cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bone Morphogenetic Proteins in Lumbar Arthrodesis: What Is All the Debate About? Commentary on an article by Daniel C. Beachler, PhD, MHS, et al.: "Bone Morphogenetic Protein Use and Cancer Risk Among Patients Undergoing Lumbar Arthrodesis: A Case-Cohort Study Using the SEER-Medicare Database".

Controversy continues surrounding the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic proteins (rhBMPs) in spine surgical procedures. At the present time, >20 BMPs have been discovered. Of these, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved the use of one for lumbar arthrodesis: rhBMP-2. Since its approval in 2002, the use of rhBMP-2 in lumbar spine surgical procedures has varied, oscillating in response to FDA Public Health Notifications and professional society recommendations1. Prior to the 2008 FDA Public Health Notification concerning the safety of BMPs in cervical surgical procedures2, >50% of anterior lumbar interbody fusion procedures, 43% of posterior lumbar interbody fusion or transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion procedures, and 30% of posterior lumbar fusion procedures utilized BMPs. In 2010, their use peaked, with 45.2% of lumbar arthrodeses using rhBMP-21. Following the 2008 FDA notification, the mean rate of BMP use in lumbar arthrodesis decreased steadily at 0.978% per month until the end of 20121. In their article, Beachler et …
Two-sample problem with bivariate exchangeable observations

On utilise la propriete de symetrie de ce type de probleme et on propose une maniere alternative d'analyser les donnees
Automotive LED driver based on high frequency zero voltage switching integrated magnetics Ćuk converter

This paper presents a high-frequency zero voltage switching (ZVS) integrated-magnetics Cuk converter well-suited for automotive LED-driver applications. Input inductor, output inductor and the transformer are realized on a single magnetic structure, resulting in very low input and output current ripples, thus reducing EMI and the need for an output filter capacitor. Furthermore, the converter switching frequency is selected above the AM band to reduce radio frequency interference. Active-clamp snubbers are used to mitigate effects of the transformer leakage inductance. It is found that the active-clamp snubbers introduce substantial deviations in the steady-state operation of this converter when compared to a conventional Cuk converter. A numerical analysis technique is introduced to quickly evaluate the steady state behavior including the effects of non-linear transistor output capacitances on ZVS transitions. A prototype 1.8 MHz Cuk converter with integrated magnetics is designed, built and tested. The prototype converter supplies 0.5 A output current to a string of 1-to-10 LED's. It achieves 89.6% peak powerstage efficiency, and maintains greater than 80% overall efficiency across the wide output voltage range.
Photon irradiation using a water bath technique for treatment of confluent carcinoma in situ of the hand, digits, and nail bed: a case report.

Confluent squamous cell carcinoma in situ, or Bowen’s disease, involving the hand, digit, and nail bed is rare and represents a significant therapeutic challenge. Surgical excision is recommended as first-line treatment but in cases of extensive disease can lead to unacceptable functional morbidity or cosmetic outcomes. Radiation therapy has been shown to be equally efficacious to surgery in the treatment of carcinoma in situ but its use has historically been limited due to concerns regarding toxicity. In this case report we present a novel therapeutic technique that may enable radiotherapy to be employed as a definitive treatment option in these challenging cases. A 75-year-old white man with a previous history of carcinoma in situ of his right hand previously treated with 5-fluorouracil presented with recurrent biopsy-proven confluent squamous cell carcinoma in situ of multiple surfaces of his right hand and digits with involvement of nail beds. To avoid extensive resection and possible amputation he was offered definitive external beam radiation therapy utilizing a water bath as a tissue-equivalent bolus material. This protocol enabled improved dose homogeneity to the target volume while minimizing acute toxicity. He experienced complete clinical resolution of the disease with only minimal acute edema and hyperpigmentation. Twenty months following treatment completion he remains disease-free with normal function and excellent cosmesis. Therapeutic radiation utilizing water as a tissue-equivalent bolus in this complicated case enabled definitive treatment of disease without compromising functional or cosmetic outcomes. Radiotherapy may therefore be an alternative and under-utilized approach to surgical excision in difficult-to-treat cases of carcinoma in situ.
Managing demand variability and operational effectiveness: case of lean improvement programmes and MRP planning integration

AbstractAlthough a lean focus is widely popular in general manufacturing environments, there are limited studies that empirically investigate how lean improvement programmes can be integrated with a material requirement planning (MRP) system. The aim of this research is to examine if the integration of lean improvement programmes with a MRP system has a positive effect on operational effectiveness when manufacturers are experiencing high levels of customer demand variability. Based on the contingency theory perspective and using data collected from the international manufacturing strategy survey (IMSS-V), a sample of 382 international manufacturing companies are first divided into two groups based on the degree of their customer demand fluctuation. Moderated hierarchical regression is then applied to each group to empirically test the research hypotheses. Statistical results suggest that operational effectiveness significantly improves when lean improvement programmes support MRP systems as manufacturers ...
Molybdenum(0) Dihapto-Coordination of Benzene and Trifluorotoluene: The Stabilizing and Chemo-Directing Influence of a CF3 Group

The preparation of the complexes TpMo(NO)(DMAP)(η2-PhCF3) (5) and TpMo(NO)(DMAP)(η2-benzene) (3) is described. The CF3 group is found to stabilize the metal–arene bond strength in 5 by roughly 3 kcal/mol compared to that in 3, allowing the large-scale synthesis and isolation of the trifluorotoluene analogue (5, 37 g, 70%). When a benzene solution of 5 is allowed to stand, clean conversion to the benzene analogue 3 occurs, and this complex may be precipitated from solution upon the addition of pentane and isolated. The trifluorotoluene complex is shown to be a synthetic precursor to functionalized cyclohexadienes: In solution, it selectively protonates at the ortho position, and the resulting η2-arenium species undergoes reactions with nucleophiles at the adjacent meta carbon. Thus, reactions of 5, triflic acid, and either N-methylpyrrole or 1-methoxy-2-methyl-1-(trimethylsilyloxy)-1-propene result in 5-substituted-1,3-cyclohexadienes after removal of the metal.
Hurricane Recovery and Ecological Resilience: Measuring the Impacts of Wetland Alteration Post Hurricane Ike on the Upper TX Coast

Recovery after hurricane events encourages new development activities and allows reconstruction through the conversion of naturally occurring wetlands to other land uses. This research investigates the degree to which hurricane recovery activities in coastal communities are undermining the ability of these places to attenuate the impacts of future storm events. Specifically, it explores how and to what extent wetlands are being affected by the CWA Section 404 permitting program in the context of post-Hurricane Ike 2008 recovery. Wetland alteration patterns are examined by selecting a control group (Aransas and Brazoria counties with no hurricane impact) vs. study group (Chambers and Galveston counties with hurricane impact) research design with a pretest-posttest measurement analyzing the variables such as permit types, pre-post Ike permits, land cover classes, and within-outside the 100-year floodplain. Results show that permitting activities in study group have increased within the 100-year floodplain and palustrine wetlands continue to be lost compare to the control group. Simultaneously, post-Ike individual and nationwide permits increased in the Hurricane Ike impacted area. A binomial logistic regression model indicated that permits within the study group, undeveloped land cover class, and individual and nationwide permit type have a substantial effect on post-Ike permits, suggesting that post-Ike permits have significant impact on wetland losses. These findings indicate that recovery after the hurricane is compromising ecological resiliency in coastal communities. The study outcome may be applied to policy decisions in managing wetlands during a long-term recovery process to maintain natural function for future flood mitigation.
The Modern Profile of Tuberculosis: Developing the TB Social Survey to understand contemporary social patterns in tuberculosis

Social disparities in tuberculosis have been documented for decades, yet to date there has not been a comprehensive study to examine the contemporary causes of these disparities. Local public health departments, and particularly public health nursing staff are charged with delivering directly observed therapy to individuals with tuberculosis disease. As a result of the frequency and duration of treatment, practitioners delivering therapy are often well-acquainted with the lives and challenges of their constituents. Thus, through these practitioners there exists a deep repository of knowledge on the drivers of social disparities in tuberculosis disease. Partnering with local public health departments, we developed a survey instrument aimed at understanding the social profile of individuals with tuberculosis disease in metropolitan Detroit, Michigan. We discuss the development and implementation of the survey instrument as well as challenges in developing partnerships between academic researchers and local public health practitioners. This study can serve as a framework for both academic researchers and public health practitioners interested in addressing social disparities in infectious disease.
Weighing supermassive black holes

A study suggests that the gas clouds in the vicinity of rapidly accreting supermassive black holes are distributed in a planar distribution, impacting the estimation of the mass of the black hole based on the motion of these clouds.
Evaluation of a Single Year Competency-Based Clerkship Alternative to Effectively Navigate a Fourth-Year to Third Year Curricular Transition (P2.002)

Objective: -Share the curricular design process and feasibility of implementation of a competency-based test-out option for a required neurology clerkship during a transition year -Evaluate the effectiveness of a competency-based test-out option for a neurology clerkship Background: As OHSU underwent UME curricular transformation, the neurology clerkship transferred from a fourth-year required clerkship to a third-year required clerkship. This led to a single year ‘bulge’ of students during the transition involving the first class of the new curriculum and the last class of the old curriculum. Design/Methods: A novel solution by the neurology clerkship leadership was accepted by the OHSU UME curriculum committee. For AY16–17 fourth-year students were allowed to test out of neurology by passing the NBME shelf examination in clinical neurology and completing a faculty-observed history and complete neurological examination. Test-out students were given access to all clerkship online resources including the AAN medical student SAE to prepare for assessments. Effectiveness of the test-out option was assessed by NBME shelf examination performance in both groups. All students completed an end-of-course evaluation and a focus group discussed the course with an OHSU UME curriculum committee liaison. Results: Of fourth-year students AY16–17, 57 chose to complete the required neurology clerkship and 77 chose the test-out option. The mean NBME shelf exam raw score was 77.6 for clerkship versus 76.9 for those who took the test-out option (difference non-significant at p=0.30). Test-out option students were satisfied with the experience, and enjoyed the flexibility it allowed in schedule. A theme from the focus group was that students who tested-out felt that they did miss valuable clinical experience on the neurology clerkship. Conclusions: As there are many medical schools currently undergoing similar curricular changes, so this challenge is not unique to OHSU. This option alleviates already taxed clinical site resources without adversely affecting NBME shelf examination scores. Disclosure: Dr Kraakevik has nothing to disclose. Dr. Frederick has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ryan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Carney has nothing to disclose.
The Fundamental Equations of Nonlinear Continuum Mechanics

An account is given of a procedure for deriving the fundamental field equations of continuum thermomechanics from the balance of energy equation and the entropy production inequality, by using certain considerations of invariance under rigid motions.
Corrosion Behavior of Electropolished and Non-electropolished Ternary Nitinol Alloys

Electropolishing is a common technique for rendering a smooth mirror-like surface finish to implant materials. It is also known to improve a material’s corrosion resistance. A current method to evaluate the corrosion resistance of biomedical implants is based on in-vitro corrosion tests (ASTM F2129-08). Cyclic polarization tests were conducted at 37 °C using phosphate buffer saline (PBS) as an electrolyte to evaluate the corrosion resistance of electropolished and non-electropolished Ni-Ti-Cu and Ni-Ti-Cr alloys. The effects of electropolishing on break down potential (Eb) and the difference between break down potential and rest potential (Er), which is equivalent to the resistance to pitting corrosion were evaluated.
Potential impacts of climate change on Welwitschia mirabilis populations in the Namib Desert, southern Africa

Climate change is threatening natural ecosystems in the Earth, and arid regions of southern Africa are particularly exposed to further drying. Welwitschia mirabilis Hook. (Welwitschiaceae) is an unusual gymnosperm tree that is recognized as an icon of the Namib Desert, southern Africa. Many aspects of its biology were investigated in the past, with a special emphasis for its physiology and adaptations, but nothing is known about its potential sensitivity to current climate changes. In this study, we adopted an approach based on distribution data for W. mirabilis and ecological niche models for clarifying the species-climate interactions and for predicting the potential impacts of climate change on W. mirabilis populations in three well-separated sub-ranges (northern, southern and central) in northwestern Namibia, southern Africa. We evidenced that the populations occurring in the northern sub-range have peculiar climatic exigencies compared with those in the central and southern sub-ranges and are particularly exposed to the impact of climate change, which will consist of a substantial increase in temperature across the region. These impacts could be represented by demographic changes that should be detected and monitored detailedly to plan efficient measures for managing populations of this important species on the long-term scale.
N-acetylcysteine yields sex-specific efficacy for cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine seeking.

Women report greater craving during certain phases of the menstrual cycle. As well, research indicates that pharmacotherapies for smoking may be less efficacious in women compared with men, which may be due to interactions with natural fluctuations in ovarian hormone levels. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) is a glutamatergic compound that has shown some efficacy in treating substance use disorders and aids in the prevention of relapse. However, it is unclear whether NAC has sex-specific effectiveness for nicotine relapse treatment. Given that NAC has shown promise to reduce nicotine reinstatement in preclinical models using male rats, the exploration of potential sex differences in the efficacy of NAC is warranted. Using a rat model, we first investigated the ability of NAC treatment (100 mg/kg, ip) during nicotine withdrawal with extinction training to reduce cue-induced nicotine seeking in male and female rats. Next, we assessed whether NAC's effects were estrous cycle-dependent for female rats. Results show that following NAC treatment during extinction, reinstatement of nicotine seeking was significantly decreased in males but not females, indicating a sex-specific effect of NAC. Furthermore, for females, both vehicle- and NAC-treated groups significantly reinstated nicotine-seeking behavior compared with extinction, regardless of estrous cycle phase. These results suggest that NAC is inefficacious in reducing nicotine relapse in females regardless of estrous cycle phase at the dose evaluated here. These collective findings could have important clinical implications for use and efficacy of NAC as a pharmacotherapy for freely cycling women smokers.
What Do Cryptocurrencies Do

Cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, are designed to facilitate payments even when there is a lack of trust. In this article, the authors discuss the features that are necessary for cryptocurrencies to play this role. They conclude that the specific features required to allow cryptocurrencies to facilitate payments when there is a lack of trust make these currencies less convenient as a payment mechanism than alternatives that rely on trust. The authors conclude that as long as sufficient trust exist in payment intermediaries, cryptocurrencies are likely too inconvenient to be widely adopted.
Estimating the dynamic coefficient of friction from experimental data: the motion of a rocket inside a smoothbore launcher

The motion of a spinning rocket inside a smoothbore launcher has drawn some attention in recent years. The inaccuracy of spin-stabilized rockets can be attributed, in part, to the initial motion of the rocket inside the smoothbore launcher.
Genetic and biochemical analysis of Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase thermostability

Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase (GA) is an enzyme involved in industrial com starch processing. Genetic and biochemical approaches were used to smdy the mechanisms governing GA thermostability. Three proline substimtion (Xaa-Pro) mutations were constructed that were predicted to increase the enzyme's stability by decreasing its conformational entropy of unfolding. When expressed ui Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ser30-Pro increased, Asp345-Pro did not alter and Glu408-Pro greatly decreased GA stability as measured by resistance to irreversible thermoinactivation relative to the wildtype enzyme. The Ser30-Pro mutation was combined with other previously identified stabilizing mutations to examine whether combining such mutations could cumulatively stabilize the GA. The SerSO-Pro mutation cumulatively stabilized the enzyme when combined with the Asn20-Cys/Ala27-Cys mutations, which create a disulfide bond between positions 20 and 27. Similarly, when SerSO-Pro was combined with a Glyl37-Ala mutation the enzyme was cumulatively stabilized. The combined mutant Asn20-Cys/Ala27-Cys/Ser30-Pro/Glyl37-Ala was the most stable variant constructed and increased the enzyme's activation energy for thermoinactivation by 4.4 kJ/moI at 65°C and its melting temperature (the temperature at which the enzyme was 50% inactivated after 10 minutes) by 3.9°C relative to wild-type GA. None of the combined mutants decreased the enzyme's activity. The Asn20-Cys/Ala27-Cys/Ser30-Pro/Glyl37-Ala and Ser30-Pro/Glyl37-Ala mutants increased resistance to irreversible thermoinactivation in the presence of 1.71 M glucose and outperformed wild-type GA in a high-temperamre ix (65°C) saccharification of DE 10 maltodextrin. Using random mutagenesis, an AspZSS-Asn mutation was identified that increased the expression of recombinant GA by S. cerevisiae when grown at elevated temperatures in both wild-type and Gly396-Ser genetic backgroimds. This may be due to increased resistance to intraand/or extra-cellular proteolysis conferred by the Asp238-Asn amino acid substimtion. The screening method used to identify the Asp238-'Asn mutation may be useful to identify other mutations which could increase the expression of other productiondeficient GA mutants.
A systematic overview of systematic reviews evaluating interventions addressing polypharmacy.

Purpose To systematically evaluate and summarize evidence across multiple systematic reviews (SRs) examining interventions addressing polypharmacy. Summary MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) were searched for SRs evaluating interventions addressing polypharmacy in adults published from January 2004 to February 2017. Two authors independently screened, appraised, and extracted information. SRs with Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) scores below 8 were excluded. After extraction of relevant conclusions from each SR, evidence was summarized and conclusions compared. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to assess evidence quality. Six SRs met the inclusion criteria, 4 of which used meta-analytic pooling. Five SRs focused on older adults. Four were not restricted to any specific disease type, whereas 1 focused on proton pump inhibitors and another focused on patients with severe dementia. Care settings and measured outcomes varied widely. SRs examining the impact on patient-centered outcomes, including morbidity, mortality, patient satisfaction, and utilization, found inconsistent evidence regarding the benefit of polypharmacy interventions, but most concluded that interventions had either null or uncertain impact. Two SRs assessing medication appropriateness found very low-quality evidence of modest improvements with polypharmacy interventions. Conclusion An overview of SRs of interventions to address polypharmacy found 6 recent and high-quality SRs, mostly focused on older adults, in which both process and outcome measures were used to evaluate interventions. Despite the low quality of evidence in the underlying primary studies, both SRs that assessed medication appropriateness found evidence that polypharmacy interventions improved it. However, there was no consistent evidence of any impact on downstream patient-centered outcomes such as healthcare utilization, morbidity, or mortality.
Copigmentation with Chlorogenic and Ferulic Acid Affected Color and Anthocyanin Stability in Model Beverages Colored with Sambucus peruviana , Sambucus nigra , and Daucus carota during Storage.

The food industry is looking for alternatives to synthetic colorants. Anthocyanins (ACNs) are suitable replacements due to their color characteristics and potential health benefits. The application of sauco (Sambucus peruviana, SP) as a potential source of ACN-based colorants was evaluated and compared to elderberry (Sambucus nigra, SN) and an extract from purple carrots (PC). Color and pigment stability were evaluated using a model beverage system during eight weeks of storage. Copigmentation with chlorogenic acid (CGA) and ferulic acid (FA) were also evaluated. SP ACNs provided darker and more intense colors than those obtained with SN but less intense than those obtained with PC. Addition of CGA and FA resulted in significantly darker colors with higher chroma in beverages colored with SP and SN but not in beverages colored with PC. Copigmentation with FA reduced monomeric pigment half-lives for all ACN sources but increased the chroma half-lives of beverages colored with SP and SN, from 23 to 49 weeks, and from 23 to 55 weeks, respectively. Analyses using liquid chromatography coupled to photodiode array detection and mass spectrometry showed that interaction between non-acylated ACNs and FA resulted in the formation of pyranoanthocyanins. Overall, ACNs from non-acylated sources such as SP, in combination with FA, showed potential for commercial food applications.
The news at the ends of the Earth: by Hester Blum, Durham, North Carolina, Duke University Press, 2019, 328 pp., $27.95 USD (paperback), ISBN 9781478003229, DOI 10.1353/book.65200

One of the latest, important books about the polar regions is Hester Blum’s The News at the Ends of the Earth. In an under-researched area, Blum investigates shipboard newspapers, their content, an...
Banning Genetic Discrimination in Life Insurance - Time to Follow Florida's Lead.

Banning Genetic Discrimination in Life Insurance Fear of discrimination by life insurance companies has been an obstacle to progress in the use of genetic technologies in medicine and research. A n...
Medicare Reimbursement Trends for Hospital-Based Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Procedures: 2003 to 2020.

Purpose To evaluate recent trends in Medicare reimbursement rates for common hospital-based oral-maxillofacial surgery procedures. Methods Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services was searched for reimbursement rates for the 20 most performed oral-maxillofacial surgery procedures between 2003 and 2020. Total percent change, annual percent change, and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) were calculated using the adjusted reimbursement rates over the study period. Annual changes in reimbursement rates before and after 2016 were compared. Results After adjusting for inflation, average reimbursement rates for procedures decreased by 13.4%. Annual percent change and CAGR were −0.79 and −0.88%, respectively. Annual reimbursements decreased more between 2016 to 2020 (−1.83%,) than from 2003 to 2016 (−0.49%; P value = .003). Conclusion Inflation-adjusted Medicare reimbursement rates for oral-maxillofacial surgery procedures have decreased from 2003 to 2020. The rate of reimbursement decreases has accelerated in recent years.
A Specialized Neural Circuit Gates Social Vocalizations in the Mouse

Vocalizations are fundamental to mammalian communication, but the underlying neural circuits await detailed characterization. Here we used an intersectional genetic method to label and manipulate neurons in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) that are transiently active in male mice when they produce ultrasonic courtship vocalizations (USVs). Genetic silencing of PAG-USV neurons rendered males unable to produce USVs and impaired their ability to attract females. Conversely, activating PAG-USV neurons selectively triggered USV production, even in the absence of any female cues. Optogenetic stimulation combined with axonal tracing indicate that PAG-USV neurons gate downstream vocal patterning circuits. Indeed, activating PAG neurons that innervate the nucleus retroambiguus, but not those innervating the parabrachial nucleus, elicited USVs in both male and female mice. These experiments establish that a dedicated population of PAG neurons gives rise to a descending circuit necessary and sufficient for USV production, while also demonstrating the communicative salience of male USVs.
Unique neurocircuitry activation profiles during fear conditioning and extinction among women with posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract Background Neurocircuitry models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest specific alterations in brain structures linked with fear conditioning and extinction. Most models assume a unitary pattern of neurocircuitry dysfunction in PTSD and little attention has focused on defining unique profiles of neurocircuitry engagement (i.e., biotypes), despite known clinical heterogeneity in PTSD. Here, we aim to address this gap using a data-driven approach to characterize unique neurocircuitry profiles among women with PTSD. Methods Seventy-six women with PTSD related to assaultive violence exposure competed a task during fMRI that alternated between fear conditioning, where a geometric shape predicted the occurrence of an electric shock, and fear extinction, where the geometric shape no longer predicted electric shock. A multivariate clustering analysis was applied to neurocircuitry patterns constrained within an a priori mask of structures linked with emotion processing. Resulting biotypes were compared on clinical measures of neurocognition, trauma exposure, general mental health symptoms, and PTSD symptoms and on psychophysiological responding during the task. Results The clustering analysis identified three biotypes (BT), differentiated by patterns of engagement within salience, default mode, and visual processing networks. BT1 was characterized by higher working memory, fewer general mental health symptoms, and low childhood sexual abuse, and lower PTSD symptom severity. BT2 was characterized by lower verbal IQ but better extinction learning as defined by psychophysiology and threat expectancy. BT3 was characterized by low childhood sexual abuse, anxious arousal, and re-experiencing symptoms. Conclusion: This data demonstrates unique profiles of neurocircuitry engagement in PTSD, each associated with different clinical characteristics, and suggests further research defining distinct biotypes of PTSD. Clinicaltrials.gov , https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/home , NCT02560389.
Comparison of image quality of corneal and retinal optical coherence tomography using sedation and general anesthesia protocols with or without retrobulbar anesthesia in horses.

Objective To compare image quality and acquisition time of corneal and retinal spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) under 3 different sedation-anesthesia conditions in horses. Animals 6 middle-aged geldings free of ocular disease. Procedures 1 randomly selected eye of each horse was evaluated via SD-OCT under the following 3 conditions: standing sedation without retrobulbar anesthetic block (RB), standing sedation with RB, and general anesthesia with RB. Five regions of interest were evaluated in the cornea (axial and 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions) and fundus (optic nerve head). Three diagnostic scans of predetermined quality were obtained per anatomical region. Image acquisition times and total scans per site were recorded. Corneal and retinal SD-OCT image quality was graded on a subjective scale from 0 (nondiagnostic) to 4 (excellent). Results Mean values for the standing sedation without RB, standing sedation with RB, and general anesthesia conditions were 24, 23, and 17, respectively, for total cornea scan attempts; 23, 19, and 19 for total retina-scan attempts; 14.6, 13.2, and 9.2 minutes for total cornea scan time; 19.1, 9.2, and 13.0 for total retina scan time; 2.0, 2.3, and 2.5 for cornea grade; and 2.7, 2.9, and 2.5 for retina grade. Conclusions and clinical relevance The RB facilitated globe akinesia and improved the percentage of scans in frame and region of interest accuracy for retinal imaging via OCT in horses. Retrobulbar blocks improved clinical image acquisition while minimizing motion artifact.
Animal and Human Waste as Vehicles for Cross-Contamination of Imported Foods

This chapter focuses on animal and human wastes as potential sources of contamination of imported foods. The amount of animal and human feces generated on a worldwide basis is enormous. The use of human wastes or wastewater for produce production in developed countries is not allowed or is strictly regulated because of the potential for transmission of enteric pathogens. Although use of highly treated domestic wastewater for food crops to be eaten raw is allowed in some states in the United States, it is seldom practiced because of potential health hazards. Of the enteric bacteria, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 present the greatest problem because they infect a wide variety of animals besides humans. The occurrence of enteric pathogens in the environment is a reflection of the incidence of infection by the pathogen in a population. For example, various studies have indicated that E. coli O157:H7 is commonly present in animal and human wastewaters at levels of 10 to 100/100 ml of municipal sewage and 100 to 1,000/100 ml of animal wastewaters and wastewaters from slaughterhouses. The concentrations of pathogens detected in raw sewage are provided in the chapter. Animal wastes and effluents from farming operations, including manures and slurries, are frequently applied to increase the soil fertility of cropland. Multiple contamination sources and pathways pose risks to food safety, with solid and liquid waste handling and irrigation of produce and shellfish production representing major risk factors.
The Use of Mitochondria-Targeted Endonucleases to Manipulate mtDNA

For more than a decade, mitochondria-targeted nucleases have been used to promote double-strand breaks in the mitochondrial genome. This was done in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) homoplasmic systems, where all mtDNA molecules can be affected, to create models of mitochondrial deficiencies. Alternatively, they were also used in a heteroplasmic model, where only a subset of the mtDNA molecules were substrates for cleavage. The latter approach showed that mitochondrial-targeted nucleases can reduce mtDNA haplotype loads in affected tissues, with clear implications for the treatment of patients with mitochondrial diseases. In the last few years, designer nucleases, such as ZFN and TALEN, have been adapted to cleave mtDNA, greatly expanding the potential therapeutic use. This chapter describes the techniques and approaches used to test these designer enzymes.
Detecting fiducials affected by Trombone delay in ARC and the main laser alignment at the National Ignition Facility

Four of the 192 beams of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) are currently being diverted into the Advanced Radiographic Capability (ARC) system to generate a sequence of short (1-50 picoseconds) 1053 nm laser pulses. When focused onto high Z wires in vacuum, these pulses create high energy x-ray pulses capable of penetrating the dense, imploding fusion fuel plasma during ignition scale experiments. The transmitted x-rays imaged with x-ray diagnostics can create movie radiographs that are expected to provide unprecedented insight into the implosion dynamics. The resulting images will serve as a diagnostic for tuning the experimental parameters towards successful fusion reactions. Beam delays introduced into the ARC pulses via independent, free-space optical trombones create the desired x-ray image sequence, or movie. However, these beam delays cause optical distortion of various alignment fiducials viewed by alignment sensors in the NIF and ARC beamlines. This work describes how the position of circular alignment fiducials is estimated in the presence of distortion.
Managing document taxonomies in relational databases

This chapter addresses the challenge of applying relational database technologies to manage taxonomies, which are commonly used to classify documents, knowledge and websites into a hierarchy of topics. It first describes how denormalizing the data model can facilitate data retrieval from such topic hierarchies. It then shows how the typical data maintenance difficulties associated with denormalized data models can be solved using database triggers.
Characteristics of the unexpected message queue of MPI applications

High Performance Computing systems are used on a regular basis to run a myriad of application codes, yet a surprising dearth of information exists with respect to communications characteristics. Even less information is available on the low-level communication libraries, such as the length of MPI Unexpected Message Queues (UMQs) and the length of time such messages spend in these queues. Such information is vital to developing appropriate strategies for handling such data at the library and system level. In this paper we present data on the communication characteristics of three applications GTC, LSMS, and S3D. We present data on the size of their UMQ, the time spend searching the UMQ and the length of time such messages spend in these queues. We find that for the particular inputs used, these applications have widely varying characteristics with regard to UMQ length and show patterns for specific applications which persist over various scales.
Fredonia: A simulation model for teaching undergraduate development economics

Abstract This paper describes an interactive teaching tool for economic development which complements texts, readings, and lectures with some ‘hands-on’ experience in managing a highly stylized economy of a developing country. The simulation game is not difficult to learn, but is hard to ‘win’. It requires only minuscule understanding of computers, is quite small and inexpensive to operate, and is written in ANSI Fortran to maximize portability. The workings of the simulated economy are described in terms of ‘lessons’ of development.
Helling V. Carey Revisited: Physician Liability in the Age of Managed Care

Although courts have been moving toward the adoption of a reasonable, prudent physician standard in medical malpractice cases, they have not sketched out the parameters of a new doctrinal regime. This article provides a tentative outline of a new doctrinal regime to replace the traditional customary standard. Under this new regime, custom evidence would be relevant but not determinative in malpractice cases. My proposal builds in part on Helling v. Carey. In that case, the Supreme Court of Washington disregarded testimony as to the prevailing custom and held two physicians liable for their failure to provide a patient with a diagnostic test. Although the Helling court's cost/benefit analysis may be flawed and has been widely criticized, its focus on the cost effectiveness of withheld treatment provides a better approach than the traditional customary standard in the age of managed care. My proposed standard takes into account the physican's rationing role in managed care. It provides that a physician has a duty to treat patients with the care of a reasonable, prudent physician acting under similar circumstances in good faith and in the best interests of the patient. This tort duty is, however, modified by the obligation of the physician to treat the patient in accordance with the cost containment goals of the patient's health plan. My proposal also borrows from the laws governing the conduct of corporate officers and agents. It includes a rebuttable presumption that the physician has acted in good faith and in the patient's best interests in selecting treatments or diagnostic procedures. This presumption could be rebutted by evidence that the financial incentives agreed to by the physician place too much pressure on the physician to place his or her financial interests ahead of the patient's interests. In determining whether the physician acted reasonably in denying access to a particular treatment or diagnostic technique, the court should also look to such evidence as cost-effectiveness and outcome studies and clinical practice guidelines.
Notas sobre el género Ardisia Swartz en Colombia

The study of the collections housed in the Colombian National Herbarium (COL) resulted in the discovery of three new species of Ardisia Swartz, from Parque Nacional Las Orquideas, the area around Barbacoas, and the Choco flora of Valle. The new species, Ardisia cogolloi, Ardisia pseudoracemiflora, and Ardisia cabrerae are discribed, illustrated, and their phylogenetic relationships are discussed. Ardisia dodgei Standley, previously known only from the southeastern Pacific Slope of Costa Rica, is recorded for the first time from Antioquia and Vaupes.
The Effect of Stress on Gill Basolateral Membrane Binding Kinetics of 5‐HT2 Receptor Ligands: Potential Implications for Urea Excretion Mechanisms

The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between cortisol and the toadfish serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor, which is believed to be responsible for the activation of the toadfish urea transporter, tUT. We hypothesize that elevations in cortisol would play a role in the regulation of the 5-HT2A receptor at the level of mRNA expression, ligand binding, and/or function. To test this idea, cortisol levels were manipulated by either crowding or through treatment with the cortisol synthesis blocker, metyrapone. Crowded fish had significantly higher circulating cortisol levels compared to uncrowded fish and cortisol levels in metyrapone-treated fish were significantly lower than saline-treated controls. No significant difference was measured in gill 5-HT2A mRNA expression levels between uncrowded and crowded, control- or metyrapone-treated fish. Furthermore, no significant difference was measured in [3H]-5-HT binding kinetics or in the competitive binding of the 5-HT2 agonist, α-methyl 5-HT, to isolated gill basolateral membranes of uncrowded or crowded toadfish. However, the binding maximum (Bmax) of the 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, [3H]-ketanserin, was significantly different between all four groups of fish (metyrapone > control > crowded > uncrowded). Furthermore, metyrapone-treated fish excreted approximately twofold more urea compared to controls when injected with α-methyl 5-HT, a 5-HT2 receptor agonist shown to stimulate urea excretion. Our results suggest that cortisol may have differential effects on 5-HT receptor binding, which could have potential implications on the control of pulsatile urea excretion in toadfish. J. Exp. Zool. 319A:237–248, 2013. © 2013 © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reversibility of Quantum Electrodynamics

The aim of this paper is to re-establish the reversibility of classical electrodynamics in terms of the "expectation values" given by quantum electrodynamics. The reversibility requirement combined with the charge conjugation necessitates that charged fields should obey certain types of statistics. However, the reversibility requirement as such does not determine the statistics, showing that it is the requirement of charge-invariance that has the power to determine the statistics of charged fields. A new interpretation will be given to the old problem concerning the conflict of electromagnetic reversibility versus "retarded" potential. Four different kinds of tensors, four different kinds of spinors (pseudospinors), bi-spinors (eight-component spinors) and bi-tensors are introduced as useful representation vectors of the entire congruent group including spatial and temporal inversions.
Kuhn's Impossibility Proof and the Moral Element in Scientific Explanations

Thomas S. Kuhn and others have arrived at the conclusion that at certain stages of investigation scientists cannot have recourse to criteria by which to justify their choices and actions. From this they have inferred that the choices made at these stages cannot be justified, leaving the impression that scientists may not be responsible for acting in some (sound, right, correct) as opposed to other (wrong, unsound, incorrect) ways in those circumstances. Kuhn's judgment is that in the last analysis it is so called subjective aesthetic considerations that will determine the actions taken. In this paper I argue that Kuhn fails to consider criteria of justification not provided by some field of science itself. He appears even to reject the possibility of invoking such “field-invariant” (S. Toulmin's term) criteria. He also seems to reject recourse to metaphysical first principles, without even giving these a polite perusal. Finally he does not allow for any possible moral element within these types of human activities - i.e., people faced with dilemmas in or out of science. I end by indicating how we might approach the Kuhnean type of choices and actions from within a moral perspective. The notion of acting as guided by moral rules is rejected since in “stress” cases the same problems occur here as do with paradigm selections namely we are left without rules. I suggest that the moral element consists, broadly, in exerting the effort needed to find solutions, in moral integrity, conscientiousness or the like. Mainly, however, I argue that how this moral element is to be characterized (identified) will in such cases have to await the occurrence of the dilemma and its solution. That is its uniqueness. But it does not exclude the possibility that once these cases have emerged, they should be discovered to require a given approach, not another. This, in turn, allows that the actions to be taken be justifiable and even that those who face the situation are responsible to discover how to act under the circumstances.
The Role of Goal Representations, Cultural Identity, and Dispositional Optimism in the Depressive Experiences of American Indian Youth from a Northern Plains Tribe

American Indian researchers and scholars have emphasized the importance of identifying variables that promote resilience and protect against the development of psychopathology in American Indian youth. The present study examined the role of self-regulation, specifically goal characteristics (i.e., goal self-efficacy, goal specificity, intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, and goal conflict) and dispositional optimism, as well as cultural identity and self-reported academic grades in the depressive experiences of American Indian youth from a North American plains tribe. One hundred and sixty-four participants (53 % female) completed measures of goal representations, cultural identity, dispositional optimism, academic performance, and depressive symptoms. Results supported a model in which higher goal self-efficacy, American Indian cultural identity, grade point average, and dispositional optimism each significantly predicted fewer depressive symptoms. Moreover, grade point average and goal self-efficacy had both direct and indirect (through dispositional optimism) relationships with depressive symptoms. Our findings underscore the importance of cognitive self-regulatory processes and cultural identity in the depressive experiences for these American Indian youth and may have implications for youth interventions attempting to increase resiliency and decrease risk for depressive symptoms.
Notes on discrete torsion in orientifolds

Abstract In this paper we discuss discrete torsion in orientifolds. In particular, we apply the physical understanding of discrete torsion worked out several years ago, as group actions on B fields, to the case of orientifolds, and recover some old results of Braun and Stefanski concerning group cohomology and twisted equivariant K theory. We also derive new results including phase factors for nonorientable worldsheets and analogues for C fields.
The synthesis of near‐optimum finite element meshes with interactive computer graphics

A new approach to the generation of near-optimum finite element meshes is presented. Like other current methods, the procedure presented uses the results of a previous analysis to improve the idealization, but unlike other procedures a new element mesh is generated in each cycle with the aid of interactive computer graphics. The procedure generates near-optimum two-dimensional meshes on one cycle employing a grid optimization criterion based on variations in the strain energy density and using a software system which operates like an interactive finite element preprocessor. The example problems presented demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of the approach.
A Three-Condition Characterization of the Moore-Penrose Generalized Inverse

Moore—Penrose generalized inverses of matrices, defined by four conditions, are useful tools in statistical analysis. In this article a three-condition characterization of the inverses is derived. This characterization is then applied to establish a result on the Moore—Penrose generalized inverse of a matrix product.
First-principles quantum molecular-dynamics study of the vibrations of icosahedral C60.

Using first-principles real-space quantum-molecular-dynamics, we compute the structure and normal modes of icosahedral ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$. The many-electron ground-state energy and atomic forces are computed for each atomic configuration, and the results are used in molecular-dynamics calculations of the modes. We focus here on the 14 modes which are either first-order Raman active or infrared active, and we compare our calculated mode frequencies with experimental data. Using no free parameters, we compute the frequencies to between 4% and 16% of their measured values, depending on the mode.