cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical analysis of mallet finger fracture fixation techniques.

Abstract A biomechanical study was conducted to determine the best fixation technique for mallet finger fracture among four commonly used methods. Considerations were technical complications, biomechanical properties, and maintenance of reduction. Techniques tested included Kirschner wire, figure-of-eight wire, tension band wire, and tension band suture. Technical complications were frequent with both the Kirschner wire and tension band wire techniques. Biomechanical testing yielded significantly greater energy absorbed to failure and a trend toward greater peak loads to failure for both the figure-of-eight wire and tension band suture techniques. Irreversible loss of reduction during testing occurred in all of the Kirschner wire-fixed fractures, in 60% of the tension band wire-fixed fractures, and in 50% of the figure-of-eight wire-fixed fractures. No irreversible failure occurred in the tension band suture group.
The Chronology of Pi

3000 B. C. The Pyramids (Egypt). 3 1/7(3.142857.....).The sides and heights of the pyramids of Cheops and of Sneferu at Gizeh are in the ratio 11:7, which makes the ratio of half the perimeter to the height 3 1/7. In 1853, H. C. Agnew, Esq., London, published a letter from Alexandria on evidence of this ratio found in the pyramids being connected or related to the problem of the quadrature of the circle.
Development and validation of a liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method to determine in vitro and in vivo histamine release

Histamine is an important biogenic amine involved in regulating numerous physiological and pathophysiological processes in humans and animals. To date, there have been very few studies focused on developing and validating sensitive liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) assays capable of quantitative trace level histamine analysis in biological matrices. In the present study, a rapid and sensitive LC-MS/MS assay, amenable to high throughput analysis was developed and validated to characterize in vitro and in vivo histamine release. The LC-MS/MS procedure incorporating deuterium labeled internal standards provides rapid resolution of histamine with excellent sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. Histamine eluted at 1.5 min and was well separated from endogenous plasma peaks. The total run time of the assay was 8.0 min. A linear (r(2) ≥ 0.99) instrument response over the entire concentration range of 1.0-1000 ng/mL was observed. Excellent accuracy (error ± 3.4%) and precision (CV ± 10%) of the assay was demonstrated, with the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) at 15.6 ng/mL. The validated LC-MS/MS assay was applied to determine histamine release in both in vitro and in vivo models. Peritoneal mast cells treated with prototypical degranulating agents (Compound 48/80 and Teicoplanin) showed that the two chemicals caused approximately 40% histamine release. In rats, using this assay, basal histamine plasma levels were typically under 100 ng/mL. Treatment with an agent suspected of causing anaphylactic type reactions resulted in plasma histamine levels to increase above 3000 ng/mL. The LC-MS/MS assay presented in this study can be applied to further characterize the physiological and pathophysiological role of histamine release in complex in vitro and in vivo models. Importantly, the LC-MS/MS assay may be useful in assessing active pharmaceutical ingredient-mediated degranulation and anaphylaxis as part of either a pre-market or a post-market assessment of drug products.
Recurrence of cerebral arteriovenous malformations in children: report of two cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND Angiography is considered the standard to assess the treatment success of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). When postoperative angiograms show neither residual nidus nor early draining veins, patients are considered cured, and the risks of hemorrhage are eliminated. However, this notion is challenged by the development of recurrent AVMs in children. In our report, 2 children developed recurrent AVMs after undergoing complete resection, which was documented by postoperative angiography. We review other similar cases reported in the literature to help establish guidelines for postoperative monitoring. METHODS In this retrospective review, 36 children underwent complete surgical resection of cerebral AVMs that were documented by intra- or postoperative angiography. After a follow-up period ranging from 1 to 17 years, rates of recurrence were assessed. RESULTS Although angiographic documentation showed complete resection, 2 children developed recurrences 3 and 5 years later. Among these 36 children, the recurrence rate was 5.5% at follow-up (mean 9 years). CONCLUSIONS Based on our data and review of the literature, intra- or early postoperative angiography is essential to exclude the presence of a residual nidus but does not ensure cure of the AVMs in children. If postoperative angiographic scans are obtained too early, postoperative changes may prevent the detection of a residual nidus. Therefore, we recommend that angiographic scans be obtained intraoperatively or early postoperatively to document complete resection and again at 1 and 5 years after surgical resection.
Visceral zoster as the presenting feature of disseminated herpes zoster

Visceral dissemination of herpes zoster may follow cutaneous dissemination in immunocompromised patients. The skin is not necessarily the only organ affected and may not even be the presenting organ. Immunohistochemical stains available for routine paraffin-embedded tissue biopsy specimens allow for rapid diagnosis of varicella zoster virus. We describe a patient in whom gastric dissemination of herpes zoster was proven by immunohistochemistry. Unexplained hepatitis, pancreatitis, gastritis, or complaints of abdominal pain in immunocompromised patients with herpes zoster should prompt a high degree of suspicion for visceral zoster and immediate treatment with intravenous acyclovir.
Classical dispersion analysis of the internal modes of sodium chlorate

Abstract The application of the newly developed self-bracketing search (SBS) classical dispersion (CD) analysis on published reflectance data of the internal modes of NaClO 3 indicates a plausible presence of anharmonic coupling in the v 1 , v 3a,b region. The above SBS-CD analysis has also resulted in the evaluation of the dispersion parameter values for the internal modes of NaClO 3 , and has provided the first quantitative determination of these values for the 37 Cl isotope.
Normal solutions of the Beltrami equation

On considere l'equation de Beltrami f z =μf z ou μ=μ(z). On determine des expressions explicites pour les solutions normales dans D avec dilatation complexe μ(z)=m( z /z) k , k entier et m reel avec |m|<1
Impact of systemic blood pressure on the relationship between intraocular pressure and blood flow in the optic nerve head of nonhuman primates.

Purpose Studies suggest that reduced ocular perfusion pressure in the optic nerve head (ONH) increases the risk of glaucoma. This study tested a hypothesis that the magnitude of blood flow change in the ONH induced between two same intraocular pressure (IOP) alterations depends on the level of mean systemic blood pressure (BP). Methods In eight anesthetized rhesus monkeys, systemic BP was maintained at either a high, medium, or low level (n = 6 each, ranging from 51-113 mm Hg); IOP was rapidly altered from 10 to 30 mm Hg and then to 10 mm Hg manometrically. Blood flow in the ONH (BF(ONH)) was repeatedly measured with a laser speckle flow graph for 10 minutes at each IOP level period. The BF(ONH) and relative changes to the baselines at each measured time point were calculated and compared longitudinally among the three BP groups. Results There was no statistically significant difference in mean baseline BF(ONH) across the BP groups. In the high-BP group, BF(ONH) had no significant change during the IOP alterations. However, the same IOP alterations caused a significant BF(ONH) change in the two lower BP groups. The duration of the BF(ONH) changes from baseline to a peak and to a steady state was significantly delayed in the two lower, but not the higher, BP groups. Conclusions Systemic BP plays an important role in maintaining the normal autoregulation of the ONH, and it became deficient in the lower BP groups. In patients with glaucoma, a normal, sustained BP may be important to prevent worsening glaucoma.
GRAY: High Energy Photon Ray Tracer for PET Applications

GRAY (High Energy Photon Ray Tracer) is a Monte-Carlo ray-driven high energy photon transport engine for mainly PET and SPECT applications that supports complex mesh based primitives for source distributions, phantom shapes, and detector geometries. Monte-Carlo modeling is critical for system design evaluation and image reconstruction development. Ray tracing is a technique used in computer graphics to render scenes with realistic light properties. We adapted an open source ray tracing engine to support the physical properties of high energy photon transport. The main project goal of GRAY is to provide a means to import advanced geometrical mesh primitives from graphical CAD programs to create animated vectorial based phantoms and complex detector geometries while preserving physical accuracy and efficient runtime. These phantoms will be able to model complex moving objects targeted towards developing novel image reconstruction algorithms for cardiac, respiratory, and tracer kinetic modeling. Traditionally, complex geometrical phantoms were simulated using a series of discrete voxelized sources that represent the activity source distributions and attenuation media. By using rejection testing, constructive solid geometry can create primitives that are combined using Boolean operations to create complex phantoms. The high energy photon physics modeling of GRAY has been validated against GATE for both runtime performance and accuracy. GRAY runs an order of magnitude faster than GATE with improved geometric modeling capabilities for detectors and sources. To highlight the capabilities of GRAY, a complex mesh phantom of a rat was filled with uniform activity, placed in a high resolution 1 mm3 small animal box PET scanner, simulated with GRAY, and reconstructed using list-mode 3-D OSEM reconstruction.
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-induced modification of catecholamine metabolism in developing rat brain.

Abstract Infection of the neonatal rat with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus results in an immunologically-mediated necrotic lesion of the cerebellar cortex. Concomitant with the inflammatory response is an elevation of the activity of catechol-O-methyltransferase, but not that of monoamine oxidase, and an increase in the production of normetanephrine from norepinephrine. Abrogation of immunopathology, but not viral replication, during an immunosuppressive treatment with antithymocyte serum prevents the increase in catechol-O-methyltransferase levels. The enhancement of enzyme activity appears to be due to the influx of macrophages rather than to release from the neuronal cells. These findings suggest that alterations in catecholamine metabolism with viral infections of the central nervous system may be a consequence of the immune-mediated cellular infiltrate in addition to or instead of changes in brain parenchymal cells.
Direct electrochemistry of cytochrome P450 27B1 in surfactant films

We report the first direct electrochemistry of cytochrome P450 27B1 (CYP27B1) immobilized on an edgeplane pyrolytic graphite (EPG) electrode coated with a film of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) in a deoxygenated solution revealed excellent electrochemical reversibility with an average midpoint potential of � 180 ± 5 mV vs. Ag/AgCl and an apparent surface coverage of (7.0 ± 2.5) � 10 13 molecules per cm 2 . The rate of heterogeneous electron transfer between CYP27B1
Gαi-αs chimeras define the function of α chain domains in control of G protein activation and βγ subunit complex interactions

Gs and Gi2 are G proteins whose alpha subunits are 65% homologous. Within the 355 amino acid alpha i2 polypeptide, substitution of residues Ile213-Lys319 with the corresponding alpha s region (Ile235-Arg356) generated a chimera that activated adenylyl cyclase, indicating that the alpha s activation domain resides within this 122 amino acid alpha s sequence. Mutation within alpha s residues Glu15-Pro144 resulted in an alpha s polypeptide having an enhanced rate of GDP dissociation. Mutation within two regions of the N-terminus influenced the ability of pertussis toxin to ADP-ribosylate the alpha subunit polypeptide, a reaction controlled by the beta gamma subunit complex. The findings define the G protein alpha subunit N-terminus as a regulatory region controlling beta gamma subunit interactions and GDP dissociation independent of the GTPase and effector activation domains.
Universal dissociation energy relationships for diatomic molecules

Abstract If D e and R e are the dissociation energy and internuclear distance of a diatomic molecule αβ, where α and β are elements from columns A and B of the periodic table, with atomic numbers Z α and Z β , it is shown empirically that to fair accuracy D e / R 3 e Z α Z β = 4π C − exp(−ξ R e ) and D 1 3 e ( Z α Z β ) η 3 = H ln( Z α Z β ) + H ′ as a ranges through A or β ranges through B. For the whole periodic table η ≈ 0.45. C ′ ≈ 0.0024, ξ ≈ 2.00, H ≈ 0.16 and H ′ ≈ 0.32. These relations are shown to follow from a physical model previously developed for harmonic force constants by Anderson and Parr, and from an argument based on the simple bond charge model of Politzer.
Overexpression of the p75 neurotrophin receptor in the sensori-motor cortex of rats exposed to ethanol during early postnatal life

Foetal alcohol syndrome is a known cause of mental retardation. It has been suggested that the anatomical and functional alterations observed in the cerebral cortex could be mediated by an interference of ethanol with developmental processes modulated by neurotrophins and/or their receptors. We have studied by immunohistochemistry the expression of the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR) in the sensori-motor cortex of P10 and P20 rats exposed to the inhalation of ethanol during the first week of postnatal life. At both the studied ages, the number of p75 NTR immunoreactive neurons was higher in ethanol treated animals compared to controls. The increase of immunoreactive elements was relatively more marked in the motor than in the somatosensory cortex. The involvement of p75 NTR in ethanol-induced apoptosis and neural plasticity is discussed.
Numerical analysis of a quasi linear differential equation with weak diffusion

Abstract This paper studies the non-existence of the global radial solution of a quasi linear differential equation, div(|∇ u | n −2 ∇ u ) = e u , in R n − {0};. High speed numerical algorithms are presented to compute iterative approximate solutions of the radial form of div(|∇ u | n −2 ∇ u ) = e u . Figures are presented to show the effectiveness of algorithms presented in this paper and tables are presented to study the relationship among n , δ and the radial solution u of the problem studied in this paper.
Prevalence of Use of Herbal Products by Adults in the Minneapolis/St Paul, Minn, Metropolitan Area

Objectives To document the prevalence of use of herbal products among adults in a large metropolitan area and to examine issues surrounding such use. Subjects and Methods Of people aged 18 years and older residing in the Minneapolis/St Paul, Minn, metropolitan area, 752 were randomly selected from Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Service Division data tapes. Between June and August 1999, surveys were mailed to determine use of any herb and use of 13 specific herbs. Rationale for use, perceived efficacy, and source of product information were assessed for each of the specific herbs. Results Of the initial 752 persons, 580 were eligible, and 376 returned a completed survey, resulting in a response rate of 65%. When asked whether they had used an herb during the past 12 months, 230 respondents (61.2%) reported that they had. Prevalence of use of specific herbs ranged from 30.9% for ginseng to 3.0% for milk thistle. The most commonly reported reasons for using herbs varied by the type of herb, although for 5 of the herbs, the most frequently mentioned reason was to promote general health/well-being. For 11 of the 13 herbs, less than 60% of those who used the herb rated it as effective or very effective. Family, friends, and written materials were the leading sources of product information among those taking 9 of the 13 specific herbs. Conclusions Herbs are used frequently to treat or prevent an array of health conditions. At present, people who use herbal products appear to rely predominantly on family and friends for information.
Introductory Remarks for the Panel Discussion on Computer Control

The control environment of the Bevatron is divided into a system of well-defined tasks, each capable of being treated individually but not separately. To maintain the individual aspect, but integrate all of the component tasks into a system structure, ours is the "multi-processor" concept of system organization. It was recognized that bulk-storage elements could not be provided separately for each processor, and in fact, advantage could be gained by utilizing the moderate speed disc-storage as a common-memory element thereby allowing the main-frame memory of each mini-computer to act as "cache" memory for each arm of the quasi-multiprocessor. This allows the use of overlay techniques to provide an apparent vastly expanded software capability.
Reply to "Comment on dynamical theories of the liquid-glass transition"

The criticism by Siggia (in the preceding Comment) of recent work developing a dynamical theory of the liquid-glass transitin is shwn to be based on unphysical and mathematically unjustified mappings onto systems unrelated to those proposed to have a glass transition. His subsequent arguments misrepresent the structure of the transition that has been proposed.
Early intervention and perinatal depression: is there a need for provider training?

An estimated 5–25% of women suffer from perinatal depression (PD). If left untreated, PD can have negative consequences for maternal and child mental health. During pregnancy and the postpartum period, women are in contact with a variety of professionals and paraprofessionals such as public health nurses, early childhood providers and home visitors, which provides an excellent opportunity for identification, referral or treatment of PD. Using the pre‐test data from a training series about PD, this article describes participants’ self‐reported knowledge about risk factors for the onset, medication, effects, screening and treatment of PD. Relationships between level of self‐reported knowledge, occupation and education, and the implications for practice are also described. Findings from this study suggest that there is a need for training in PD, especially for paraprofessional home visitors and early childhood providers.
Computer Simulation of Nearshore Sediment Transport: ABSTRACT

Can a heterogeneous mixture of sediment grains of various sizes and specific-gravity values be partitioned effectively into relatively homogeneous sedimentary groups by diffusion processes in nearshore areas? If so, where will concentrations of heavy minerals occur, and what will be the relation between mineral concentrations and subaqueous topography, assuming constant wave conditions? A computer simulation model is used to explore these questions. Components of the model include: (1) a rectangular gridwork of cells, which is used to subdivide the region of interest, and provides the framework of an accounting system for keeping track of sediment movement, changes in bottom topography, wave energy and orbital velocities; (2) a wave-refraction algorithm, modified from Dob on which traces wave rays (calculating wave heights at intervals) from deep-water offshore into the shallow-water breaker zone; and (3) a sediment transport algorithm, which uses a two-dimensional diffusion equation with isotropic diffusion coefficients. Diffusion rates may be changed by altering the diffusion coefficients, which are here assumed to be a function of wave energy, grain size, and specific gravity. End_of_Article - Last_Page 465------------
Farm-level studies of particulate phosphorus transport in the Everglades Agricultural Area

The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is one of several large tracts of the original Everglades that were channelized and drained for commercial, residential, and agricultural development. Drainage waters from the agricultural lands in the EAA contribute nutrients, primarily phosphorus (P), to downstream regions including the Water Conservation Areas and Everglades National Park. The growers in the EAA are participating in a major program to implement agricultural best management practices that minimize the nutrient load of their discharge waters. This study is the first in a series to evaluate the sources and transport characteristics of the particulate phosphorus (PP) fraction of farm export P load, with the ultimate goal of developing effective PP control practices. Two target farms within the EAA were evaluated. Erosion and transport characteristics of potential PP sources were determined in laboratory flumes and field erosion devices. Time series analyses of suspended solids and PP concentrations and loads were conducted for both farm–wide synoptic and farm export studies. Extensive analyses were done on the P contents of soils, sediments, suspended solids, and biotic growth in the farm channels. Phosphorus adsorption–desorption was shown to be relatively unimportant for the high organic content particulates encountered in the EAA. Therefore, from a control standpoint, soluble and particulate P may be treated independently for short time scales. The P transport and content studies suggested that the bulk of the exported PP was sourced from the biotic material growing in the farm canals themselves. This was contrary to previous assumptions that presumed that soil erosion was the primary contributor to PP export. The ramifications of this “biological contribution mechanism” on development of effective practices for the control of PP export at the farm scale are discussed.
Democracy, Institutions and Attitudes about Citizen Influence on Government

Theorists such as Carole Pateman and Benjamin Barber suggest that democratic participation will engage citizens and lead them to have more positive regard for political processes and democratic practices. The American states provide a setting where provisions for direct voter participation in legislation vary substantially. If participatory institutions have an ‘educative role’ that shapes perceptions of government, then citizens exposed to direct democracy may be more likely to claim they understand politics and be more likely to perceive that they are capable of participation. They may also be more likely to perceive that government is responsive to them. We merge data on state-level political institutions with data from the 1992 American National Election Study to test these hypotheses with OLS models. Our primary hypotheses find support. We present evidence that the effects of exposure to direct democracy on internal and external political efficacy rival the effects of formal education.
Controlled Damage: The Mechanics and Micro-History of the Damnatio Memoriae Carried Out in KV-23, the Tomb of Ay

Preliminary study of the damaged royal names and images in KV-23—the tomb of Tutankhamun’s successor Ay—conducted a number of years ago and more recent consideration of the data from that research have enabled an understanding of the mechanics of the damnatio leveled against the monument. This research has also enabled the formation of conclusions regarding some of the symbolic aspects of the destruction. Although the details of the recovered evidence are those of a singular event in a particular tomb, the principles of the mechanics and symbolism underlying the destruction have broader application to our understanding of the process of damnatio in ancient Egypt, though many unanswered questions remain.
Regulatory T cells: exosomes deliver tolerance.

T regulatory (Treg) cells enforce peripheral tolerance through regulation of diverse immune responses in a context-specific manner. Okoye et al. show one way that Treg cells suppress Th1 cell responses is through nonautonomous gene silencing mediated by microRNA-containing exosomes.
Kafka and Wittgenstein on religious language

In what follows I would like to interpret one of Kafka ' s most intriguing pieces ("On Similes", written around 1922/23, but never published during the author ' s lifetime), and at the same time point out what seems to me a striking similarity between the ways in which Kafka and the early Wittgenstein thought about religious language. My interest in this paper is confined to investigating how Kafka and Wittgenstein approached .the problem of religious s tatements qua "s imiles" , although what is known about both authors points to fur ther significant parallels in their thinking. Here is Kafka ' s piece:
Implicit self-attitudes predict spontaneous affect in daily life

In 2 studies, the authors examined the degree to which implicit self-attitudes predicted people's spontaneous affective experiences in daily life. Across both studies, implicit attitudes toward the self (as measured by Implicit Association Tests) strongly predicted negative feeling states (as measured by computerized experience-sampling procedures), suggesting that implicit self-attitudes may be linked to changes in undifferentiated negative affect. Explicit attitudes toward the self generally did not account for these relations. Findings extend understanding of the factors that contribute to experienced affect and are the first to empirically link implicit self-attitudes with phenomenological affective experience in real-life settings over time.
Confine-and-Release Method: Obtaining Correct Binding Free Energies in the Presence of Protein Conformational Change

Free energy calculations are increasingly being used to estimate absolute and relative binding free energies of ligands to proteins. However, computed free energies often appear to depend on the initial protein conformation, indicating incomplete sampling. This is especially true when proteins can change conformation on ligand binding, as free energies associated with these conformational changes are either ignored or assumed to be included by virtue of the sampling performed in the calculation. Here, we show that, in a model protein system (a designed binding site in T4 lysozyme), conformational changes can make a difference of several kcal/mol in computed binding free energies and that they are neglected in computed binding free energies if the system remains kinetically trapped in a particular metastable state on simulation timescales. We introduce a general “confine-and-release” framework for free energy calculations that accounts for these free energies of conformational change. We illustrate its use...
A non-aqueous reduction process for purifying 153Gd produced in natural europium targets

Gadolinium-153 is a low-energy gamma-emitter used in nuclear medicine imaging quality assurance. Produced in nuclear reactors using natural Eu2O3 targets, 153Gd is radiochemically separated from europium isotopes by europium reduction. However, conventional aqueous europium reduction produces hydrogen gas, a flammability hazard in radiological hot cells. We altered the traditional reduction method, using methanol as the process solvent to nearly eliminate hydrogen gas production. This new, non-aqueous reduction process demonstrates greater than 98% europium removal and gadolinium yields of 90%.
High-power 2-μm diode-pumped Tm:YAG laser

Using a scalable diode end-pumping technology developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory we have demonstrated a compact Tm:YAG laser capable of generating greater than 50 W of cw 2 micrometer laser output power. The design and operational characteristics of this laser, which was built originally for use in assessing laser surgical techniques, are discussed. The 2 micrometer radiation produced by the 3F4 - 3H6 transition of Tm3+ has many practical applications because it is strongly absorbed by water and also because it is an 'eye-safe' wavelength. The strong absorption of 2 micrometer radiation by water makes this transition a very attractive candidate for performing laser surgical procedures as most tissue types are predominately composed of liquid water. The fact that 2 micrometer radiation is considered 'eye-safe' makes this transition attractive for laser range finding and remote sensing applications where other laser wavelengths could pose a safety hazard. At sufficiently high doping densities, Tm3+ exhibits a beneficial two-for-one quantum pump efficiency enabling well developed AlGaAs laser diode arrays to be used as efficient excitation sources. Many applications requiring 2 micrometer laser radiation such as remote sensing, laser radar, anti sensor, sensor spoofing, and OPO pumping have driven the development of diode pumped all solid state TM3+ laser systems because of their potential for efficiency, compactness, and ruggedness. Here we focus on Tm3+:YAG and the scalable diode end-pumping technology developed at LLNL which enables higher average power operation of diode pumped Tm3+ laser systems than has previously been possible. To date we have demonstrated cw operation of this laser to power levels of 51 W. The end-pumping technology used is the same as was previously used to demonstrate a 100 mJ Q-switched Nd:YLF laser. (Truncated.)
Exploring leadership roles, goals, and barriers among Kansas registered nurses: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract Objectives The Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing report advocates for full nurse leader representation across multiple settings to address current challenges in our health care system. The purpose of this study was to examine nursing leadership development needs among Kansas registered nurses (RNs). Methods Data were collected through an online survey and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results Nearly 1,000 Kansas RNs participated. Most reported holding one or more leadership positions. Prevalent leadership goals were health care organization volunteer administrative roles. The most frequently identified barrier to developing leadership roles was time constraints. Many wanted to develop skills to serve on a board, 20% were interested in personal leadership development, and 19% in policy development. Conclusions Based on the findings, the Kansas Action Coalition leadership team is developing programs to address the leadership needs of Kansas RNs. By building capacity in advanced leadership roles, RNs will be better prepared serve as full partners and lead efforts to promote the health of Kansans.
Incorporating Linguistic Model Adaptation into Whole-Book Recognition

Whole-book recognition is a document image analysis strategy that operates on the complete set of a book’s page images using automatic adaptation to improve accuracy. Our algorithm expects to be given approximate iconic and linguistic models-derived from (generally errorful) OCR results and (generally incomplete) dictionaries-and then, guided entirely by evidence internal to the test set, corrects the models yielding improved accuracy. The iconic model describes image formation and determines the behavior of a character-image classifier. The linguistic model describes word-occurrence probabilities. In previous work, we reported that adapting the iconic model alone (with a perfect linguistic model) was able to automatically reduce word error rate on a 180-page book by a large factor. In this paper, we propose an algorithm that adapts both the iconic model and the linguistic model alternately to improve both models on the fly. The linguistic model adaptation method, which we report here, identifies new words and adds them to the dictionary. With 64.6% words missing in the initial dictionary, our previous algorithm reduced word error rate from 40.2% to 23.2%. The new algorithm drives word error rate down further from 23.2% to 16.0%.
Neurological Problems of Jazz Legends

A variety of neurological problems have affected the lives of giants in the jazz genre. Cole Porter courageously remained prolific after severe leg injuries secondary to an equestrian accident, until he succumbed to osteomyelitis, amputations, depression, and phantom limb pain. George Gershwin resisted explanations for uncinate seizures and personality change and herniated from a right temporal lobe brain tumor, which was a benign cystic glioma. Thelonious Monk had erratic moods, reflected in his pianism, and was ultimately mute and withdrawn, succumbing to cerebrovascular events. Charlie Parker dealt with mood lability and drug dependence, the latter emanating from analgesics following an accident, and ultimately lived as hard as he played his famous bebop saxophone lines and arpeggios. Charles Mingus hummed his last compositions into a tape recorder as he died with motor neuron disease. Bud Powell had severe posttraumatic headaches after being struck by a police stick defending Thelonious Monk during a Harlem club raid.
New genetic technologies and their impact on women: a feminist perspective

In wealthy countries such as the United States, new genetic and reproductive technologies, including human reproductive cloning, are being developed. To date, the short- and long- term consequences for women of human reproductive cloning have remained largely unexamined. This article analyses ten common misconceptions about new genetic technologies, especially human reproductive cloning, and shows that women will bear the major physical, psychological, social, moral, legal, political and economic burdens of these genetic manipulations. Despite the great diversity of women and differing feminist perspectives towards new reproductive technologies, I argue that we need a united position which opposes human reproductive cloning. This article is based on a presentation that formed part of a panel at the Association for Women's Rights and Development (AWID) 9th International Forum entitled ‘The Genetic Revolution, Biotechnology and Women's Rights’.
Estimating economies of scale in higher education

Abstract If colleges and universities periodically operate at unexpected enrollment levels, measured costs may reflect short-run rather than long-run minimum average costs for different levels of output. If there is a systematic relationship between operating at disequilibrium and institutional size, cross-sectional estimates of the degree and level of scale economies may be biased. Using data from 1987-88, we assess the importance of the equilibrium assumption for estimates of scale economies in higher education.
The Efficacy of Parent Training for Promoting Positive Parent—Toddler Relationships

The effectiveness of a parent training program for promoting positive parent-child relationships was examined among families of 2-year-olds. Forty-six mothers and fathers and their toddlers were assigned to either an intervention or comparison group. Intervention group parents participated in a 10-week program that focused on principles for effectively interacting with their toddlers. Parents completed measures of parenting self-efficacy, depression, stress, and perceptions of their toddler's behaviors and were videotaped playing with their toddlers preintervention, postintervention, and 3 months following the intervention. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that the parent training program led to significant increases in maternal self-efficacy, decreases in maternal stress, and improvements in the quality of mother-toddler interactions. No significant effects were found among fathers. Explanations for obtaining different outcomes for mothers and fathers are discussed and directions for future research are recommended.
Electronic workplace monitoring: What employees think

It is estimated that at least 26 million Americans are electronically monitored in the workplace. Management insists that they have the right to monitor workers during time paid for by the company. Labor leaders and civil rights advocates argue that the practice violates the dignity and right to privacy of employees. In this study, 823 employees were surveyed. A great majority of the respondents felt that electronic monitoring might cause undesirable tension between managers and workers. Supervisors favor electronic monitoring more than non-supervisors do whereas non-supervisors believe to a greater extent than supervisors that electronic monitoring has a negative impact in the workplace. Supervisors and non-supervisors also differ in their beliefs about the ability of monitoring to reduce theft and create tension in the workplace, and the need to alert employees when monitoring takes place. Employees of organizations that practice monitoring object to it less then employees of organizations without electronic monitoring. Women, more than men, believe that electronic monitoring reduces theft and embezzlement.
Information Technology Availability and Use in the United States: A Multivariate and Geospatial Analysis by State

Exploratory empirical studies of the digital divide exist for various nations including the United States. The contribution of this paper is to enhance understanding of factors associated with availability and utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the state level in the US. In our conceptual model of technology utilization, eight dependent technology availability and utilization factors are posited to be associated with twelve independent socio-economic, demographic, innovation, and societal openness factors. Technology utilization variables are spatially analyzed to determine extent of agglomeration or randomness, and regression residuals are examined to eliminate spatial bias. We find that societal openness, urbanization, and ethnicities are significantly associated with higher ICT utilization. We report interesting findings for social media communication technologies of Facebook and Twitter. Implications for policymakers at both federal and state levels are discussed.
Protective effects of butylated hydroxyanisole against the acute toxicity of monocrotaline in mice.

Abstract Dietary butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) at levels of 0.25 and 0.75% was found to protect young female mice against the acute toxicity of monocrotaline. The protective effect was associated with reduced levels of pyrrole metabolites in liver, decreased activity of hepatic aminopyrine demethylase, and a reduced rate of in vitro microsomal conversion of monocrotaline to pyrrole metabolites. BHA also increased liver sulfhydryl levels and the activity of cytosolic glutathione S-transferase. Dietary cysteine (1%) was less protective than BHA against monocrotaline toxicity. The LD50 values of monocrotaline in control and cysteine fed mice were 259 and 335 mg/kg, respectively, but for BHA-fed mice, the LD50 value was 497 (0.25% dietary BHA) or 542 mg/kg (for 0.75% dietary BHA with or without 1% cysteine). Dietary cysteine did not produce an increase in liver sulfhydryls but it increased the glutathione S-transferase activity and the in vitro production of pyrroles from monocrotaline. The ip administration of monocrotaline (280 mg/kg) did not affect liver sulfhydryl levels or aminopyrine demethylase activity but produced a significant decrease in the in vitro formation of pyrroles from monocrotaline. Although alterations in microsomal monooxygenase activities occurred after BHA, cysteine or monocrotaline treatment, the concentration of cytochrome P-450 in liver was unchanged.
Yield of further diagnostic work-up of cryptogenic subarachnoid hemorrhage based on bleeding patterns on computed tomographic scans.

BACKGROUNDSubarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is cryptogenic in 15% of cases. Despite reports of proven recurrence, additional diagnostic studies are not often recommended when no abnormalities were identified on the initial study with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). In our retrospective review of
Prognostic significance of normal myocardial perfusion imaging among blacks and hispanics in an inner-city population

Abstract Background: Previous studies have shown that the risk of death/MI at 1 year is less than 1% in patients with normal stress myocardial perfusion imaging. However, the racial distribution of patients enrolled in these studies is not known or very few Blacks and Hispanics were included. Hence, the prognostic value of normal stress perfusion imaging in Blacks and Hispanic patients is not well established. Our objective was to determine the incidence of all cause mortality in Blacks and Hispanics with normal myocardial stress perfusion scan and EF. Methods and Results: Retrospective review of 657 patients who had normal SPECT Tc99m sestamibi stress perfusion study utilizing attenuation and scatter correction, with gated SPECT EF ≥45 in year 2000. Blacks 34%, Hispanics 55%. All cause mortality from Social Security Death Index was 22 (3.3%) over at least 36 months period, thus an annual mortality rate of approximately 1.1%. Study population was divided in two groups those alive and those dead. Analysis showed that following characteristics were predictor for increased mortality, older age, diabetes mellitus, High resting heart rate, resting EKG abnormalities, low end point systolic and diastolic pressure. There was no significant difference amongst the two groups in gender, smoking h/o hypertension, resting systolic or diastolic blood pressure, EF by gated SPECT and transient Ischemic dilatation. Characters Alive (N = 635) Dead (N = 22) P value Age 58.3 ± 11.9 65.9 ± 12.8 0.003 Diabetes Mellitus 27% 77% 0.0000003 Resting EKG abn 44% 82% 0.0004 Resting HR 70 ± 14 82 ± 18 0.0004 Endpoint SBP 159 ± 36 137 ± 41 0.007 Endpoint DBP 75 ± 12 67 ± 11 0.002 Conclusions: This study is first of its kind study in an inner city population. The overall mortality in Black and Hispanic patients with normal stress perfusion study with EF≥45 is very low and similar to other Non-Black and Non-Hispanic population.
Mostly Mismatched With a Chance of Settling Tracking Work Hour Mismatches in the United States

Mismatches between Americans’ actual and preferred hours of paid work are common, but the understanding of such mismatches is still limited. In this article, the authors provide the first large-scale, longitudinal study of hour mismatches in the United States. They found that the population of workers with hour mismatches is in constant flux. Nevertheless, hour mismatches seem to persist for long periods of time: The vast majority of respondents who wanted fewer hours when first interviewed still wanted fewer hours 5 years later. The authors also found inequalities in the methods through which people develop and resolve mismatches. Women who want fewer hours were less likely than men to resolve their mismatches by working less. Also, they found evidence suggesting that non-Whites who want fewer hours may be settling for the hours they can get rather than getting the hours they want.
Amorphization of Al2O3 by ion induced density reduction

Abstract Al2O3 at room temperature amorphizes at an anomalously high ion implantation dose, corresponding to hundreds of displacements per atom (dpa). We have performed X-ray reflectometry and Monte Carlo simulations, which show that amorphization near the surface is preceded by a progressive reduction in density caused by high-energy-transfer elastic collisions which knock Al and O atoms deeper into the crystal. Electron microscopy shows that the reduction in density is at least partially accommodated by void formation. We propose that the accumulation of these and other low-density defects such as vacancy clusters and nuclei of amorphous and lower-density crystalline phases of Al2O3 may serve as a mechanism for high-dose amorphization.
An in vivo evaluation of interface media used with the electric pulp tester.

Four interface media were,tested on the facial and lingual surfaces of anterior teeth with an electric pulp tester to determine whether the amount of current needed to elicit a response varies with the material. Four interface media were tested with an electric pulp tester to determine whether the amount of current needed to elicit a response varies with the material. Each material was tested on the facial and lingual surfaces of anterior teeth. Clinical results showed no appreciable difference between the materials used, provided they were water or petroleum based. Facial and lingual readings were the same in about half the tests, and lingual readings were slightly lower than facial readings in 40% of the tests.
COMT met allele differentially predicts risk versus severity of aberrant eating in a large community sample

Prefrontal dopamine (DA) transmission participates in the reinforcement of reward-driven behaviors like eating. Because catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) degrades DA and is expressed in the prefrontal cortex, variation in the COMT gene may modulate eating behavior. Previous studies have shown that the met allele of the COMT val158met single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with Bulimia Nervosa (BN). The specific aim of this study was to test whether the met allele increased risk for, and severity of, eating disorder symptomatology in community volunteers. Caucasian adults (N=1003; 51.2% female) from the University of Pittsburgh Adult Health and Behavior Project (AHAB) were genotyped and completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Logistic and Poisson regression analyses assessed genotype-dependent presence and severity of eating disorder symptomatology. The met allele was significantly associated with the presence of symptoms on the Bulimia subscale and the severity of Body Dissatisfaction scores. All EDI subscales significantly predicted BMI. To our knowledge, these are the first data indicating that the COMT met allele increases risk for some symptoms of disordered eating, while increasing severity of others, in a community sample. These novel findings may have important implications for understanding the etiology of heterogeneous disordered eating phenotypes.
Cardiovascular implications of obstructive sleep apnea associated with the presence of a patent foramen ovale

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a common congenital cardiac abnormality of the atrial septum which occurs in 25% of the population. It allows communication between the right and left atrium enabling right to left shunting of deoxygenated blood (after birth) which may be linked to strokes or transient ischemic attacks. PFO may also have an association with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). OSA is a common medical condition occurring in 9% of adult males and 4% of adult females. It may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. OSA causes intermittent hypoxia from episodes of apnea and hypopnea during sleep. Consequently, hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction ensues which produces an increased right atrial pressure which may generate a right to left shunt during apneic episodes promoting the occurrence of thromboembolic events. The existence of a PFO may be higher in patients with OSA. The presence of a PFO and OSA may increase the risk of stroke. In this review, the association of PFO and OSA is described along with their implications for cardiovascular disease. The relevant literature and treatment options are discussed to elaborate on the significance of the associated pathology.