cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cost-effectiveness analysis of two caries prevention methods in the first permanent molar in children

Background Evidence supports two methods for preventing dental caries lesions in children: pit and fissure sealants (PFS) and fluoride varnishes (FV). The aim of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of these two strategies in preventing dental caries lesions on the occlusal surface of the first permanent molar in children. Methods A Markov model was used to simulate the progression of dental caries on the occlusal surface of the first permanent molar in a hypothetical cohort of children over a 9-year period. Transition probabilities were extracted from the published literature and costs were calculated from a payer's perspective. Two scenarios were evaluated based on the probability of replacing a failed PFS. Sensitivity analysis was performed to test the robustness of the model. Results Over the 9-year study period PFS were less expensive and more effective than FV in preventing occlusal dental caries lesions. For the base case scenario the probability of replacing a failed PFS was 100 percent and the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) for PFS was $156.87 per first episode of caries lesion averted. For the second scenario, the probability of replacing a failed PFS was lowered to 50 percent. Here, the ICER dropped to $113.00 per first episode of caries lesion averted and remained the dominant strategy. Conclusion PFS should be the preferred method for the prevention of dental caries lesion on the occlusal surface of the first permanent molar, especially in children who are at high risk and have barriers of access to dental care.
Effect of Experience of Internal Medicine Residents during Infectious Disease Elective on Future Infectious Disease Fellowship Application

Abstract : Background: Over 55% of trainees change career plans at least once during residency, but the factors that drive these decisions are undefined. Since 2008 at our institution, internal medicine (IM) residents have been required to do a four-week inpatient ID rotation as an intern. Timing of this rotation was randomly assigned. We evaluated the effect of IM interns' experiences on their ID rotation on future application for ID fellowship.
Gender, Spousal Caregiving, and Depression: Does Paid Work Matter?

Studies have shown that spousal caregiving leads to psychological distress, but few have analyzed the moderating effect of paid work. Using the 2000 to 2012 Health and Retirement Study and two-stage least squares regression models, this study found that caregiving increased women's and men's depressive symptoms. Ordinary least squares models showed that caregiving had more adverse effects on women's mental health than on men's, but these differences were eliminated in two-stage least squares models that accounted for the bidirectional effects of depression and caregiving. The current study also found that for women, part-time work attenuated the depressive effect of spousal caregiving, whereas for men, part-time work exacerbated it. These gender differences persisted even for intensive spousal caregivers. The authors suggest that caregiving women who work part-time may benefit from work-related resources. Caregiving men who work part-time, however, may feel distressed, as their work–family experiences conflict with traditional gender norms.
Designing flows to resolve human and environmental water needs in a dam-regulated river

Navigating trade-offs between meeting societal water needs and supporting functioning ecosystems is integral to river management policy. Emerging frameworks provide the opportunity to consider multiple river uses explicitly, but balancing multiple priorities remains challenging. Here we quantify relationships between hydrologic regimes and the abundance of multiple native and nonnative fish species over 18 years in a large, dryland river basin in southwestern United States. These models were incorporated into a multi-objective optimization framework to design dam operation releases that balance human water needs with the dual conservation targets of benefiting native fishes while disadvantaging nonnative fishes. Predicted designer flow prescriptions indicate significant opportunities to favor native over nonnative fishes while rarely, if ever, encroaching on human water needs. The predicted benefits surpass those generated by natural flow mimicry, and were retained across periods of heightened drought. We provide a quantitative illustration of theoretical predictions that designer flows can offer multiple ecological and societal benefits in human-altered rivers.
Space-Time Modeling

This article provides an overview of the development of space–time modeling in Geographic Information Science (GIScience). Distinguished from mathematical modeling of space and time, GIScience approach addresses conceptualization, representation, and database modeling of spatiotemporal constructs to support spatiotemporal query and analysis in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Much GIScience progress in spatiotemporal modeling parallels to the database development. However, the added complexity of geographic properties and structures present a wide range of challenges to properly and sufficiently conceptualize space and time in geographic worlds and how the conceptualization may be implemented in a GIS environment. The fundamental question of what constitutes a geographic object and how to recognize and handle the persistency of the same object is non-trivial in GIScience. The article discusses the conventional time-stamp approaches to space–time modeling of geographic information and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of time-stamped models. These time-stamped approaches employ concepts of valid time, transaction time, and user-defined time to roll-back to the previous states of a database or to support historical queries about geographic worlds. Furthermore, much research progress has been made to capture geographic events, processes, and dynamics in geographic domains. The article overviews these developments and suggests research directions of GIScience approaches in space–time modeling.
Galileo Right for the Wrong Reasons

The chronology sketched and described in the last chapter now needs to be interpreted more systematically and evaluated more explicitly. As suggested earlier, our plan is to interpret the subsequent Galileo affair as a controversy about whether or not the Inquisition’s condemnation of Galileo in 1633 was right. And by analogy to the Copernican controversy of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the Galileo-affair controversy will be analyzed in terms of the arguments and objections on both sides: arguments in favor of the Inquisition’s condemnation, which is to say against Galileo; and argument against the condemnation, which is to say in favor of Galileo. Now, the most fundamental of these issues raises the question that, regardless of whether Galileo was substantively or factually right in the beliefs he held, his supporting reasons or justifying arguments may not have been, and in any case must be assessed differently and separately. We begin in this chapter with this issue.
ENTPRISE-X: Predicting disease-associated frameshift and nonsense mutations

To exploit the plethora of information provided by Next Generation Sequencing, the identification of the genetic mutations responsible for disease in general or cancer in particular, among the thousands of neutral germline or somatic variations is a crucial task. Genome-wide association studies for the detection of disease-associated genes or cancer drivers can only identify common variations or driver genes in a cohort of patients. Thus, they cannot discover unique disease-associated mutations or cancer driver genes on a personal basis. Moreover, even when there are such common variations, their significance is unknown. Here, we extend the machine learning based approach ENTPRISE developed for predicting the disease association of missense mutations to frameshift and nonsense mutations. The new approach, ENTPRISE-X, is shown to outperform the state-of-the-art methods VEST-indel and DDIG-in for predicting the disease association of germline frameshift mutations in terms of balanced measure Matthew’s correlation coefficient, MCC, with a MCC of 0.586 for ENTPRISE-X, versus 0.412 by VEST-indel and 0.321 by DDIG-in, respectively. Large scale testing on the ExAC dataset shows ENTPRISE-X has a much lower fraction of 16% of variations classified as disease causing, as compared to VEST-indel’s 26% and DDIG-in’s 65% of predictions as being disease-associated. A web server for ENTPRISE-X is freely available for academic users at http://cssb2.biology.gatech.edu/entprise-x.
Using a comparison task to support prospective educators' interpersonal skill development

Despite family involvement's importance in children's education, teacher preparation programs often fail to help educators develop the communication skills they will need to engage effectively with families. This exploratory study used comparison of two simulated parent-teacher conferences to assess and enhance prospective educators' interpersonal skills, knowledge and dispositions for family involvement. Its purposes were to: validate the cases' contents; pilot them as teaching tools; and develop rubrics for evaluating student responses.
A Kinematic Model Of Flexible Robot Arms

A robot’s posture can be identified by identifying the angles of each of its joints, and the movement of the robot arm (e.g., Stanford robot arm) can be caused by changing its appropriate joint angles and by expanding the lenght of its appropriate links.
Active Exploration of the Environment by Young Children with Low Vision: A Review of the Literature.

Young children with low vision experience delays in cognitive development, motor development, and social skills because of the lack of motivation or insufficient opportunities to explore their envi...
Fear, Fiction and Make-Believe

Charles is watching a horror movie about a terrible green slime. He cringes in his seat as the slime oozes slowly but relentlessly over the earth destroying everything in its path. Soon a greasy head emerges from the undulating mass, and two beady eyes roll around, finally fixing on the camera. The slime, picking up speed, oozes on a new course straight towards the viewers. Charles emits a shriek and clutches at his chair. Afterwards, still shaken, Charles confesses that he was "terrified" of the slime. Was he? '
Women of Vision: Understanding the Ways Women Lead Change.

AbstractIn the midst of numerous global uncertainties, leaders are expected to have the ability to articulate a compelling vision of a preferred future that energizes and engages followers. In fact...
On a scale as a sum of manifest variables.

Abstract The most common approach for a scale construction is to create a scale as a sum of manifest variables (a “sum scale”). When we use the sum scale for analysis, we implicitly assume that there is a one-dimensional latent structure representing the manifest data on a multidimensional space. In this commentary, we review basics of identifying a latent structure using measured variables with a minimum linear algebra. We demonstrate the technique using Fisher's iris data as an illustration. We examine the relationships between resulting latent variables and the sum scale to evaluate goodness of the sum scale. As a practical solution, in general, we could create a sum scale using a set of positively and highly correlated measured variables. More care is needed when the data are not unidimensional.
Autogeny, Fecundity, and Other Life History Traits of Culex pipiens molestus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Shanghai, China

Culex pipiens molestus Forskal is common in subterranean and aboveground environments in Shanghai, China. However, little is known about its autogeny, fecundity, and other life history traits. In this study, Cx. p. molestus larvae were collected from four different types of underground parking lots and artificially maintained, without blood feeding, in a laboratory. Life history traits parameters were recorded from the F0 to F9 generation. Culex pipiens molestus from Shanghai can autogenously persist for at least 10 generations, and some females can develop more than one egg batch without blood feeding (oviposition rate in Lot C was >100% in some generations). The average number of eggs per raft produced autogenously ranged from 36.94 to 42.19. The average generation time (GT) ranged from 20.06 to 21.30 d, and the pre-oviposition time (POT) ranged from 2.17 to 12.68 d among the generations. Culex pipiens molestus from the four groups had different autogeny, fecundity, and longevity patterns. This variability may result from genetic polymorphism caused by co-occurrence with other Culex pipiens subspecies (Diptera: Culicidae).
Charging toward improved lithium-ion polymer electrolytes: exploiting synergistic experimental and computational approaches to facilitate materials design

Ion-conducting polymer electrolytes are attractive materials for all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) as a result of their potential to improve performance, mitigate safety concerns, and facilitate efficient device processing. Understanding how lithium-ionic transport is influenced by the macromolecular features, such as dielectric strength, solvation site connectivity, monomer segment relaxation timescales, segregation strength, and mesophase composition, is crucial for advancing ion-conducting materials. The integration of experimental and computational efforts can provide comprehensive links between chemical and structural characteristics (e.g., ion solvation, chain mobility, morphology) and macroscopic performance properties, accelerating the adoption of next-generation polymer electrolytes. This perspective highlights several synergistic experimental–computational approaches that have provided unique insights into local ion and polymer interactions, chain dynamics, and thermodynamics to promote the rational design of new ion-conducting polymers. Additionally, this work concludes with several suggested areas in which methodologies can be augmented, novel properties can be realized, and polymer electrolytes can be integrated to generate more robust LiB systems.
Creating prognostic systems by the Mann-Whitney parameter

We proposed two approaches to compute Mann-Whitney parameter based initial dissimilarities for the Ensemble Algorithm for Clustering Cancer Data (EACCD). These two approaches are non-parametric and produce robust prognostic systems. The breast cancer data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute were used to demonstrate these two approaches. Results showed that our proposed methods generated prognostic systems with a comparable performance to the AJCC's cancer staging system.
Methodological Traps, Pitfalls, and Fallacies in the Study of Intellectual Silence

This article is a response to four responses to my book Europe, Byzantium, and the “Intellectual Silence” of Rus’. That book in turn responded to the question posed by Francis Thompson, “Where was the Russian Peter Abelard?” It began with two premises − that theology was “the crown jewel of disciplined thought” in both the Eastern and Western Churches during the medieval period and that medieval Christian theology represented an amalgamation of prior Christian thought with Neoplatonism. The literature of early Rus’ was little more than what would have been contained in a large Byzantine monastic library, because those in charge of educating the newly baptized pagan Rus’ on the basic principles of Christianity felt compelled to provide them only necessary information to save their souls. But why did the package not include the seven liberal arts (including dialectic), which were the basis of the Western Church curriculum?
Treatment of anal fissure: Where do we stand in 2020

Abstract Anal fissure is arguably the most painful common anorectal disorder. The severity of pain is disproportionate to the size of the lesion (often 8–10 mm located in the posterior midline of the anal canal). Numerous surgical procedures have been advocated but Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy (LIS) has become the standard of care and the procedure of choice. Due to concerns regarding fecal incontinence (FI) following LIS various chemicals have been applied to the anal canal in hope of finding an alternative “chemical” or “pharmacological sphincterotomy”. Large numbers of studies in the literature suffer from being non-randomized case series with short follow-ups and with variable outcome measures. In 2020, LIS is the most reliable treatment for chronic anal fissure associated with almost immediate pain relief, lasting results, a very low recurrence rate, and a very small rate of postoperative FI.
Obstruction of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt After Myelography-Report of a Unique Case and Its Treatment.

Background Myelography, frequently supplanted by noninvasive, efficient magnetic resonance imaging, remains a useful technique when evaluating the spinal canal in nerve root avulsion, radiation therapy treatment planning, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) loculation, and CSF leak. Myelography is achieved through a lumbar puncture and instillation of nonionic, water-soluble intrathecal iohexol (Omnipaque, GE Healthcare, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA) contrast. The aim of the study was to highlight a possible complication of obstruction of a shunt valve due to an increased viscosity of the CSF after intrathecal Omnipaque contrast administration during myelography. Case Description The authors report a case of myelography that resulted in obstruction of a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. A 23-year-old female with significant medical history of neurofibromatosis type I, obstructive hydrocephalus, anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion, and VP shunt placement underwent diagnostic computed tomography after myelography with Omnipaque contrast to assess possible CSF loculation and cord impingement from her cervical instrumentation. The patient experienced somnolence after myelography from obstruction of the VP shunt, with marked ventriculomegaly demonstrated by computed tomography of the head. A shunt tap and shunt pumping regimen resulted in resolution of the obstruction and hydrocephalus, with return to neurologic baseline. Conclusions This is a recent case of VP shunt obstruction after myelography, of which previous cases reported are decades old. A shunt pumping regimen may be a nonoperative, effective mean for similar mechanical obstructions of VP shunts for restoration of flow and patency of the shunt system in these patients. We encourage physicians to consider the possibility of shunt obstruction after diagnostic myelography. Caution and close observation should be considered in patients undergoing myelography with a programmable VP shunt.
Essentials of cardiovascular care for older adults: extending a US-based educational resource for collaboration with our China colleagues.

Throughout most of the world, people are living substantially longer. As a result, there is a rapidly expanding population of older adults who did not previously survive into old age. These adults are exposed to advanced aging processes that did not previously occur. Physiological changes of age predispose to cardiovascular diseases. Ironically, coronary heart disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease, peripheral artery disease, arrhythmias and other cardiovascular problems all soar with survival into senior years. Geriatric cardiology is a relatively new area within cardiology that is culling skills and insights to address the complex needs of older cardiovascular patients. The rationale for “geriatric cardiology” is that cardiovascular disease among older adults often differs substantially from cardiovascular disease in younger populations. Risk factors, presentation, and management are all transmuted by age, such that an effective clinician must have unique insights and skills to provide optimal care for his or her aged patients. Furthermore, clinical targets may also shift with age. Whereas increased longevity is a dominating priority when providing care for younger adults, many older cardiovascular patients may also prioritize physical function, symptomatic improvement, independence, quality of life, and other clinical objectives. Geriatric cardiology entails skills of communication, risk assessment, physical examination, and treatment commensurate with the needs of the older cardiovascular patient. Distinctive age-related clinical challenges include non-specific signs and symptoms, barriers to communication (e.g., auditory and visual impairments), limited patient access to care, altered pharmacokinetics and dynamics, frailty, sarcopenia, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and cognitive decline. A geriatric cardiologist must provide effective care amidst such complexity, including sensitivities and skills to achieve therapeutic strategies that are tailored to each patient’s individual circumstances. Geriatric cardiology entails regular engagement with each patient to make sure that therapeutic goals are synchronized with his or her priorities, since these preferences may change over time or with onset of an illness. 2 The development of essentials of cardiovascular care for older adults
Innovative therapies for mood disorders: A case report.

Abstract Background Mood disorders, including depression and anxiety, are complex and multifactorial, impacting the quality of life for those suffering and making them difficult to manage for their providing health care providers. Diet, stress, medication, genetics, and the microbiome have been attributed to playing a role. Currently, prescription drugs are the first course of treatment despite the World Health Organization calling for a need to develop lifestyle interventions to manage these disorders. The use of single amino acids to impact selected neurotransmitters has demonstrated positive outcomes in the literature, however, the use of multiple amino acids, alongside personalized nutritional therapies is not well documented for mood disorders. This case report demonstrates the effective use of amino acids as an innovative therapy for the management of mood disorders. Case description A 26-year-old Caucasian female presented with anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, carbohydrate cravings, and low energy. She had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), bipolar depression II and generalized anxiety. The patient was under the care of a counselor and physician and was prescribed Lamictal (200 mg/day). With only moderate success with other therapies, the patient sought nutritional counseling. A personalized nutrition intervention was created to include targeted amino acid therapy (tryptophan, glycine, L-glutamine, D-phenylalanine, L-theanine, and L-tyrosine), select nutrients (multi vitamin/mineral, zinc, vitamin C, GLA and magnesium) and a low-glycemic diet to be followed for 12 weeks. Conclusion This case report demonstrated the use of targeted micronutrient and amino acid therapy, along with a low glycemic diet, resulted in marked improvement in all mood disorder symptoms this patient experienced. It also highlights that a comprehensive integrative approach may be a beneficial option for individuals with mood disorders.
Disparities in Head and Neck Cancer: A Case for Chemoprevention with Vitamin D

Blacks experience disproportionate head and neck cancer (HNC) recurrence and mortality compared to Whites. Overall, vitamin D status is inversely associated to HNC pointing to a potential protective linkage. Although hypovitaminosis D in Blacks is well documented it has not been investigated in Black HNC patients. Thus, we conducted a prospective pilot study accessing vitamin D status in newly diagnosed HNC patients stratified by race and conducted in vitro studies to investigate mechanisms associated with potential cancer inhibitory effects of vitamin D. Outcome measures included circulating levels of vitamin D, related nutrients, and risk factor characterization as well as dietary and supplemental estimates. Vitamin D-based in vitro assays utilized proteome and microRNA (miR) profiling. Nineteen patients were enrolled, mean circulating vitamin D levels were significantly reduced in Black compared to White HNC patients, 27.3 and 20.0 ng/mL, respectively. Whites also supplemented vitamin D more frequently than Blacks who had non-significantly higher vitamin D from dietary sources. Vitamin D treatment of HNC cell lines revealed five significantly altered miRs regulating genes targeting multiple pathways in cancer based on enrichment analysis (i.e., negative regulation of cell proliferation, angiogenesis, chemokine, MAPK, and WNT signaling). Vitamin D further altered proteins involved in cancer progression, metastasis and survival supporting a potential role for vitamin D in targeted cancer prevention.
Effects of herbicide management practices on the weed density and richness in dicamba-resistant cropping systems in Indiana

The addition of dicamba as a weed control option in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is a valuable tool. However, this technology must be utilized with other herbicide sites of action (SOAs) to reduce selection pressure on weed communities and ensure its prolonged usefulness. A long-term trial was conducted for 7 yr in Indiana to evaluate weed community densities and species richness with four levels of dicamba selection pressure in a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean rotation. Monocot densities and richness increased over time in the dicamba-reliant treatment. Dicot densities in the dicamba-reliant treatment declined over time, but dicot richness increased. The soil weed seedbank was affected by the varying herbicide strategies. The dicamba-reliant strategy had greater than 43% higher total weed density than all other treatments, primarily due to having a monocot density that was at least 71% higher than the other treatments. The fully diversified strategy with eight SOAs and residual herbicides used every year had the lowest total weed species richness in the soil seedbank, which supported the in-field observations.
“Stiff Business Headwinds and Uncharted Economic Waters”: The Use of Euphemisms in Earnings Conference Calls

This paper studies whether euphemisms obfuscate the content of earnings conference calls and cause investors to underreact. I argue that managers’ use of euphemisms can alleviate the impact of bad ...
Imbalance in the modern hydrologic budget of topographic catchments along the western slope of the Andes (21–25°S): implications for groundwater recharge assessment

Modern rates of water discharge often exceed groundwater recharge in arid catchments. This apparent mass imbalance within a catchment may be reconciled through either groundwater flow between topographic drainages and/or the draining of stored groundwater recharged during pluvial periods. This study investigates discrepancies in the modern hydrologic budget of catchments along the west flank of the Andes in northern Chile (21–25° S), focusing on the endorheic Salar de Atacama basin and adjacent basins. Uncertainty-bounded estimates of modern recharge rates are presented, which do not come close to balancing observed modern groundwater discharge within topographic catchments. Two conceptualizations of hydrogeologic catchments discharging to Salar de Atacama were explored with a simplified two-dimensional groundwater model. Results from the models support the interpretation that subsurface interbasin flow and transient drainage of groundwater from storage are required to balance water budgets along the plateau margin. The models further examine whether this system is still responding to climatic forcing (on paleoclimatic time scales) from pluvial periods and highlight general characteristics for similar plateau margin systems including: (1) water level changes at the plateau margin that are highly sensitive to long-term (100–1,000 years) changes in recharge on the plateau, (2) extent and magnitude of the changes in water table, which are controlled by the distribution of hydraulic conductivity at the margin, and (3) the contributing area to the lower-elevation catchment, which is itself dynamic and not coincident with the topographic boundary.
The tragedy of the private: Theft, property, and the loss of a commons

In a world of escalating climate crisis, metastasizing market logic, structural racism, growing inequality, and a global pandemic, this essay argues, the tragedy is not one of the commons, but one of the private The relentless capitalist focus on self-interest rather than common good, on efficiency rather than resilience, on more rather than better, on the private over the public, has brought societies and ecosystems alike to the breaking point As COVID-19 has helped us rediscover, wellbeing instead depends on a healthy commons—resilience, reciprocity, solidarity, and sharing The essay ends with practical suggestions as to how to move in the direction of an economy squarely focused on wellbeing of people and planet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cultural Dynamics is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )
Early Versus Delayed Mobilization Post-Operative Protocols for Primary Lateral Ankle Ligament Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Introduction Lateral ankle instability represents a common orthopaedic diagnosis. Nonoperative treatment through focused physical therapy provides satisfactory results in most patients. However, some patients experience persistent chronic lateral ankle instability despite appropriate nonoperative treatment. These patients may require stabilization, which can include primary lateral ligament reconstruction with a graft to restore ankle stability. Optimal post-operative rehabilitation of lateral ankle ligament reconstruction remains unknown, as surgeons vary in how long they immobilize their patients post-operatively. The aim of this review was to provide insight into early mobilization (EM) versus delayed mobilization (DM) post-operative protocols in patients undergoing primary lateral ankle ligament reconstructions to determine if an optimal evidence-based post-operative rehabilitation protocol exists in the literature. Methods Following PRIMSA criteria, a systematic review/meta-analysis using the PubMed/Ovid Medline database was performed (10/11/1947 - 1/28/2020). Manuscripts that were duplicates, non-lateral ligament repair, biomechanical, and non-English language were excluded. Protocols were reviewed and divided into two categories: early mobilization (within three weeks of surgery) and delayed mobilization (after three weeks of surgery). Functional outcome scores (American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society Score (AOFAS), Karlsson scores), radiographic measurements (anterior drawer, talar tilt), and complications were evaluated using weighted mean differences (pre- and post-operative scores) and mixed-effect models. Results After our search, twelve out of 1,574 studies met the criteria for the final analysis, representing 399 patients undergoing lateral ankle reconstruction. Using weighted mean differences the DM group showed superior AOFAS functional scores compared to the EM group (28.0 (5.5) vs. 26.3 (0.0), respectively; p < 0.001), although sample size was small. Conversely, no significant differences were found for Karlsson functional score (p = 0.246). With regards to radiographic outcome, no significant differences were observed; anterior drawer was p = 0.244 and talar tilt was p = 0.937. A meta-analysis using mixed-effects models confirmed these results, although heterogeneity was high. Conclusions While there are some conflicting results, the findings indicated the timing of post-operative mobilization made no difference in functional outcomes or post-operative stability for patients undergoing lateral ankle ligament reconstruction. Because heterogeneity was high, future studies are needed to evaluate these protocols in less diverse patient groups and/or more consistent techniques for lateral ankle ligament reconstruction.
A systematic search and review of the discrimination in health care measure, and its adaptations.

Abstract Background Discrimination occurs in health care settings contributing to health inequities. Yet guidance on how best to measure discrimination in health care is still limited. Objectives We sought to (1) identify and describe the characteristics of published studies that used the Discrimination in Health Care Measure, a scale first published in 2001; (2) review how the measure has been used or adapted and summarize the measure’s published psychometric properties and its variations; and (3) summarize associations between the measure and health-related variables. Methods We performed a systematic search and review of the measure by searching PsycINFO, PubMed, Sociological Abstracts, and Web of Science from January 1, 2001 through January 31, 2017. We screened 260 unique articles, identified 22 eligible articles, and completed a narrative synthesis. Results Most studies measured race or ethnicity-based discrimination. All studies made minor revisions to the measure, and most reported high reliabilities. Discrimination in health care, using this measure, was associated with adverse health outcomes. Discussion and practice implications Study results indicate that the measure is easy to use and adapt. Researchers should consider using the Discrimination in Health Care Measure when designing studies that will examine individuals’ discriminatory experiences when receiving health care.
The Roles of Chemical Transformation, Loop Closure, Tunnel Function and Metal Ion Activation in the Tryptophan Synthase Mechanism

An overview of the recent results derived from X-ray crystallography, physical biochemical methods, rapid kinetic techniques and site-directed mutagenesis that have shaped current understanding of tryptophan synthase structure-function relationships is presented. An integrated mechanism relating the chemical transformations and metal ion activation to tunnel function and allosteric regulation is proposed.
Meeting Report of the ASPET-Ray Fuller Symposium: Insulin Resistance in Diabetes and Hypertension: Syndrome X and Beyond

The second ASPET-Ray Fuller Symposium was held in London, Ontario, Canada at Spencer Hall on March 24–26, 2000. This symposium focused on three main themes: interaction of the insulin signaling pathway with the cytoskeleton, nontyrosine kinase-mediated insulin receptor (IR) signaling and the
ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF UTERUS MASCULINUS IN SIX DOGS

Uterus masculinus (persistent Mullerian duct) is a vestigial embryological remnant of the paramesonephric duct system in males and has been associated with clinical signs such as dysuria, incontinence, tenesmus and urethral obstruction in dogs. The radiological appearance of cystic uterus masculinus in dogs has been described previously with the aid of retrograde positive or negative contrast cystography. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe ultrasonographic features of confirmed or presumed uterus masculinus in a group of dogs with confirmed or presumed disease. Ultrasonographic findings were recorded based on a consensus opinion of two readers. A uterus masculinus was defined as cylindrical when no lumen was observed and tubular when it had lumen that was filled with anechoic fluid. Six dogs met the inclusion criterion with a mean age of 8 years and 9 months. Uterus masculinus appeared as single (four dogs) or two (two dogs) horn-like, tubular (four dogs) or cylindrical (two dogs) structures, originating from the craniodorsal aspect of the prostate gland and extending cranially. The walls of the uterus masculinus were isoechoic to the urinary bladder wall. The diameter of the observed uterus masculinus varied from 0.3 cm to 1 cm. The length of the uterus masculinus varied from 2 cm to 6.5 cm but the cranial terminal end was not identified in two dogs. Concomitant prostatomegaly was seen in five dogs (83.3%) and urinary tract infection was noted in three dogs (50%). Findings indicated that uterus masculinus should be included as a differential diagnosis for male dogs with these ultrasonographic characteristics.
Instructional media research: Past, present, and future

When Hoban and van Ormer's comprehensive review of instructional film research appeared in 1950, educational television was still a dream, the term programed instruction was not even coined, and such esoteric instructional forms as simulations, games, and computer-assisted instruction were beyond comprehension. The name of the game then was "evaluation"-how film use compared with some intangible entity called "conventional instruction." In the last two decades, both the state of the art of mediated instruction and the research with such media have matured. And this journal has spanned the greater part of the change, serving as a transmitter and interpreter of that knowledge. It may be helpful to review what has happened during the past 20 years,
Credit to Private Sector, Interest Spread and Volatility in Credit-Flows: Do Bank Ownership and Deposits Matter?

With bank-level data from 81 developing countries, the paper shows that increased foreign bank presence is associated with increased reliance on non-deposit based funding, which leads to higher interest rate spreads, less credit to the private sector, and higher volatility in bank loans. Foreign bank entry significantly reduces domestic banks' share of deposits while foreign banks typically allocate less of their assets and deposits to lending. As domestic banks lose their deposit base, they rely on non-deposit based funding, but its higher costs and uncertainty force domestic banks to reduce their lending activities.
Reproductive and physiological costs of repeated immune challenges in female Wellington tree weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae)

Fitness-related traits, such as immunity and reproduction, are typically condition dependent, and are predicted to trade off against each other because they share a pool of energy and resources. It is generally assumed that the resources and energy required for immune processes and reproduction is contained in the body fat; however, few studies quantify the effect of an immune insult on fat load. I tested the hypothesis that if mounting an immune response is physiologically costly in terms of consuming limited resources from body fat, and reproduction also relies on these resources, then an immune challenge should cause a reduction in fat load and an associated decline in reproduction. I tested this hypothesis by assaying the fat content of female Wellington tree weta (Hemideina crassidens) after repeated challenges with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and counting the number of oviposited eggs in addition to assaying the egg protein content, a possible measure of egg quality. In line with my prediction, immune-challenged females had significantly smaller fat loads and laid significantly fewer eggs than saline-injected controls. Moreover, the protein content of the eggs laid by immune-challenged females was significantly lower than that of controls. My experimental results show that an immune challenge with a non-pathogenic stimulant increases fat consumption, which in turn limits the resources available for reproduction. These findings support the hypothesis that reproduction and immunity are condition dependent, and are traded off against each other. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104, 38–46.
Reconstruction of a Three-Dimensional Volume from a Motion-Corrupted Two-Dimensional Data Set in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Patient motion plays an important role in the degradation of image quality in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in that ghost-like artifacts are produced in the final image that may obscure important features. The motion can be respiratory, cardiac, can involve blood flow, and can be voluntary or involuntary. The motion in the plane of the slice to be imaged introduces phase errors in the MRI signal that can be removed if the motion is known. Motion perpendicular to the slice, however, is more complicated because different structures move into and out of the slice. In this paper we present a model to connect the 3-D source to the final 2-D MRI data set, assuming that the source has a known, arbitrary motion in the direction perpendicular to the slice. We then discuss two different techniques to reconstruct the 3-D volume swept out by the slice during the data acquisition. Reconstructions are presented to demonstrate that 3-D information can indeed be extracted from the corrupted 2-D data set.
Model-free kinetics

The paper presents the model-free kinetic approach in the context of the traditional kinetic description based on the kinetic triplet, A, E, and f(α) or g(α). A physical meaning and interpretability of the triplet are considered. It is argued that the experimental values of f(α) or g(α) and A are unlikely to be interpretable in the respective terms of the reaction mechanism and of the vibrational frequency of the activated complex. The traditional kinetic description needs these values for making kinetic predictions. Interpretations are most readily accomplished for the experimental value of E that generally is a function of the activation energies of the individual steps of a condensed phase process. Model-free kinetic analysis produces a dependence of E on α that is sufficient for accomplishing theoretical interpretations and kinetic predictions. Although model-free description does not need the values of A and f(α) or g(α), the methods of their estimating are discussed.
Two deletions within genes for simian virus 40 structural proteins VP2 and VP3 lead to formation of abnormal transcriptional complexes.

The procedure developed by R. M. Fernandez-Munoz et al. (J. Virol. 29:612-623, 1979) for isolating simian virus 40 (SV 40) chromatin free of disrupted previrions was optimized for preparing late transcriptional complexes, and these complexes were partially characterized. Transcriptional complexes derived from wild-type virus and from several deletion and temperature-sensitive mutants could be activated more than five-fold either by the anionic detergent Sarkosyl or by 300 mM ammonium sulfate, in agreement with the properties of SV40 transcriptional complexes prepared by other procedures. In contrast, complexes from cells infected with deletion mutants dl1261 or dl1262 were not activated at all by a high salt concentration, even though the extent of their activation by Sarkosyl was normal. Mutants dl1261 and dl1262 carry deletions of 54 and 36 base pairs, respectively, at an approximate map position of 0.91, which is within the overlapping genes for the virion proteins VP2 and VP3. The effects of these deletions on transcription in vitro indicate that VP2 or VP3 or both are bound to late transcriptional complexes in a way that affects the progress of initiated RNA polymerase. The properties of late transcriptional complexes derived from wild-type SV40 can be explained by the presence of the following two different kinds of complexes: (i) a minority class (about 20%), which is free of VP2 or VP3, active at low concentrations of ammonium sulfate in vitro, and responsible for late transcription in vivo, and (ii) a majority class (about 80%) with VP2 or VP3 bound, which is inactive at low salt concentrations both in vitro and in vivo but capable of being activated by high salt concentrations or by Sarkosyl. We propose that mutant VP2 and VP3 proteins from dl1261 and dl1262 bind to the majority class of late transcriptional complexes in a way that can be reversed by Sarkosyl but not by a high salt concentration.
Germ-line and somatic p53 gene mutations in multifocal osteogenic sarcoma.

Abstract Multifocal osteogenic sarcoma patients without familial histories of increased tumor predisposition were examined for mutations in the highly conserved regions of the p53 gene. p53 point mutations were found in tumor DNA from each of the four patients we examined. A germ-line p53 mutation was detected in one of these patients, and a further rearrangement of the residual wild-type allele was detected in tumor tissue. p53 germ-line mutations can contribute to the enhanced predisposition to tumor development manifest in patients with multifocal osteosarcoma.
In-situ mass sampling during supersonic arcjet synthesis of diamond

Abstract A study of in-situ mass spectrometry during diamond film synthesis in supersonic, low density arcjet flows is described. With the arcjet operating entirely on hydrogen, hydrocarbon reactants are introduced downstream of the expansion nozzle where the flow is highly rarefied. Diamond is grown by impinging the flow on a water-cooled molybdenum substrate. Diamond of high quality is shown to be synthesized from injected acetylene, under conditions where acetylene is expected to be the dominant hydrocarbon species transported to the molybdenum substrate. In-situ through-the-substrate mass sampling analysis of the gas transported to the growth surface provides a basis for estimating the acetylene “sticking coefficient” and a comparison of the relative diamond growth efficiency for C1 species and acetylene in this particular arcjet reactor. A study of diamond growth with injected acetylene has permitted us to speculate on a simplified acetylene-based surface mechanism. The extracted rate coefficients for this simplified mechanism are presented and used to estimate surface thermochemistry for global addition-desorption reactions.
Improved b Lifetime Measurement from MAC

Two recent publications, from the MAC[1] and Mark II[2] collaborations, have reported the somewhat surprising result that the lifetime of particles made up of b quarks is in the 1 to 2 picosecond range, or somewhat longer than the lifetimes of charm particles. Although the charm decays are favored transitions while those of b particles depend upon off-diagonal elements of the weak flavor mixing matrix, the smallness of the b decay rates in face of the large available phase space indicates that the off-diagonal elements are indeed very small. The possibility for complete determination of the mixing matrix was brought significantly nearer by the availability of the lifetime information; what is needed now is to reduce the uncertainty of the measurements, which was about 33% for both experiments. We describe here an extension of the b lifetime study with the MAC detector, incorporating some new data and improvements in the analysis.
Process-Oriented Treatment of Right Hemisphere Communication Disorders

Lacking knowledge about the cognitive processes that underlie communication impairments in patients with right hemisphere damage (RHD) and driven by increasingly limited treatment duration, speech-language pathologists often give little thought to process-oriented treatment. However, operating from a theoretical perspective in which treatment targets the processes that underlie symptoms can result in more effective treatment of a range of symptoms due to a common processing impairment. This article provides research-driven therapeutic approaches based on sound theoretical perspectives that can be combined with task-specific therapy to maximize therapeutic outcomes with this clinical population.
Alzheimer's disease: diary of a caregiver.

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating progressive illness afflicting many older adults in our society. Family members, and the spouse in particular, are the primary caregivers for these people. Bereavement for the families occurs twice. First, when the person loses cognitive function and his/her personality, and secondly, when physical death occurs. The authors depict a spouse's perspective of this experience.