cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Population-based study of the relationship between atherosclerotic aortic debris and cerebrovascular ischemic events.

OBJECTIVE To assess the validity of the suggestion that protruding atheromatous material in the thoracic aorta is an important cause of cerebrovascular ischemic events (CIEs) (ie, transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke). METHODS This case-control study of Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) from 1993 to 1997 included controls without CIE randomly selected from the population, controls without CIE referred for TEE because of cardiac disease, cases with incident CIE of obvious cause (noncryptogenic), and cases with incident CIE of uncertain cause (cryptogenic). RESULTS Of the 1135 subjects, 520 were randomly selected controls without CIE, 329 were controls without CIE referred for TEE, 159 were noncryptogenic CIE cases, and 127 were cryptogenic CIE cases. Complex atherosclerotic aortic debris in ascending and transverse segments of the arch was detected in 8 randomly selected controls (1.5%), 13 referred controls (4.0%), and 15 noncryptogenic (9.4%) and 4 cryptogenic (3.1%) CIE cases. After adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, smoking, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure, and atherosclerosis other than in the thoracic aorta, complex atherosclerotic aortic debris was not significantly associated with group status. With randomly selected controls as the referent group, odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.72 (0.61-4.87) for referred controls, 3.16 (1.18-8.51) for noncryptogenic CIE cases, and 1.39 (0.39-4.88) for cryptogenic CIE cases. CONCLUSIONS Complex atherosclerotic aortic debris is not a risk factor for cryptogenic ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack but is a marker for generalized atherosclerosis and well-established atherosclerotic and cardioembolic mechanisms of cerebral ischemia. Embolization from the aorta is not a common mechanism of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack.
Resonance optical absorption by fractal agglomerates of smoke aerosols

Abstract The Volume Integral Equation Formulation (VIEF) and the method of moments solution procedure were utilized to calculate optical scattering and absorption by agglomerates of smoke aerosols of fractal structure. The general solution procedure was described elsewhere (Iskander et al. , 1989), while the emphasis in this paper is placed on examining the effect of the size and index of refraction of the primary particles on the optical properties of the agglomerates. The obtained results show that the fractal theory (Berry and Percival, 1986, Optica Acta 33, 577–591) may be in as much error as 50% in the resonance frequency range when the effective length of the agglomerate is of the order of a wavelength of the incident radiation. At off-resonant frequencies, the results from the fractal theory and the utilized numerical procedure are in agreement to within 10–20 per cent. Since at resonance the interaction effects between the primary particles are strong, the obtained results suggest that these effects are not totally and accurately accounted for in the fractal theory. Additional comparisons between the VIEF results and experimental observations are also included in this paper.
Comparative Studies on Plastoquinone II. Analysis for Plastoquinones A, B, C, and D

Two different methods for the extraction and assay of plastoquinones A, B, C and D from chloroplasts of green plants have been described. The long procedure involves separation of aqueous and lipid phases of extract in a separatory funnel, column chromatography, purification on thin-layer plates, and spectrophotometric assays for quantitative determination of the various plastoquinones. The short procedure is based on spotting lipid extracts from chloroplasts on thin layer plates and comparing leucomethylene blue spots of unknown quinones with a series of spots produced by known amounts of the 4 standard plastoquinones on the same plate. Reliability of the 2 procedures is shown by presenting recovery data (82% recovery for PQ A by the long method and 64-100% recovery by the short method). Various solvent systems for quinone purification are described. Separation of plastoquinones B and C into 6 components each is demonstrated for spinach and a tomato mutant, high pigment (hp). Plastoquinone C is shown to be equivalent to C 1 -C 4 while D corresponds to PQ C 5 and C 6 according to Griffiths, Wallwork and Pennock9s designation. The term PQ D is therefore redundant and should be abandoned in favor of specific designation of PQ C type.
Vehicular Cloud Computing

Mobile Cloud Computing is a new field of research that aims to study mobile agents (people, vehicles, robots) as they interact and collaborate to sense the environment, process the data, propagate the results and more generally share resources. Mobile agents collectively operate as Mobile Clouds that enable environment modeling, content discovery, data collection and dissemination and other mobile applications in a way not possible, or not efficient, with conventional Internet Cloud models and mobile computing approaches. In this paper, we discuss design principles and research issues in mobile cloud computing. We then focus on the Mobile Vehicular Cloud and review cloud applications ranging from urban sensing to intelligent transportation.
XAFS study of the state of platinum in a sulfated zirconia catalyst

EXAFS and XANES data show that platinum, present in a Pt-SO4-ZrO2 catalyst, exists in the metallic state following calcination in air at 725°C for 2 h, and that no detectable change in the valence state of Pt occurs during use of the catalyst for hydrocarbon conversion at 150°C under hydrogen pressure. The metallic Pt is present in reasonably large crystals where the average coordination number of Pt is about 12.
Searching for E-Business Information in Online Databases

Abstract Although the controlled vocabulary of data bases such as ABI/Inform is a boon when searching for traditional business information, the new and rapidly changing terminology of e-business has not yet entered the subject headings. Search strategies for finding e-business in-formation involve both controlled vocabulary and key word searching, but the balance varies depending on the data base. This article describes search strategies for finding e-business information based on searches in three data bases.
Durability characterization of wet layup graphite/epoxy composites used in external strengthening

Carbon fabric impregnated in the field using a wet layup process is increasingly used for the rehabilitation of deterioration and understrength concrete structures. Although the wet layup process affords significant flexibility for application in the field, the use of a manual process in conjunction with the field environment can result in substantial variation in material characteristics, higher void content, non-uniform wetout and compaction between layers and a higher propensity for moisture related deterioration. In order to assess the durability of such systems an investigation is undertaken considering a number of exposures including immersion in deionized water, salt and alkali solutions, freeze-thaw, and accelerated aqueous exposure, with composite response being determined over a 100 week period through moisture uptake measurements, mechanical characterization, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. It is shown that while strength characteristics can degrade significantly due to deterioration at the matrix and interface levels, modulus is relatively less affected. Changes in mechanical characteristics are correlated with level of moisture uptake and a relationship between uptake and glass transition temperature is demonstrated. The data provides the basis for a fundamental understanding of uptake related correlations and deteriorative mechanisms that could be used for purposes of future reliability and service-life estimation.
Dissociable effects of ethanol consumption during the light and dark phase in adolescent and adult Wistar rats

In adolescence, high levels of drinking over short episodes (binge drinking) is commonly seen in a proportion of the population. Because adolescence is an important neurodevelopmental period, the effects of binge drinking on brain and behavior has become a significant health concern. However, robust animal models of binge drinking in rats are still being developed and therefore further efforts are needed to optimize paradigms for inducing maximal self-administration of alcohol. In the present experiment, 1-h limited-access self-administration sessions were instituted to model excessive drinking behavior in adolescent and adult Wistar rats. In addition to age, the involvement of sex and phase within the light/dark cycle (i.e., drinking in the light or dark) on sweetened 5% ethanol intake were also evaluated over 14 limited-access sessions using a between-groups design. The results of the experiment showed that over 14 limited-access sessions, sweetened ethanol intake (g/kg) was significantly higher for adolescents compared to adults. Females were also found to drink more sweetened ethanol as compared to males. Additionally, drinking in the light produced a robust increase in sweetened ethanol intake (g/kg) in adolescents, as compared to adults during the light phase and as compared to both adolescent and adult rats drinking in the dark. Furthermore, the increase in ethanol consumption observed in adolescents drinking during the light phase was dissociable from sweetened solution intake patterns. These results identify that age, sex, and time of day all significantly influence consumption of sweetened ethanol in Wistar rats. Knowledge of these parameters should be useful for future experiments attempting to evaluate the effects of self-administered ethanol exposure in adult and adolescent rats.
Associations of bone mineral density and lead levels in blood, tibia, and patella in urban-dwelling women.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the relations between bone mineral density (BMD) and lead in blood, tibia, and patella and to investigate how BMD modifies these lead biomarkers in older women. DESIGN: In this study, we used cross-sectional analysis. PARTICIPANTS: We studied 112 women, 50‐70 years of age, including both whites and African Americans, residing in Baltimore, Maryland. MEASUREMENTS: We measured lumbar spine BMD, blood and bone lead by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, anodic stripping voltammetry, and 109 Cd-induced K-shell X-ray fluorescence, respectively. We measured vitamin D receptor and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes using standard methods. RESULTS: Mean (± SD) BMD and lead levels in blood, tibia, and patella were 1.02 ± 0.16 g/cm 2 , 3.3 ± 2.2 µg/dL, 19.7 ± 13.2 µg/g, and 5.7 ± 15.3 µg/g, respectively. In adjusted analysis, higher BMD was associated with higher tibia lead levels (p = 0.03). BMD was not associated with lead levels in blood or patella. There was evidence of significant effect modification by BMD on relations of physical activity with blood lead levels and by APOE genotype on relations of BMD with tibia lead levels. There was no evidence that BMD modified relations between tibia lead or patella lead and blood lead levels. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that BMD represents the capacity of bone that can store lead, by substitution for calcium, and thus the findings may have relevance for effect-size estimates in persons with higher BMD. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The results have implications for changes in lead kinetics with aging, and thus the related risk of health effects associated with substantial early- and midlife lead exposure in older persons.
Subcellular optochemical nanobiosensors: probes encapsulated by biologically localised embedding (PEBBLEs)

Abstract Described here are arguably the world's smallest stand-alone devices/sensors, consisting of multicomponent nano-spheres with radii as small as 10 nm, occupying ≈1 ppb of a typical mammalian cell’s volume. The probe is prepared from up to seven ingredients and is optimised for selective and reversible analyte detection, as well as sensor stability and reproducibility. Such a sensor probe encapsulated by biologically localised embedding (PEBBLE), is delivered into a cell by a variety of minimally-invasive techniques, including a pico-injector, a gene gun, liposomal incorporation and natural ingestion. These remote nano-optodes (PEBBLEs) have been prepared for pH, calcium, magnesium, potassium and oxygen. The sensor PEBBLEs can be inserted into a cell individually, in clusters (single analyte), in sets (multi-analyte) or in ensembles (single analyte, multiple locations).
Education techniques for lifelong learning: giving a PowerPoint presentation: the art of communicating effectively

Effectiveness of an oral presentation depends on the ability of the speaker to communicate with the audience. An important part of this communication is focusing on two to five key points and emphasizing those points during the presentation. Every aspect of the presentation should be purposeful and directed at facilitating learners' achievement of the objectives. This necessitates that the speaker has carefully developed the objectives and built the presentation around attainment of the objectives. The best presentations are rehearsed, not so that the speaker memorizes exactly what he or she will say, but to facilitate the speaker's ability to interact with the audience and portray a relaxed, professional, and confident demeanor. Rehearsal also helps alleviate stage fright. The most useful method of controlling nervousness is to visualize success. When showing images, it is important to orient the audience with an adequate description, point out the relevant findings, and allow enough time for the audience to assimilate the information before moving on. This can be facilitated with appropriate use of a laser pointer, cursor, or use of builds and transitioning. A presentation should be designed to include as much audience participation as possible, no matter the size of the audience. Techniques to encourage audience participation include questioning, brainstorming, small-group activities, role-playing, case-based examples, and directed listening. It is first necessary to motivate and gain attention of the learner for learning to take place. This can be accomplished through appropriate use of humor, anecdotes, and quotations. Attention should be given to posture, body movement, eye contact, and voice when speaking, as how one appears to the audience will have an impact on their reaction to what is presented.
Mechanisms for Rapid Electron Transfer in Ionic Solids Following Multiple Ionization by Heavy-Ion Impact

Systematic measurements of the spectra of fluorine K? x-rays produced by the bombardment of alkali and alkaline earth fluorides with 2-MeV/amu ions ranging from He to Ar have given new information on the mechanisms for rapid electron transfer within the K-hole lifetime (~10-13sec.). Spectra obtained with He ions provide clear evidence of the occurrence of resonant electron transfer (RET) following 1s2p ionization of F- in the compounds KF and SrF2. Calculations employing a point-charge model support the conclusion that the anomalously low KL1 x-ray satellite intensities observed for these two compounds are the result of a resonant exchange of an electron between the outermost p level of the metal ion and the 2p level of the fluorine ion. Such a transfer mechanism requires a close match between the energies of the two levels involved. Recent measurements using 22-MeV carbon ions have revealed that the KL2 satellite intensity in CaF2 is much lower than that displayed by any of the other group II fluorides, thereby suggesting RET also occurs in association with this double L-hole state. When high states of ionization are produced, rapid electron transfer to the fluorine L-shell becomes highly probable even in the absence of level matching. The mechanism for this probable involves collision induced transitions from the fluorine 2p band. At the same time, population of the M-shell levels of the ionized fluorine occurs, as is evidenced by the observation of large x-ray energy shifts and intense Ks hypersatellite structure.
Measurements of the wireless ad hoc array concept in a large building setting for public-safety communications

Here we report on measurements of the ad hoc array concept in an enclosed atrium/lobby area of a high-rise building in Denver, Colorado. A typical ad hoc network is limited to coverage area achieved by the useable coverage of single nodes; however, we seek to expand the radio frequency coverage by using two or more nodes as elements of an ad hoc array. Previous simulations and theoretical analysis suggest the benefits of the array concept; these measurements in a real-world environment demonstrate that the ad hoc array can provide meaningful gain, up to 10 dB with only four elements. The measurements also indicate a gain of 4 dB to 6 dB using only two elements.
Electrocardiographic and Hemodynamic Effects of Panax Ginseng

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether Panax ginseng ingestion can acutely or chronically alter electrocardiographic parameters: PR, QRS, QT, QTc, and RR intervals, and QT and QTc interval dispersion. Effects of P. ginseng on blood pressure and heart rate also were evaluated.METHODS:This is a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of healthy adults at the University of Connecticut. Thirty subjects were randomly allocated to receive 28 days of therapy with either P. ginseng extract 200 mg or placebo. Baseline 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) were obtained. Subsequent ECGs were performed following study drug ingestion at 50 minutes, 2 hours, and 5 hours on days 1 and 28. Blood pressure readings were taken with each ECG.RESULTS:P. ginseng ingestion increased the QTc interval by 0.015 seconds on day 1 at 2 hours compared with the placebo group (p = 0.03). It also reduced diastolic blood pressure from 75 ± 5 mm Hg at baseline to 70 ± 6 mm Hg at the same time point (p = 0.02). The observed eff...
Integrative Motivation: Cause or Result of Successful Second Language Acquisition?.

This study examines the relationship between integrative motivation and acquired second language proficiency among a group of Spanish-speaking kindergartners in an American classroom. Integrative motivation was measured by finding out the children's preferences for friends and playmates and workmates and scoring them according to their tendencies to nominate members of the target language group. Communicative English proficiency was assessed by analyzing spontaneous language and deriving measures of structural knowledge, vocabulary breadth, and pronunciation skill. A Kendall's tau test showed no positive association between integrative motivation and acquired English proficiency. A further comparison of beginners and advanced level English speakers found that the advanced children showed significantly more integrative orientation to the target language group than the beginners, lending support to the notion that integrative attitudes follow second language acquisition skills rather than promoting them.
Patient susceptibility limits to the effectiveness of preventive oral health education.

A preventive oral health regime should be individualized for the patient. Instruction probably will not be effective unless the patient has a good general attitude toward oral health. A preventive oral health care regimen will not succeed for every dental patient. Instruction probably will not be effective unless the patient has a good general attitude toward all his health habits. Dentists who have developed a preventive program should individualize the treatment to obtain maximum patient susceptibility.
Formalism and Interpretation in Quantum Theory

Quantum Mechanics can be viewed as a linear dynamical theory having a familiar mathematical framework but a mysterious probabilistic interpretation, or as a probabilistic theory having a familiar interpretation but a mysterious formal framework. These points of view are usually taken to be somewhat in tension with one another. The first has generated a vast literature aiming at a “realistic” and “collapse-free” interpretation of quantum mechanics that will account for its statistical predictions. The second has generated an at least equally large literature aiming to derive, or at any rate motivate, the formal structure of quantum theory in probabilistically intelligible terms. In this paper I explore, in a preliminary way, the possibility that these two programmes have something to offer one another. In particular, I show that a version of the measurement problem occurs in essentially any non-classical probabilistic theory, and ask to what extent various interpretations of quantum mechanics continue to make sense in such a general setting. I make a start on answering this question in the case of a rudimentary version of the Everett interpretation.
Imaging Feminist Visions: Comments on a Bibliography

This article reviews the process of compiling a bibliography of feminist visions: the challenge, the contradictions and the promise. The authors address the question: Why image feminist visions at ...
Risk‐Based Design of Aseptic Processing of Heterogeneous Food Products

A risk assessment was performed to incorporate uncertainty in food processing conditions to develop a risk-based sterilization process design. The focus of this analysis was uncertainty associated with heterogeneous food products. Quartered button mushrooms were the chosen food product because it represents the most typical type. A model for sterilization of spherical particles was utilized, and each parameter's uncertainty was characterized for use under Monte Carlo simulation. Various particle distributions and fluid types were compared. The output of the model was the required sterilization time to achieve the target sterilization conditions with 95% probability. This value was then used to determine the mean fluid velocity for a given tube length. Finally, the output from the model was analyzed to determine the confidence in output based on uncertainty in the input parameters. The model was more sensitive to variation in particle size distribution than fluid type for power-law fluids. The 90% confidence interval included a holding time range of 1 min. With a 95% confidence level that only 8% of the data will be below the target sterilization conditions, a maximum of 9% of the data were expected to achieve double the target level. The results of such an analysis would be useful for management decisions concerning the design of aseptic food processing operations.
Grain Growth Behavior of a Rapidly Solidified Fe-10Cr-8A1 Alloy

A rapidly solidified Fe-10Cr-8Al alloy that contained a dispersion of very fine MnS and Al 2 0 3 particles was produced by a gas atomization/twin-roll quenching technique. The RS particulates were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing, and the consolidated alloy was hot forged, and then hot and cold rolled. Grain growth took place during primary recrystallization of the alloy; however, once primary recrystallization was complete, the dispersion of second phase particles was effective in pinning alloy grain boundaries.
Treating disability in knee osteoarthritis with exercise therapy: a central role for self-efficacy and pain.

Objective. To examine the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on self-efficacy beliefs in older adults with knee osteoarthritis [OA] and to determine whether self-efficacy and knee pain mediated the effects of the treatments on stair time performance and health perceptions. Methods. Measures of self-efficacy knee pain, stair climbing performance, and health perceptions were collected prior to randomization and again at an 18-month follow up in older adults with knee OA who were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions: aerobic exercise, resistance training, or health education control. All analyses were conducted on the intention-to-treat principle. Results. Both exercise treatments increased self-efficacy for stair climbing in comparison to the health education control group. Both knee pain and self-efficacy mediated the effect of the treatments on stair climb time, whereas only knee pain mediated health perceptions. Conclusions. The findings suggest that control beliefs and changes in physical symptoms such as knee pain are important outcomes in physical activity programs with patients who have OA of the knee. Moreover, these variables mediate the effects that such programs have on disability and health perceptions.
Factors affecting attending agreement with resident early readings of computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the head, neck, and spine.

Rationale and Objectives This study examines the joint effect of several factors on radiology resident performance in the task of interpreting after-hours neuroradiology examinations. Materials and Methods As part of a quality assessment process, we conducted a prospective evaluation of all ( N = 21,796) after-hours preliminary readings of neuroradiology examinations performed by radiology residents over a 62-month period at our academic medical center. Each reading was scored by the interpreting neuroradiologist as “agree,” “disagree with minimal clinical impact,” and “disagree with significant clinical impact.” Coded resident and attending identities were also recorded for each case along with modality, body area studied, and the date of examination. These raw data were used to create an analytic data set with level of resident/attending agreement as the outcome and six predictors, including two date-derived variables: months 1–62 representing when the case occurred during the study and quartiles 1–4 accounting for the timing of the case in each resident's own experience. Cross tabulations, plots, bivariate statistics, and logistic regression were used to examine the relationships between study variables and the outcome (level of agreement). Results Over about 5 years of the study, the absolute number of significant disagreements remained stable at about three per month. The total caseload increased at a rate of 4.1 per month with most of the increase falling into the agree category, whereas the minimal disagreements actually decreased slightly (0.2 per month). In the logistic model for disagreement, three of the factors accounted for most of the variance: attending (61%), resident (15%), and month (15%). Study type (modality and area examined) accounted for another 10%. There was no significant contribution from the variable (quartile) constructed to test for individual resident learning during the on-call experience. Conclusion Although residents differ somewhat in the extent of attending agreement with their on-call work, evaluation or remediation made on the basis of simple comparison of these rates should be done with caution. Improved agreement over time seems to be a collective experience shared by residents.
Sequential passage of influenza virus in embryonated eggs or tissue culture: Emergence of mutants

Abstract The emergence of influenza virus mutants was examined by passage of A/WSN/33 virus in embryonated eggs, in MDBK cells, and in MDCK cells. From a plaque-purified A/WSN/33 virus preparation, four independent clones were derived by 12 plaque-to-plaque passages in MDCK cells. Four clones were isolated following 8–12 plaque-to-plaque passages of A/WSN/33 virus in MDBK cells, and one clone was derived by 12 passages in embryonated eggs at limiting dilution. All nine clones independently derived by these passages showed differences in their oligonucleotide maps when compared to the map of the original preparation of plaque-purified A/WSN/33 virus. In contrast, 12 passages in embryonated eggs at low dilutions (10'-10' PFU per inoculum) resulted in an A/WSN/33 virus population which was indistinguishable by oligonucleotide mapping from the original preparation. The frequent emergence of influenza A virus variants upon plaque-to-plaque passage contrasts with the finding that three out of four vesicular stomatitis virus clones, which were derived from independent plaque-to-plaque passage in MDCK cells, were identical to the original preparation when compared by oligonucleotide mapping.
Epithelial and mesenchymal cell interactions with extracellular matrix material in vitro

Epidermal organogenesis (thyroid gland, salivary gland, feather, hair, skin, thymus gland, tooth, etc.) generally follows a basic rule; epithelium exhibits well-documented interdependence with adjacent mesenchyme for a specific path of development (Grobstein, 1967, for review). Koch (1967) demonstrated in rodent embryos that isolates of incisor epithelial and mesenchymal tissue, separated by a millipore filter, continued to develop. When homotypic tissues were placed in juxtaposition to the filter, no evidence of continued differentiation was observed. Isolated cervical loop tissues of tooth germs from mammalian embryos have been shown to develop into an entire tooth in vitro (Slavkin & Bavetta, 1968 a ; Kollar & Baird, 1969). Our laboratory recently reported that isolated tissue preparations (Slavkin & Bavetta, 1968 a ) or cell suspensions (Slavkin, Beierle & Bavetta, 1968) of epithelial and mesenchymal cells from the embryonic cervical loop, in recombination on the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), reconstituted and developed into a tooth germ.
Replenishment of the podocyte compartment by parietal epithelial cells

While progressive podocytopenia is a characteristic feature of chronic glomerular disease, the visceral epithelial niche can be replenished from the parietal epithelium. Two new reports demonstrate this process in genetically engineered mice, using fate mapping, and in human renal biopsies manifesting segmental glomerulosclerosis in diverse settings, using cellular and extracellular matrix markers.
Edgcomb Metals (C): The Troy Plant

This case describes the system of standards implemented at Edgcomb (see OM-0549) and the subsequent driver performance. (The C case is OM-0571.)
The impact of smoking on failure rates, postoperative infection and marginal bone loss of dental implants

Electronic searches were undertaken in PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register as well as hand searching. Clinical human studies, either randomised or not, providing outcome data for dental implant failure in smokers and non-smokers in any group of patients with no follow-up restrictions. Patients smoking a minimum of one cigarette a day were classified as smokers and implant failure was considered as the complete loss of the implant. Three authors independently participated in the inclusion criteria and disagreements were resolved by discussion. Quality assessment of the studies was performed using a scale to appraise observational studies. From the selected studies, data were extracted when available which included year of publication, study design, country, setting, number of patients, type of smokers, age, follow-up, days of antibiotic prophylaxis, failure, postoperative infection, marginal bone loss, implant surface, dental arch receiving implants, type of prosthetic rehabilitation and opposing dentition. For the meta-analysis, implant failure and postoperative infection were evaluated as dichotomous outcomes, while weighted mean differences were used for marginal bone loss as a continuous outcome. The statistical unit was the implant. Heterogeneity was calculated using I2 test. From 1432 records identified, 107 publications were included in the review for the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. One hundred and four studies compared implant failure rates. From the total studies, the authors judged 85 to be of high quality and 22 of moderate quality. The meta-analysis for failure rate resulted in a statistically significant overall result of risk ratio (RR) of 2.23 (95% CI 1.96-2.53) heterogeneity of I2: 51%. The meta-analysis of four studies evaluating the risk of postoperative infections in smokers presented a statistically significant result with an RR: 2.01, 95% CI 1.09-3.72, heterogeneity I2: 0%, and the marginal bone loss had an overall statistically significant difference of MD 0.32, 95% CI 0,21-043; heterogeneity in this case was I2: 95%. The insertion of implants in smokers affected the failure rates, the risk of postoperative infections, as well as the marginal bone loss. The results should be interpreted with caution due to the presence of uncontrolled confounding factors in the included studies.
A Novel Equation for Prediction of Intrinsic Sorption Constants of Metal Cations at Mineral-Water Interfaces

The sorption of radionuclides onto mineral-water interfaces is an important mechanism of radionuclide retardation in subsurface environments. Although a large body of data on metal sorption has been accumulated, the interaction of radionuclides at the mineral-water interface is still not well quantified. In this paper, we establish a linear free energy relationship that can correlate intrinsic metal sorption constants to the known thermodynamic properties of metal cations and mineral phases. This relationship can be used to predict the intrinsic sorption constants of metal cations adsorption on various mineral-water interfaces. Based on a surface complexation model, an adsorption constant of a cation Mn+ onto a mineral surface can be represented by the sum of “intrinsic” and coulombic terms, that is logKads Mn+ = logKint Mn+ − (nF/2.303RT)ψ0. To construct our linear free energy relationship, we further decompose an intrinsic sorption constant into the solvation contribution, which characterizes the work to be done to move a cation from one dielectric medium (solution) to another (interface), and the chemical contribution, which characterizes the chemical bonding abilities of cations to mineral surface sites. The overall intrinsic sorption constant can be calculated by the equation of: where, ΩMn+ is interfacial Born solvation coefficient of cation M, ek is the dielectric constant of a mineral; $$\Delta {\text{G}}_{\text{n}}^0$$ , Mn+, $$\Delta {\text{G}}_{\text{s}}^0$$ , Mn+ and $$\Delta {\text{G}}_{\text{f}}^0$$ Mn+ are the non-solvation energy, solvation energy and the Gibbs free energy formation of a cation, respectively; rMn+ is the ionic radius of a cation; and a*, β*, and b* are constants, which can be determined by fitting the equation to the existing experimental data. We have applied the equation to the sorption of divalent cations on oxide, hydroxide, and silicate minerals. In particular, based on additivity of molecular polarizabilities, we have used the equation to calculate the intrinsic sorption constants of divalent metals and radionuclides on interstratified clay minerals that are commonly found in the nature or are proposed as backfills for nuclear waste geologic repositories. The discrepancies between calculated and measured values are generally within 0.8 log unit.
What We Know and Need to Know About Global Lawyer Regulation

Global lawyer regulation is a messy topic. It both challenges the definition of what is under review and complicates the job of determining the scope of relevant investigation. This messiness relates to foundational issues of what ‘global’ means, who is considered a ‘lawyer,’ and even what constitutes ‘regulation.’ In addition and equally relevant, an increasingly diverse set of actors and organizations are involved in producing legal services in a global context. On one hand, simply describing the identities and the scope of services provided by these actors and organizations guides policymakers interested in considering what they know and should know about the focus of their policymaking and regulatory efforts. On the other hand, understanding how regulation shapes the conduct of participants in the global market for legal services would offer insight relevant to thinking through the appropriate balance between overly burdensome regulation that is certain to undermine competitiveness and an approach that is so superficial as to result in exposing the public to risks from activity and actors who fall outside of the regulatory boundaries. This article is one of a series addressing the American Bar Association’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services, and is intended to provide a foundation for policymakers interested in global lawyer regulation. Rather than suggest the best approach to regulating global lawyering and lawyers, however, the article instead takes aim at developing a wish-list of information for use by any U.S.-based policymaker interested in thinking through why a particular regulatory strategy is most likely to satisfy their objectives. The article addresses three questions. First, what does “global lawyer regulation” mean? Second, what should policymakers know before imposing or changing regulation? And third, which aspects of this need-to-know category already are known or would be knowable with modest additional effort? This foundation is intended to help policymakers consider next steps in supporting their role as regulatory advisors or direct regulators in a global context.
Cell-Mediated Pathologies in Traumatic Orthopaedic Injuries

Physical trauma is one of the most common mechanisms leading to orthopaedic injury. The trauma and associated inflammatory response initiates the process of tissue regeneration and repair, which includes the recruitment and induction of multipotential cells to participate in the process. Too much inflammation can overwhelm this response to cause scarring. Although stem cells have been extensively studied as therapy for regenerating functional tissues, concerns of ethics, availability, and ease of clinical utility call for investigation into an alternative source of multipotential cells for potential therapeutic use. Here, we describe trauma-derived mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs). These cells are morphologically and functionally similar to bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stems cells. MPCs, which are not present in large numbers in untraumatized tissue, but are abundant in injured muscle tissue and after isolation have the potential for clinical application in regenerative medicine. MPCs appear to be activated by injury, enhancing their capability of differentiating into multiple cell lines, generating trophic factors, and producing functional tissue. This cell lineage is now thought to be involved in the pathologic process of heterotopic ossification, whereby inflammation and scarring dominates the local tissue response to injury. The utility of MPCs as a therapeutic arm for regenerative medicine can be further realized when the microenvironment commands that trigger these cells to activate are elucidated. This in turn can create patient-specific resource of nongenetically modified induced multipotent cells for regenerative therapy after orthopaedic injury.
Posterolateral lumbar fusion: Relationship between computed tomography Hounsfield units and symptomatic pseudoarthrosis.

Background: Assessment of bone quality can guide spinal surgery. However, surgeons infrequently evaluate bone quality in a quantitative manner. Recent literature suggests a role for computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield units (HUs) as a marker for bone quality. Limited data exist regarding its utility with respect to posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF).
Sensitive troponin I assay in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome.

To the Editor: Dr Mills and colleagues demonstrated a significant reduction in myocardial infarction (MI) and death in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) through use of a lower-threshold troponin assay. One surprising finding was a modest increase in use of recommended therapies in patients with plasma troponin concentrations of 0.05 to 0.19 ng/mL during the implementation phase, which would be expected to result in reduced events. In fact, revascularization rates were stable despite more than a doubling in coronary angiography. Aspirin, -blocker, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use did not differ between the phases. Although more statins were prescribed at discharge in the implementation phase, a similar difference was present on admission, suggesting possible baseline differences between these nonrandomized samples. The most striking difference was in clopidogrel use, 31% in the validation phase vs 61% in the implementation phase. If the outcome difference between the 2 groups was driven by clopidogrel, this would be a substantially greater benefit than demonstrated in prior studies. For example, the Clopidogrel in Unstable Angina to Prevent Recurrent Events (CURE) trial showed a 2.1% absolute risk reduction in death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal MI, or stroke over 12 months (9.3% in clopidogrel group vs 11.4% in placebo group) for patients with ACS without ST-segment elevation compared with an 18% difference in death or recurrent MI at 12 months (39% in validation cohort vs 21% in implementation cohort) in the report by Mills et al. Determination of the rates of clopidogrel use in patients who did or did not have an event would be interesting. In addition, other than the presence of cardiac risk factors and interventions, little is known about the population. Given the high overall mortality rates and low rates of revascularization despite angiography, many patients may have had noncardiac medical issues, and the results may be due to higher attention to underlying coronary artery disease in a population with comorbid illnesses. This is supported by the low rates of use of recommended therapies. For instance, only 47% of validation phase patients with peak troponin concentrations of 0.05 to 0.19 ng/mL were taking a -blocker at discharge when 69% of these patients carried a diagnosis of ischemic heart disease prior to admission. It would be useful to know the number of patients who underwent stress testing, the percentage diagnosed with ischemic heart disease, other discharge diagnoses, and creatinine levels as alternate explanations for elevated troponin levels. Jeffrey D. Clough, MD, MBA Seth S. Martin, MD Matthew W. Cope, MD
Vascular contractile reactivity in hypotension due to reduced renal reabsorption of Na + and restricted dietary Na +

Reduced renal Na+ reabsorption along with restricted dietary Na+ depletes intravascular plasma volume which can then result in hypotension. Whether hypotension occurs and the magnitude of hypotension depends in part on compensatory angiotensin II-mediated increased vascular resistance. We investigated whether the ability of vascular resistance to mitigate the hypotension was compromised by decreased contractile reactivity. In vitro reactivity was investigated in aorta from mouse models of reduced renal Na+ reabsorption and restricted dietary Na+ associated with considerable hypotension and renin-angiotensin system activation: (1) the Na+-Cl−-Co-transporter (NCC) knockout (KO) with Na+ restricted diet (0.1%, 2 weeks) and (2) the relatively more severe pendrin (apical chloride/bicarbonate exchanger) and NCC double KO. Contractile sensitivity to KCl, phenylephrine, and/or U46619 remained unaltered in aorta from both models. Maximal KCl and phenylephrine contraction expressed as force/aorta length from NCC KO with Na+-restricted diet remained unaltered, while in pendrin/NCC double KO were reduced to 49 and 64%, respectively. Wet weight of aorta from NCC KO with Na+-restricted diet remained unaltered, while pendrin/NCC double KO was reduced to 67%, consistent with decreased medial width determined with Verhoeff-Van Gieson stain. These findings suggest that hypotension associated with severe intravascular volume depletion, as the result of decreased renal Na+ reabsorption, may in part be due to decreased contractile reactivity as a consequence of reduced vascular hypertrophy.
PC or PCV? That is the question: A retrospective review of primary anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors treated with procarbazine and CCNU without or with vincristine.

2046 Background: While procarbazine, CCNU and vincristine (PCV) has been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of anaplastic oligodendroglial tumors (AOT), the question of whether procarbazine a...
Circadian and Light-Adaptive Control of Electrical Synaptic Plasticity in the Vertebrate Retina

Abstract In the retina, electrical coupling through gap junctions is present in all major classes of neurons. Electrical coupling in the retina was first reported more than four decades ago and great strides have been made in understanding its properties and roles. It has become clear that dynamic modulation of electrical coupling is a critical element of circadian and light-adaptive changes that optimize retinal function for vastly different light conditions. This review summarizes current knowledge of the mechanisms regulating electrical coupling between photoreceptors, horizontal cells and amacrine cells, which play prominent roles in adaptation. In each case we review what is known of the pathways involved in plasticity and the interpretations and hypotheses regarding its functional effects. We assert that dynamic regulation of electrical coupling is extremely diverse and likely plays an integral if not a central role in normal retinal function and physiology by fine-tuning neuronal circuit activity.
Metalloriboswitches: RNA-based inorganic ion sensors that regulate genes

Divalent ions fulfill essential cellular roles and are required for virulence by certain bacteria. Free intracellular Mg2+ can approach 5 mm, but at this level Mn2+, Ni2+, or Co2+ can be growth-inhibitory, and magnesium fluoride is toxic. To maintain ion homeostasis, many bacteria have evolved ion sensors embedded in the 5'-leader sequences of mRNAs encoding ion uptake or efflux channels. Here, we review current insights into these "metalloriboswitches," emphasizing ion-specific binding by structured RNA aptamers and associated conformational changes in downstream signal sequences. This riboswitch-effector interplay produces a layer of gene regulatory feedback that has elicited interest as an antibacterial target.
Efficiency Optimization of Spherical Reflectors by Feed Position Adjustments

This letter presents a numerical study of the best performance achievable using a spherical reflector with a point feed and without any corrective element. We evaluate in detail the aperture efficiency that can be obtained with a spherical reflector with linearly polarized Gaussian beam illumination. A 100 GHz, 30 cm diameter spherical reflector from a parent sphere of 30 cm radius has been built and measured. The maximum directivity of 46.1 dB agrees closely with the predictions of electromagnetic modeling, as does the increase in the directivity by more than 3 dB resulting from moving the feed by 0.7 cm closer to the reflective surface relative to the paraxial focal point.