In addition, V. parahaemolyticus isolated from tissue infections could be differentiated from those of the first group isolated from sea fish or human stools, because the former exhibited primarily an α-hemolytic reaction on chicken blood; the latter exhibited mostly β. It is suggested that V. parahaemolyticus isolated from blue crabs may be differentiated from the first group on the basis of their hemolysis of human blood. A useful schema of the differential hemolytic reactions, exhibited by V. parahaemolyticus, tissue infection vibrios, and nonpathogens on hamster, sheep, chicken, goose, and human blood is given. The patterns of hemolytic activity of these groups on special human blood-agar plates (Kanagawa hemolysis) resembled that seen on ordinary human blood-agar.
Forage-Finished Beef Supplemented with Corn and Corn Oil

Beef steers were finished on ryegrass with corn or corn + corn oil supplementation in a 2-yr experiment to determine effects on performance and conjugated linoleic acid tissue concentration, especially cis-9, trans-11 (c9,t11). Rib steak (longissimus dorsi, LM) and subcutaneous fat (SQ) samples were analyzed for long-chain fatty acid concentrations. Angus and Angus crossbred steers (yr 1, n = 18, initial BW 369.4 ± 29.1 kg; yr 2, n = 48; initial BW 364.1 ± 1.07 kg) were backgrounded on rye pasture for 71 d (ADG 1.78 ± 0.11 kg) and 41 d (ADG 1.24 ± 0.77 kg), respectively, in yr 1 and yr 2. After rye grazing, steers were assigned to ryegrass pastures (cv. Big Daddy; yr 1: 4 pastures, 1.62 ha each; yr 2: 6 pastures, 1.46 ha each) for 83 d in yr 1 and 112 d in yr 2, and fed corn at 1% BW, without or with corn + corn oil (0.075% BW). In yr 1, steer initial BW (n = 16; 424.3 ± 27.83 kg), 83-d ADG (1.78 vs. 1.89 kg), carcass weight (347.9 vs. 354.44 kg), and QG (12.27 vs. 12.61; 12 = US Select +) were similar for corn vs. corn + corn oil treatments. In yr 2, a ryegrass-only treatment was added to the corn and corn + corn oil treatments used in yr 1. Steers (n = 37, initial BW 390.1 kg ± 27.4) assigned to ryegrass only (n = 9), corn (n = 14), or corn + corn oil (n = 14) treatments had respective 112-d ADG of 1.07, 1.65, and 1.62 kg (P 0.28). Feeding corn + corn oil decreased supplement intake in yr 1 (P < 0.03), but it did not improve ADG above feeding corn at 1% BW in either year. In yr 1, concentrations of c9,t11 were similar for corn and corn + corn oil in LM, but corn + corn oil had higher (P < 0.04) concentrations in SQ samples. In yr 2, concentration of c9,t11 was highest for LM (P < 0.03) and SQ (P < 0.02) in corn + corn oil compared with similar values for the ryegrass-only and corn treatments. Results indicate that addition of corn oil with corn may increase conjugated linoleic acid in beef steers finished on ryegrass pasture, but may not affect performance or QG.
Nmr Spectroscopic Determination of Water In Deuterium Oxide/Water Mixtures

Abstract Deuterium oxide was determined in synthetic mixtures of 70–100 % D2O and 90–100 % D2O by NMR spectroscopy with a Varian A-60 NMR spectrometer using peak heights and areas. The standard deviation for the best results was 0.4 % D2O.
N-Heteroaralkyl substituted α-amidinium thiolsulfates

The syntheses of a number of N-substituted α-amidinium thiolsulfates, CH2(S2O3−)-C(=NH2+)NH(CH2)nR are described, where n was varied from 1 to 3 and R represents such heteroaryl groups as 2-furyl, 2-thienyl, 3-indolyl and 2-, 3- and 4-pyridyl. The preparation of S-(2-imidazolinemethyl)thiolsulfuric acid, as an example of an N, N'-disubstituted α-amidinium thiolsulfate, is also reported.
Effect of Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation on Health-Related Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living in Patients With Recurrent Arrhythmias

Background Although radiofrequency catheter ablation can be used to effectively treat a variety of arrhythmias, the effects of this procedure on health-related quality of life have not been systema...
Are relations between parental history of alcohol problems and changes in drinking moderated by positive expectancies

Background: Risk factors of alcohol abuse generally have been examined for their additive or direct effects on the development of alcohol-related problems. This study was designed to assess the interaction between two important predictors: parental history of alcohol problems and positive expectancies regarding alcohol consumption. Methods: The positive expectancies, reported parental alcohol problems, and alcohol use and problems of 169 first-year college students were assessed at their entrance to college, and their alcohol use and problems were assessed again approximately 3 months later. The main effects of positive family history and expectancies as well as their interaction in predicting changes in alcohol use and problems were examined in hierarchical regression analyses. Results: A parental history of alcohol-related problems was related to greater alcohol problems at the two assessment times, and positive expectancies for the effects of alcohol were related to both alcohol problems and alcohol use. The parental history × positive expectancies term significantly added to the prediction of changes in alcohol problems (8% incremental increase in explained variance) even after baseline problems were entered in a prior step in the equation. Follow-up exploration revealed that the interaction was accounted for by high levels of alcohol problems at time 2 being reported by those high in positive expectancies and reporting high parental alcohol problems. The parental history × positive expectancies interaction term also added slightly to the prediction of changes in alcohol use amounts but accounted for a modest 1% incremental variance. Conclusions: Reported parental history and positive alcohol expectancies interacted to predict increases in alcohol problems over the course of the first semester of college. These results suggest that risk factors for alcohol problems may conjointly interact to confer heightened risk. Such interactive models may further assist in identifying at risk young adults. Limitations such as the reliance on self-report measures and the predominantly female sample are discussed.
Impact of nitric oxide deficiency on blood pressure and glomerular hemodynamic adaptations to pregnancy in the rat

Impact of nitric oxide deficiency on blood pressure and glomerular hemodynamic adaptations to pregnancy in the rat. Studies were conducted to investigate the impact of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition on blood pressure and glomerular hemodynamic adaptations to pregnancy in the rat. In normal pregnancy, urinary excretion of NO 2 + NO 3 (NO x ), reflecting increased nitric oxide (NO) production, progressively increased. Blockade of NO production in virgin and late pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats caused systemic hypertension, increased renal vascular resistance (RVR), reductions in RPF but GFR remained unchanged. In cortical nephrons, preglomerular and efferent arteriolar resistance (R A and R E ) were elevated and glomerular capillary blood pressure (P GC ) increased markedly. Glomerular plasma flow (Q A ) and the glomerular capillary ultrafiltration coefficient, K f , were reduced without change in single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) because of the large elevation in P GC . The pressor and glomerular hemodynamic responses to NO blockade were similar in virgins and pregnancy. Urinary NO x excretion was markedly reduced in all groups with chronic NO blockade. Inhibition was incomplete in pregnancy, however, and a level of NO production that was adequate for normal BP and renal function in virgins, led to severe vasoconstriction in pregnancy. The present studies suggest that chronic NO deficiency leads to derangement of the hemodynamic adaptations of pregnancy.
Radioimmunoassay determinations of decreased amounts of α-L-fucosidase protein in fucosidosis

Abstract Purified human liver α- l -fucosidase (EC 3.2.1.51) has been radioiodinated by a chloramine-T procedure to a specific activity of 3.7·10 6 dpm/μg protein without altering its apparent Michaelis constant for the 4-methylumbelliferyl substrate. This 125 I-labelled α- l -fucosidase has been used in development of a competitive binding radioimmunoassay for α- l -fucosidase which can detect 1–2 ng of enzyme protein and has been employed to quantify the amount of α- l -fucosidase protein in the liver and spleen from a patient with fucosidosis. Less than 1% of the normal amount of α- l -fucosidase protein is present suggesting that normal amounts of catalytically inactive α- l -fucosidase are not found in this disease.
Dual-energy imaging using a kinestatic charge detector

A small research non imaging kinestatic charge detector (KCD), with segmented signal- collection fingers, has been used to investigate the dual-energy capability of a KCD. The front segments of the signal-collectors produce a digital low-energy x-ray image and the back segments produce a digital high-energy x-ray image. A gap between the front and back signal- collectors may be used as a filter to increase the separation between the mean energies absorbed in the front and back segments. The dual-energy imaging capability of the large-field (2016-channel) KCD, without segmented signal-collection fingers, has also been evaluated using the two-exposure technique of taking two sequential x-ray exposures at different x-ray kilovoltages of a fixed phantom. Dual-energy calibrations, based on various decomposition algorithms, were performed for both the segmented non imaging KCD and the large-field imaging KCD. The calibration parameters were calculated from measurements taken with various thicknesses of aluminum and Plexiglas. The rms errors in aluminum and Plexiglas thicknesses for the various dual-energy decomposition algorithms are compared for each KCD.
The Cholinergic Hypothesis of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Alzheimer's Disease

A variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD) including agitation, psychosis, depression, apathy, disinhibition, anxiety, purposeless behavior, and disorders of sleep and appetite. Neuropsychiatric symptoms have been related to cholinergic deficiency and improve after treatment with cholinomimetic agents. Cholinergic drugs are unique among psychotropic agents in exerting disease-specific and broad-spectrum effects. These observations provide the basis for the cholinergic hypothesis of the neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD, suggesting that the cholinergic deficit of AD contributes to the neuropsychiatric symptoms of AD and that cholinomimetic therapy ameliorates the behavioral disturbances accompanying AD.
Studies of excitable membranes. III. Freeze-fracture examination of the membrane specializations at the neuromuscular junction and in the non-junctional sarcolemma after denervation

Summary We have examined the effects of denervation upon endplate and non-endplate regions of muscle membrane visualized by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. The rows of putative acetylcholine (ACh) receptor complexes at the tops of functional folds were studied after nerve section. Denervation of up to eight days does not result in a measurable decrease in the packing density of putative receptor particles in regions where they appear to be maintained in rows. However, the rows of particles are not as prominant at the tops of some folds, and in limited regions the rows are reduced or absent. It appears that the effects of denervation, although pronounced in terms of ACh receptors in non-synaptic membrane, are not sufficient to produce large alterations in receptor organization in junctional folds. In addition to the endplate we studied the non-junctional sarcolemmas from both fast twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow twitch soleus in order to determine if denervation resulted in systematic changes in the number of rectilinear arrays in fibers from either type of muscle. There was no appearance of rectilinear arrays noticeable in soleus or a disappearance of them in EDL following denervation. Based on the failure of rectilinear arrays to appear in soleus sarcolemmas following denervation and the appearance of similar arrays in cell membranes not involved in ACh receptivity, we conclude that their function is something other than that of the extrajunctional ACh receptor.
Repeated radial keratotomy in the prospective evaluation of radial keratotomy study.

In the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy study, 59 patients received a repeated radial keratotomy in which the eight additional incisions were centered between the eight initial incisions. Other aspects of the surgical technique remained the same. The average length of follow-up after the reoperation was 26 months, and ranged from 11 to 42 months. After the reoperation, 45 patients (77%) had a decrease in myopia of 0.50 diopters or more, 12 patients (20%) changed by less than 0.50 diopters, and two patients (3%) had an increase in myopia. Thirty patients (51%) remained undercorrected by more than 1.00 diopter, 27 patients (46%) were between +0.12 and –1.00 diopter, and two patients (3%) were overcorrected by more than 1.00 diopter. There was no relationship between the change in refractive error after the reoperation and any patient characteristics or surgical factors. After the reoperation, the uncorrected visual acuity increased by two to nine Snellen lines for 45 patients (76%), changed one line or less for 13 patients (22%), and decreased three lines for one patient (2%).
Dermoid cyst of the floor of the mouth

Sublingual dermoid cysts are uncommon in the head and neck region. They are most often seen in young adults and can become unusually large with few symptoms. A case is presented to demonstrate the slow, expansive growth pattern and relatively painless swelling in the floor of the mouth that occurred over a 9-year period.
Bone density in premenopausal women and men under 50 years of age with cerebral palsy.

Abstract Objective To determine bone mineral density (BMD) z scores in adults with cerebral palsy (CP), an understudied population. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Medical facility. Participants Adults (N=48; mean age, 34.3±5.8y; range, 25–46y) with CP. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures BMD z scores at the lumbar spine and hip using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), body mass index (BMI), and ambulatory status. Results Mean BMD z scores were −1.40 for the lumbar spine, −1.36 for the total hip, and −1.02 for the femoral neck. The z scores were significantly lower for the nonambulatory group at all 3 sites ( P z scores ( P z scores for level V (the lowest mobility level) were significantly lower than the mean for levels I/II ( P =.001), III ( P =.002), and IV ( P =.013). For the total hip, the mean z scores for level V were significantly lower than the mean for levels I/II ( P =.045). A significant positive relationship between the z scores and age was found for the lumbar spine (Spearman ρ=.40, P =.005). Significant positive relationships between BMI and z scores were found for all sites ( P Conclusions This study contributes to the sparse literature about bone health in adults with CP. In contrast with pediatric data, z scores did not decrease as a function of age in this adult cohort. This information is important for clinicians considering treatment options for this population.