cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heightened Flexor Withdrawal Response in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis Is Modulated by Joint Compression and Joint Mobilization

Abstract Patients with chronic pain often present with hyperalgesia, possibly due to hyperexcitability of nociceptive pathways. The aim of the present study was to investigate alterations in flexor withdrawal reflex (FWR) excitability in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and the potential effect of specific physical inputs or therapeutic interventions (ie, joint compression and mobilization) on these behaviors. Ten subjects with and 10 without knee OA (age 45–75) were recruited. The FWR was examined utilizing suprathreshold, noxious electrocutaneous stimuli applied at the medial foot. Surface electromyographic (EMG) was recorded from the tibialis anterior (TA) and biceps femoris (BF), and peak joint torques recorded at the hip, knee, and ankle. FWR threshold was ascertained and responses at 2× threshold recorded after the following conditions: a maximal, volitional, joint-compression task, a sham hands-on intervention, and a Grade III oscillatory joint-mobilization intervention. A decreased threshold-to-flexor withdrawal response was found in the OA vs control group ( P P P Perspective Application of specific physical inputs to individuals with knee OA similar to those encountered during activity of daily living or during therapeutic interventions appear to modulate involuntary, nociceptive reflex responses. Routine weight-bearing activities such as walking may potentially enhance heightened FWR responses, while joint mobilization, a commonly used clinical intervention, may diminish reflex excitability.
Trayvon Martin and the Dystopian Turn in US Self-defense Doctrine

The February 2012 shooting death in Florida of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, by George Zimmerman, an Hispanic neighborhood watch captain ‐ and the police’s immediate release of the shooter ‐ drew widespread outrage at racial disparities in law enforcement of violent crimes in the United States. It also drew attention to a fundamental shift in the doctrine of self-defense as legislated in Florida and 24 other US states since 2005. The social production of multiple spaces shaped this tragedy, and this intervention reflects on the intersection of ghettoization, gated communities, and spaces of the home (read, castle) as they contributed to these events. Lefebvre’s (1991 [1974]) articulation in The Production of Space of space as a social product shaped by values, meanings and power relations is well trodden ground in human geography. The Stand Your Ground law used to justify the initial release of the boy’s killer adds a frightening new twist to how we should understand the play of power in spaces, and the way that space can be used to reproduce overtly violent social dominance. The history of ghettoization of non-whites in American cities, and most virulently, of African Americans is, of course, a textbook example of the use of space to reproduce and deepen social dominance. Over the course of the twentieth century, government agendas articulated with private economic interests to produce ghettoes using racial zoning, restrictive covenants, and mortgage redlining against a wide swath of non-Anglo-Saxon citizens and immigrants. While dark-skinned “new immigrants” from southern and eastern Europe were eventually able to negotiate their way into whiteness (Frye 1998; Roediger 2005), African-Americans remained the racial Other (Said 1994), and were increasingly corralled into urban areas that were being systematically bled of material and financial resources (Wilson 1996). To the problems of overcrowding, disinvestment and blight enabled by systemic racial discrimination, add sectoral changes in the American economy, and the ensuing joblessness wreaked havoc on the families and the social fabric of urban blacks, and contributed to rising crime rates in structurally stripped-down districts (Wilson 1996). The shadow of ghettoization extends across society in the pervasive stereotyping of African-American men and boys in urban,rural and suburban settings.Stereotypes are a particularly insidious form of ecological fallacy. Pervasively linked in much of the collective (white) imagination with ghettoes and criminal behaviors, black boys and men can unwittingly and without warrant provoke fear and consternation when encountered in spaces in which they are viewed by others as not belonging. Black families try to protect their children from the harm that might follow, but can never
A cellobiohydrolase from a thermophilic actinomycete, Microbispora bispora

A screening for thermophilic cellulolytic microbes from the soils of volcanic areas yielded several potentially useful bacteria. Of these,Microbispora bispora was the most useful. The enzyme complex was stable at 60–65‡C. Analysis of the complex indicated the presence of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and Β-glucosidase components. The two former enzymes were secreted, whereas the Β-glucosidase was cell-associated. The cellobiohydrolase was of particular interest, since this type of enzyme has rarely been reported from bacteria, and therefore was characterized in greater detail. Its mechanism of action was clarified through its action pattern towards soluble (and reduced) oligosaccharides. Synergism was observed between the cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanases during attack on crystalline cellulose (cotton and Avicel). This represents one of the first demonstrations of synergism in a procaryotic cellulase system.
Monte Carlo modeling of heterogeneous scintillation flow-cell detectors

Abstract Heterogeneous flow-cell detectors packed with scintillator granules were simulated with the Monte Carlo code, PENetration and Energy LOss of Positrons and Electrons (PENELOPE) (Version 2000), for the detection of beta particles in aqueous media. The simulations were run for monoenergetic electrons at the average and endpoint energies of common beta-emitting radionuclides. PENELOPE was used to simulate the electron interactions as a means of investigating the effects of: packing geometry of scintillator granules, scintillator granule size, and the energy and initial location of electrons within the flow-cell on the fraction of energy deposited in the scintillator and the geometrical detection efficiency. The simulation results showed that higher packing density (lower porosity) and smaller scintillator granule size would result in a higher fraction of energy deposited in the scintillator, but the effect is more pronounced for low-energy electrons (180 keV or lower) than for higher-energy ones (550 keV or higher). The simulation results also showed that the initial location of electrons within the flow-cell has a significant effect on the fraction of energy deposited in the scintillator for low-energy electrons (180 keV or lower), but gradually diminishes as the electron energy increases (above 550 keV). The geometrical detection efficiency as simulated using PENELOPE was compared to experimental absolute detection efficiency found in the literature. The former was generally higher than the latter as expected and their ratio was used to estimate the light collection efficiency, whereas the reasons for the difference at electron energy of 53 keV and lower were discussed.
Phase relationships in the α + δ region of the Zr-H system

Abstract The (α + δ)/ δ phase boundary of the Zr-H system has been defined on the basis of studies performed on zirconium hydrides containing 4 at % U. The methods used include optical hot stage microscopy and roomtemperature metallography, dilatometry, and X-ray diffraction. This boundary was found to exist between about 1.33 H/Zr at 550 °C and 1.60 H/Zr at 25 °C. A metastable phase, γ' coexisting with α and δ phases, was found to transform to δ at about 294 °C between 1.20 H/Zr and the (α + δ)/ δ boundary (1.50 H/Zr).
Frontal lobe neglect in monkeys

Using a crossed-response task, monkeys with neglect induced by frontal lesions appear to have motor rather than sensory neglect. However, the crossed-response task may not reveal sensory neglect (inattention) if no perceptual discrimination is required. We therefore trained two monkeys in a perceptually complex crossed-response task. Following unilateral frontal (arcuate gyrus) ablation, we found no contralateral perceptual disorders or sensory neglect in either monkey but did find a failure to respond with the contralateral arm (motor neglect) in both monkeys. We also found that the monkeys made more incorrect responses with the arm ipsilateral to the lesion than they did with the contralateral arm. The errors made by the ipsilateral arm could be a compensatory strategy or a disinhibition phenomenon. Because these incorrect responses were not rewarded and became more frequent as motor neglect improved, the incorrect responses of the ipsilateral arm are not a compensatory strategy, but rather a defect we term "disinhibition hyperkinesia" or "allokinesia."
Focus-on-Form through Peer Feedback in a Spanish-American Telecollaborative Exchange.

Using a reactive approach to focus-on-form, this study explored the types of feedback and strategies that L2 learners used to draw attention to linguistic problems in a Spanish–American telecollaborative exchange. Data from the readily available transcripts of online postings were utilised and analysed to report the findings. The results showed that the American students produced a much higher rate of lexical and morphosyntactic feedback than did the students from Spain, while the latter used a much greater percentage of affective feedback than their US partners. The Spanish students tended to use reformulations as a quick way to provide target-like forms, whereas the US students offered metalinguistic explanations to help their partners understand sophisticated lexical items and grammatical structures. Despite the fact that both groups received valuable linguistic feedback from their native speaker partners, most of the students did not make error corrections. The study concludes that error correction in...
Parametric excitation of an internally resonant double pendulum, II

The small, finite amplitude response of a damped, internally resonant double pendulum subject to parametric excitation at four times the frequency of the dominant pendulum is shown to exhibit chaotic behavoir for certain values of frequency offset and dissipation. This is in contrast to Miles [1], where the driving frequency approximated twice that of the dominant pendulum, and regular motion was found to exist for all values of frequency offset and dissipation.
Very Large Array, SOHO, and RHESSI Observations of Magnetic Interactions and Particle Propagation across Large-Scale Coronal Loops

Very Large Array (VLA) observations at wavelengths of 20 and 91 cm have been combined with data from the SOHO and RHESSI solar missions to study the evolution of transequatorial loops connecting active regions on the solar surface. The radio observations provide information about the acceleration and propagation of energetic electrons in these large-scale coronal magnetic structures where energy release and transport take place. On one day, a long-lasting Type I noise storm at 91 cm was seen to intensify and shift position above the northern hemisphere region following an impulsive hard X-ray burst in the southern hemisphere footpoint region. VLA 20-cm observations as well as SOHO EIT EUV images showed evolving coronal plasma that appeared to move across the solar equator during this time period. This suggests that the transequatorial loop acted as a conduit for energetic particles or fields that may have triggered magnetic changes in the corona where the northern noise storm region was seen. On another day, a hard X-ray burst detected at the limb was accompanied by impulsive 20- and 91-cm burst emission along a loop connecting to an active region in the same hemisphere but about 5′ away, again suggesting particle propagation and remote flare triggering across interconnecting loops.
The Production of Transparent MgAl2O4 Ceramic Using Calcined Powder Mixtures of Mg(OH)2 and γ‐Al2O3 or AlOOH

Magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2 (both 99% and 99.99% purity grades), γ-Al2O3, and AlOOH have been investigated for the direct production of transparent MgAl2O4. The highest average in-line transmittance through 3.5–4 mm thick samples is 84.2 ± 1.0% at 550 nm, attained by using mixtures of 99.99% pure Mg(OH)2 and γ-Al2O3. Other formulations exhibited 77–80% visible transmission, suggesting that further optimization can improve sample consistency. All samples exhibited a Knoop hardness of ~12 GPa, and elastic modulus of ~280 GPa. Biaxial flexural strength measurements ranged from 85 to 136 MPa depending on starting materials.
Mechanism of the acidosis induced adaptation in renal γ-glutamyltransferase

Abstract Acidosis induces an adaptation in renal γ-glutamyltransferase activity. The mechanism responsible for this adaptation was studied in isolated kidneys from control and chronically acidotic rats perfused with either γ-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide or D-glutamine. The results clearly establish that acidosis increased the utilization of both γ-glutamyl donors and that the adaptation occurs on both the luminal (urine) and antiluminal (blood) border of tubule cells. Acidotic rat kidneys exhibited an apparent Vmax for γ-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide similar to that of the control while the apparent K m was significantly reduced consistent with an increased affinity of the enzyme for the substrate in acidosis.
Neutrons from C(d,n) N and Cu(d,n)Zn

The energy distribution among the neutrons emitted from carbon and copper bombarded by 10-Mev deuterons has been investigated by means of proton recoils in photographic emulsions. A description of the method is given. Two excited levels are observed in ${\mathrm{N}}^{13}$ at 2.29\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.12 Mev and 3.48\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.12 Mev, the latter not having been observed previously. $Q$ for the production of ${\mathrm{N}}^{13}$ in the ground state is found to be -0.29\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09 Mev. Both the reactions ($d,n$) and ($d,2n$) have been identified in the effects occurring when copper is bombarded by 10-Mev deuterons. Quantitative agreement with the expected energy range of the neutrons from the ($d,2n$) reaction is found. There is also evidence for some type of level structure in Zn. Discussion is given of a possible interpretation of this structure.
Genetic programming for shader simplification

We present a framework based on Genetic Programming (GP) for automatically simplifying procedural shaders. Our approach computes a series of increasingly simplified shaders that expose the inherent trade-off between speed and accuracy. Compared to existing automatic methods for pixel shader simplification [Olano et al. 2003; Pellacini 2005], our approach considers a wider space of code transformations and produces faster and more faithful results. We further demonstrate how our cost function can be rapidly evaluated using graphics hardware, which allows tens of thousands of shader variants to be considered during the optimization process. Our approach is also applicable to multi-pass shaders and perceptual-based error metrics.
Estimated trichloroethene transformation rates due to naturally occurring biodegradation in a fractured-rock aquifer

Rates of trichloroethene (TCE) mass transformed by naturally occurring biodegradation processes in a fractured rock aquifer underlying a former Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) site in West Trenton, New Jersey, were estimated. The methodology included (1) dividing the site into eight elements of equal size and vertically integrating observed concentrations of two daughter products of TCE biodegradation—cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) and chloride—using water chemistry data from a network of 88 observation wells; (2) summing the molar mass of cis-DCE, the first biodegradation product of TCE, to provide a probable underestimate of reductive biodegradation of TCE, (3) summing the molar mass of chloride, the final product of chlorinated ethene degradation, to provide a probable overestimate of overall biodegradation. Finally, lower and higher estimates of aquifer porosities and groundwater residence times were used to estimate a range of overall transformation rates. The highest TCE transformation rates estimated using this procedure for the combined overburden and bedrock aquifers was 945 kg/yr, and the lowest was 37 kg/yr. However, hydrologic considerations suggest that approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr is the probable range for overall TCE transformation rates in this system. Estimated rates of TCE transformation were much higher in shallow overburden sediments (approximately 100 to 500 kg/yr) than in the deeper bedrock aquifer (approximately 20 to 0.15 kg/yr), which reflects the higher porosity and higher contaminant mass present in the overburden. By way of comparison, pump-and-treat operations at the NAWC site are estimated to have removed between 1,073 and 1,565 kg/yr of TCE between 1996 and 2009. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.*
Heating of Aqueous Dispersions Containing ${\hbox{MnFe}}_{2}{\hbox{O}}_{4}$ Nanoparticles by Radio-Frequency Magnetic Field Induction

Our interest in identifying magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermia therapy has led to this study of the ac magnetic field induced heating of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. Single-crystal MnFe2O4 nanoparticles with diameters ranging from 5.3 to 12.1 nm were synthesized by a thermal decomposition method. Oleic acid and oleylamine ligands used during synthesis were replaced by meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, which allowed the particles to be dispersed in water. Magnetic field induction heating of aqueous dispersions of the particles showed that the value of specific absorption rate (SAR) increased with increasing particle size until it peaked for particles with an average diameter of 10.5 nm and then decreased for particles with an average diameter of 12.1 nm. Theoretical calculations of the effect of particle size on the heat generation were in agreement with this trend and showed that, with the largest particles, there was a decrease in the contribution of Brownian relaxation to the heating, leading to a decrease in the SAR for these particles.
Observations on the reproductive activity of tropical sheep in relation to the photoperiod

A study has been made of the effect of a progressive increase in the hours of light each day on the sexual activity of German Merino, Persian Blackhead and indigenous ‘Native’ ewes. Incidence of oestrous tended to be greater in ewes subjected to extended daylight than in ewes subjected to the natural photoperiod. This was particularly true during the latter stages of the study. Duration of oestrus was unaffected by the extended daylight but varied temporarily in both groups of ewes. The effect of extended daylight on duration of the oestrous cycle and on the incidence of oestrous cycles of normal or abnormal duration was not marked and differed between breeds. Extension of daylight to 19 hr. each day apparently did not prevent reproduction since several light-treated ewes inadvertently conceived, gave birth to and reared a healthy lamb after a gestation period of normal length.
Temperature effect on nausea during fluorescein angiography

Abstract Purpose Nausea is the most common adverse effect of fluorescein angiography (FA). Warming of fluorescein dye before injection has been reported anecdotally to decrease nausea frequency. We examined the effect of warmed fluorescein dye on the frequency of adverse effects of FA. Design Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Participants Five hundred forty-seven angiograms performed on 394 patients; 273 were in the control group and 274 were in the study group. Methods Patients were alternately assigned to FA using dye at room temperature (control group) or dye prewarmed to body temperature (study group). All patients were masked to the dye temperature. After FA, patients were questioned regarding any adverse effects experienced. Main outcome measures Presence or absence of reported nausea associated with FA. Results Adverse reactions were reported for 39 of the angiograms (7.1%), including 32 procedures for which nausea was reported (5.9%). No significant difference in the frequency of adverse reactions was found between the two groups ( P = 0.41). No significant difference in the frequency of nausea was found between the two groups ( P = 0.28). The sample sizes used allow an 80% power for detecting a clinically significant difference of 4% adverse effects in one group and 10% in the other group when testing at a significance level of 5%. Conclusions Warming of fluorescein dye does not significantly alter the incidence of nausea reported with FA.
Hot charge-transfer excitons set the time limit for charge separation at donor/acceptor interfaces in organic photovoltaics

Photocurrent generation in organic solar cells relies on the dissociation of excitons into free electrons and holes at donor/acceptor heterointerfaces. Femtosecond spectroscopy and non-adiabatic simulations on the phthalocyanine–fullerene model system now reveal the relaxation dynamics of hot charge-transfer excitons in this process.
CLARIFYING THE CONCEPT OF DISTRACTION

Central to the investigation of the potential facilitative or inhibitive effects ol distraction upon persuasion is a conceptualization of distraction that allows lor an adequate measurement of the distraction variable. This article suggests that to avoid bias distraction must be measured in terms of the extent to which a person's reception of a distracting stimulus is increased and/or his reception of' the original stimulus is decreased. James T. Tiedge is Assistant Professor in the College of Speech at Marquette U niversity.
The effects of in-situ sintered titania on the mechanical properties of high temperature calcium aluminate cements

Abstract Calcium aluminate cement pastes containing hydrous titania sol-gel particles that were produced by hydrolysis of Ti(OR)4, (R:C2H5, C3H7 and C4H9) were exposed to steam and air at temperatures up to 1000°C. It was determined that agglomerate particles of anatase crystalline units formed by in-situ sintering in the cement matrices at temperatures ranging from 300° to 850°C, perferentially react with the Ca in the cement. The extent of the interaction between the titania aggregate and the cement was enhanced as the in-situ anatase→rutile phase conversion occured at temperatures > 850°C. This was due to the reactive feature of rutile evolved by the intra-agglomerate densification and crystallite growth of anatase. The titania-cement interaction played a major role in improving the mechanical properties of cement composites at elevated temperatures. It was also observed that higher molecular masses of alcohol resulting from the hydrolysis of alkoxides in the cement resulted in stronger adsorption on the cement particle surfaces, thereby inhibiting the hydration of the cement paste. Thus, the extent of strength improvement resulting from the addition of the alkoxides was on the order of Ti(OC2H5)4 > Ti(OC3H7)4 > Ti(OC4H9)4.
Noise performance of an eight-sideband parametric mixer

Noise performance of an eight-sideband mixer seeded by two continuous-wave pumps was measured and compared with two- and four-sideband parametric devices. We show that the noise-figure of a free-running mixer grows with increasing sideband number.
Effects of acute and continuous pentobarbital administration on the gamma-aminobutyric acid system

Abstract Effects of acute anesthetic doses and chronic administration of pentobarbital on γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamic acid levels in mouse brain have been investigated. Acute administration of pentobarbital caused an increase in the brain level of GABA which was associated with pentobarbital-induced narcosis. This was further substantiated by the finding that pentobarbital-induced sleeping time was prolonged when brain GABA level was elevated by the administration of either amino-oxyacetic acid (AOAA), an inhibitor of GABA-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase (GABA-T), or glutamate, the precursor of GABA. In addition, the activity of l -glutamate-1-carboxylase (GAD) measured during pentobarbital-induced narcosis was higher than that of the control group. On the other hand, chronic administration of pentobarbital resulted in a decrease of both GABA and glutamate levels. There was a concomitant 30 per cent decrease in the activity of GAD. This was confirmed by the finding that the rate of brain GABA accumulation induced by AOAA administration in tolerant mice was slower than that of the non-tolerant animals. Brain GABA remained at significantly lower levels after an abrupt withdrawal from pentobarbital; however, brain glutamate levels showed no significant difference as compared to the control group. It appears that the GABA system in the central nervous system may be involved in barbiturate narcosis and further linked with the development of tolerance to barbiturate.
Perceptions about Homeless Elders and Community Responsibility

Human service students were surveyed (N = 207) to determine their perceptions about homeless elders and communal responsibility for their well-being. Using a backward regression analysis, a final model (F = 15.617, df = 7, p < .001) for Perceptions about Homeless Persons and Community Responsibility (predicted variable) included the predictor variables of Homeless Older Persons Are Afraid and Lonely; Homeless Persons and Health Issues; History of Homeless Older People's Life on the Street; Touching a Homeless Older Person; Hygiene and Homeless Older People; Interest in Working with Elders; and Educational status. The findings indicated that the predictor variables accounted for more than 36% of the variance in Perceptions about Homeless Older Persons and Community Responsibility (R 2 = .386; adjusted R 2 = .361).
‘Delicate’ Cutters: Gendered Self-mutilation and Attractive Flesh in Medical Discourse

In 1960, a relatively new ‘syndrome’ began appearing with growing frequency in psychiatric hospitals and in doctors’ offices. Eventually termed ‘delicate self-cutting’, this new model for typical self-mutilative behavior was developed in conjunction with a description of the ‘typical’ self-mutilator: young (adolescent to just post-adolescent), female, and almost always attractive. This article contends that, despite recent efforts to change the nature of research on self-mutilation, the myth of a typical mutilator, developed from a particular historical bias, continues to work in popular and medical discourses on the subject. I will begin with a detailed discussion of the medical discourse in an effort to ask how the myth was made. Noting that the female body, here, is singled out as pathological at a time when, specifically in the USA, the emergent Women’s Movement was beginning to contest certain gender lines, I would like to examine how the medical discourse and material bodies interrelate and interact...
Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis of the Thermal Modification of Human Cornea Tissue During Conductive Keratoplasty

This paper presents a study using in vitro Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis to determine the thermal damage induced to the human cornea by the conductive keratoplasty (CK) procedure. Human cornea tissues were treated with CK at different radiofrequency power (58-64%) and pulse duration (0.6-1.0 s) settings. The cornea tissues were cryo-sectioned and FT-IR analysis was performed to detect the extent of thermal damage by the second-derivative analysis of the infrared (IR) spectral bands corresponding to protein secondary structure. The protein amide I and II spectral bands measured in vitro mainly arose from collagen. The denatured cornea tissue showed a higher beta-sheet content than the native tissue. The extent of the thermal damage created by the CK treatment depended on power and duration settings, with the latter having a stronger effect. With clinical settings (60%, 0.6 s), the thermal damage area was confined within a radius of 100 microm. CK treatment duration had a more significant effect on the damage zone than the power setting.
Ontologies for information fusion

Ontologies have moved beyond the domains of library science, philosophy, and knowledge representation and are now being used to facilitate mainstream applications in all areas concerning information. Information firsion applications can benefit from access to information contained in ontologies such as controlled vocabularies, term meanings, term relationships, and logical implications of term usage. We will define ontologies by introducing the notion of an ontology spectrum ranging from simple vocabulary information to more complex knowledge structures. We will point to examples of ontologies available at different points along the spectrum. We identify how ontologies at direring points along the spectrum may be used to support improvements in information management solutions ranging from better search to precise semantic matching, noting that all of the benefits can be applied to information fusion. We will discuss the potential impact, benefits, and costs of using ontologies in information fusion applications.
Evaluation of an Industry-Based Drug Information Service

A questionnaire was sent to 1,000 health professionals who had requested medical information from Marion Merrell Dow between 9/10/91 and 11/15/91. The questionnaire was designed to elicit the health professionals' opinions regarding the written response provided to them by the company, the type or format of the information that should be provided, and the usefulness of various industry-sponsored sources of medical information. Two hundred and fifty-nine questionnaires (25.9%) were returned. Overall, 97% of the responders rated the written response as good, very good, or excellent; 98% rated the objectivity of the response as good or higher. Detailed summaries were sent to 83% of the inquiries. A detailed, referenced summary was preferred by 47% of the responders compared to 33% who wanted reprints. Continuing education symposia and medical information services were rated as the most useful sources of company-sponsored information sources over package inserts, sales representatives, and journal advertisements.
Together Achieving More: Primary Care Team Communication and Alcohol‐Related Healthcare Utilization and Costs

Background Identifying and engaging excessive alcohol users in primary care may be an effective way to improve patient health outcomes, reduce alcohol-related acute care events, and lower costs. Little is known about what structures of primary care team communication are associated with alcohol-related patient outcomes. Methods Using a sociometric survey of primary care clinic communication, this study evaluated the relation between team communication networks and alcohol-related utilization of care and costs. Between May 2013 and December 2013, a total of 155 healthcare employees at 6 primary care clinics participated in a survey on team communication. Three-level hierarchical modeling evaluated the link between connectedness within the care team and the number of alcohol-related emergency department visits, hospital days, and associated medical care costs in the past 12 months for each team's primary care patient panel. Results Teams (n = 31) whose registered nurses displayed more strong (at least daily) face-to-face ties and strong (at least daily) electronic communication ties had 10% fewer alcohol-related hospital days (rate ratio [RR] = 0.90; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.84, 0.97). Furthermore, in an average team size of 19, each additional team member with strong interaction ties across the whole team was associated with $1,030 (95% CI: −$1,819, −$241) lower alcohol-related patient healthcare costs per 1,000 team patients in the past 12 months. Conversely, teams whose primary care practitioner (PCP) had more strong face-to-face communication ties and more weak (weekly or several times a week) electronic communication ties had 12% more alcohol-related hospital days (RR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.23) and $1,428 (95% CI: $378, $2,478) higher alcohol-related healthcare costs per 1,000 patients in the past 12 months. The analyses controlled for patient age, gender, insurance, and comorbidity diagnoses. Conclusions Excessive alcohol-using patients may fair better if cared for by teams whose face-to-face and electronic communication networks include more team members and whose communication to the PCP has been streamlined to fewer team members.
Effect of Certain Rearing and Laying House Environments on Performance of Incross Egg Production Type Pullets

Abstract REARING and housing methods have been problems of considerable importance in the poultry industry for many years. Because the poultry industry has become increasingly competitive in recent years, the importance of producing eggs more efficiently has been emphasized. Rearing methods and housing during the laying period are vitally related to the cost of producing eggs. Range and confinement (floor pen) rearing have been used most extensively up to the present time. Recently, the development of the individual cage system, with attempts at modification, to lower housing costs have led to the use of colony cages for rearing of replacement pullets. Some experimental work has been done comparing range and confinement rearing of pullets, but no reference to rearing pullets in colony cages was found in the literature. Stevenson and Bryant (1944), Heuser et al. (1945), Johnson and Davidson (1957), Pepper et al. (1959), Winter (1957), Bailey et al. (1959b), and…
Who Really Knows about Reclining the Passenger Seat

Warnings are important for several reasons. They provide information about hazards to those who may be unaware of them. They may also serve as reminders about hazards in circumstances where the hazard may be forgotten, and they present information about how to avoid the hazards warned against. Some hazards are deemed open and obvious because they are presumed to be either known to all who might encounter them or people are presumed to recognize their risks by their characteristics. The present research considers a hazard (reclining the automobile passenger seat) that might seem to be obvious. One report indicated this might be the case. However, more recent research has shown it is not the case. This research examines the fact that different procedures produce different estimates of how well understood the hazard is. The conclusion is that it is important to consider experimental techniques in evaluating results. Language: en
Role of Neurosurgery and Radiation Therapy in the Management of Brain Tumors

In the United States, approximately 65,000 people are diagnosed with primary brain tumors each year, with an incidence of 19.3 cases per 100,000 person-years. These numbers represent a wide spectrum of disease, from benign to malignant, and prognosis varies widely based on disease. Treatment of primary brain tumors most often uses a combination of surgery and radiation. However, over the past several generations, technological advancements have significantly altered the treatment paradigm. This article reviews the current role of neurosurgery and radiation therapy in the management of primary brain tumors.
Development, Validation, and Application of a Scale to Measure the Impact of the Internet on Market Structure and Competition in the Retail Pharmacy Market

ABSTRACTA scale to examine the impact of the Internet on market structure and competition in the community pharmacy market was developed using the theoretical framework of Porter. A national survey of independent pharmacy managers/owners was conducted. Exploratory factor analysis, coefficient alpha, item-total correlations, and confirmatory factor analysis were used for scale construction and validation. The final market competitive structure scale had 18 items and 5 subscales consistent with Porter's framework. The overall scale reliability was 0.80. Subscale reliabilities ranged from 0.70 to 0.88. The Internet was perceived to have caused an increase in competition in the industry through increases in intensity of rivalry, threat of substitutes, and bargaining power of buyers. The Internet was perceived to have decreased bargaining power of suppliers and threat of new entrants. Although, overall, the Internet was perceived as having increased competition, it was perceived to have slightly increased the ...
A Cross-cultural Study of Ability to Interpret Implicatures in English.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate two questions: (1) to what extent does a person's cultural background affect his or her ability to derive the same meanings from conversational implicatures in English as native English-speaking Americans do, and (2) can a specially designed multiple-choice test measure a person's ability to interpret these implicatures? The results show clearly that cultural background is a reliable predictor of nonnative speaker (NNS) ability to interpret implicatures the way native speakers (NSs) do. Not only do NNSs infer different meanings from implicatures than NSs do, but culturally defined subsets of NNSs also perform differently from each other. When variations in English language proficiency are controlled for, the effects of cultural background as measured by a one-way ANOVA were significant at the 0.0001 level [F(6,323 = 23.83, p < 0.0001]. All of these data were gathered using a multiple-choice test, which indicates that the answer to our second question cited above is a definite ‘Yes”.
Responsivity of allergic depressed subjects to antidepressant medication: A preliminary study

The prevalence of allergies in 52 patients with major depression was higher than that reported in the general population. After 8 weeks of treatment with either one of two serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or the heterocyclic antidepressant that we used in the clinical trials, the non-allergic depressed had a significantly greater response than the partial response of the allergic depressed as measured by decreases in HAM-D scores from baseline to the end of 8 weeks. Also, all of the non-allergic depressed responded to antidepressants whereas slightly fewer than one-half of the allergic depressed did so. Moreover, after the 8 weeks there were no differences between the HAM-D scores of the allergic depressed receiving active medication and those receiving placebos whereas the HAM-D scores of the non-allergic were significantly lower than those of the placebo group. Although the results are only preliminary observations, they have clinical implications. There is a need for investigators conducting clinical drug trials and for practitioners to obtain information about each depressed patient's allergy status. The discussion focuses on possible methodologic and other explanations for the lower responsivity of the depressed allergic than the non-allergic to antidepressants and also on the need for additional studies to determine whether the results can be replicated. Depression 3:286–289 (1995/1996). © 1996 WIey-Liss, Inc.
Cellular and molecular engineering curriculum at Rice University

The tremendous advances in cellular and molecular biology over the last 25 years have fundamentally changed our understanding of living organisms. This new understanding at the level of cells and their array of associated molecules is having a tremendous impact on both medicine and technology. Appreciating the complexities of the cell and its inner workings will be crucial to turning our knowledge into effective treatment strategies at the tissue, organ and whole individual levels. With this in mind, the Bioengineering Department at Rice University is developing a curriculum that educates students in cellular and molecular processes and their control. In this talk, we will describe the structure of the Bioengineering undergraduate program at Rice University and the development of a series of new courses for the cellular and molecular engineering track. This series of courses starts with the basic concepts of engineering fundamentals at the sophomore level. This introductory course provides the foundation for the more advanced quantitative treatment of cell structure and function at the cellular and tissue levels taught in the junior and senior levels. We will discuss the development of three specific courses that cover topics ranging from molecular to tissue level. This sequence of courses exposes students to the cutting-edge synthesis of molecular and cellular information into design of tissue systems.
Efficiency of the Pioneer Round of Translation Affects the Cellular Site of Nonsense-Mediated mRNA Decay

In mammalian cells, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a consequence of nonsense codon recognition during a pioneer round of translation. This round can occur largely before or largely after the release of newly synthesized mRNA from nuclei, depending on the mRNA, and likely utilizes cytoplasmic ribosomes. We show that increasing the cellular concentration of the splicing factor SF2/ASF augments the efficiency of NMD and ultimately shifts NMD that takes place after mRNA export to the cytoplasm to NMD that occurs before mRNA release from nuclei. These changes are accompanied by an increased association of pioneer translation initiation complexes with SF2/ASF, translationally active ribosomes, and the translational activator TAP. Increased TAP binding correlates with increased SF2/ASF binding, but not increased REF/Aly or Y14 binding. Our results uncover an additional role for SF2/ASF and indicate that the efficiency of the pioneer round of translation influences the efficiency of subsequent rounds of translation.
SMALL AND MIDDLE MOLECULAR WEIGHT SOLUTE CLEARANCE IN NOCTURNAL INTERMITTENT PERITONEAL DIALYSIS

♦ Objectives: To determine the dialysate-to-plasma (D/P) concentration ratios and peritoneal dialytic clearance (Cl D ) of substances with a wide range of molecular weights in subjects receiving a simulated nocturnal intermittent peritoneal dialysis (NIPD) session. ♦ Design: Open-label single-dose study. ♦ Subjects: Six end-stage renal disease patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD). ♦ Setting: Clinical research center of a university-affiliated hospital. ♦ Interventions: Subjects received intravenous gentamicin and vancomycin on the first day of the study. Subjects received no PD until their return on the following day, when subjects underwent a simulated NIPD session utilizing four 2- to 2.5-L peritoneal dialysate dwells of 2 hours. Blood and dialysate samples were collected immediately before the session and after each dialysate dwell for determination of urea, creatinine, gentamicin, vancomycin, and β β β β 2 -microglobulin (β2M) concentrations. Each solute’s D/P concentration ratio and peritoneal Cl D were calculated. ♦ Measurements and Main Results: The (mean ±SD) 2-hour D/P concentration ratios were 0.78 ± 0.05 (urea), 0.49 ± 0.11 (creatinine), 0.38 ± 0.08 (gentamicin), 0.11 ± 0.06 (vancomycin), and 0.07 ± 0.03 (β2M). Peritoneal Cl D values (mL/min of dialysis) were 19.0 ± 2.8 (urea), 12.1 ± 3.5 (creatinine), 8.4 ± 2.8 (gentamicin), 2.7 ± 1.5 (vancomycin), and 1.7 ± 0.8 (β2M). The D/P concentration ratios and peritoneal Cl D values for urea, creatinine, and gentamicin were significantly different from vancomycin and β2M (repeated measures ANOVA, p < 0.05). β 2 -Microglobulin peritoneal Cl D was strongly related to gentamicin peritoneal Cl D (r = 0.96, p < 0.05). ♦ Conclusion: Small molecular weight solutes have significantly greater D/P and peritoneal Cl D than middle molecular weight solutes in NIPD. In NIPD, daily peritoneal Cl D of β2M is lower than that reported in continuous ambulatory PD. NIPD also results in lower drug Cl D than that reported in continuous ambulatory PD studies.
Insulin and glucose play a role in foam cell formation and function

Background Foam cell formation in diabetic patients often occurs in the presence of high insulin and glucose levels. To test whether hyperinsulinemic hyperglycemic conditions affect foam cell differentiation, we examined gene expression, cytokine production, and Akt phosphorylation in human monocyte-derived macrophages incubated with two types of oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL), minimally modified LDL (mmLDL) and extensively oxidized LDL (OxLDL).
Development of a kinematic 3D carpal model to analyze in vivo soft-tissue interaction across multiple static postures

We developed a subject-specific kinematic model to analyze in vivo soft-tissue interaction in the carpus in static, unloaded postures. The bone geometry was extracted from a reference computed tomography volume image. The soft-tissue geometry, including cartilage and ligament tissues, was computationally modeled based on kinematic constraints; the constraints were extracted from multiple computed tomography scans corresponding to different carpal postures. The data collected in vivo was next coupled with numerical simulation in order to analyze the role of soft-tissues in different postures. The resulting model extends the state of biomecanical modeling by incorporating soft-tissue constraints across the carpus range of motion, while successfully using only physiological constraints. The model results suggest that soft-tissue wrapping constraints have substantial impact on carpus stability.
Propagation characteristics of inductively-coupled superconducting microstrip

A dispersion relationship is developed for the coupled transmission line case of three arbitrarily thick superconductors separated by two arbitrarily thick dielectric layers. The dispersion equation, which was found by the transverse resonance method, can be used to solve for the propagation characteristics of the two dominant coupled line modes. These results have been used to show that, in the symmetric case, the mode with the lower phase velocity had the same attenuation per wavelength as the mode with the higher phase velocity. In addition, a first-order expansion of the dispersion relationship yields an accurate closed-form expression for the attenuation of the coupled line modes. Using a mutual inductance to describe the coupling, an equivalent circuit has been presented, which accurately models the propagation characteristics of the coupled transmission line modes. The equivalent circuit model facilitates the design of circuits using inductively coupled structures, as has been shown with the design of a 20-dB coupler. >
Contactless bottom-up electrodeposition of nickel for 3D integrated circuits

Packaging applications in the semiconductor industry rely on electrodepositing metals into high aspect ratio (HAR) vias without the formation of any defects or voids. The process and economic efficiency of conventional methodologies are limited by the ability to achieve high deposition rates along with uniformity of the deposited metal layer. In this work, a contactless and scalable electrodeposition technique has been developed to deposit metallic nickel onto p-doped silicon wafers. The effect of various process variables such as deposition and etchant solution composition and concentration, solution temperature and stirring on nickel deposition rates have been investigated. The importance of backside silicon oxidation and subsequent oxide etching on the kinetics of nickel deposition on frontside silicon has been highlighted.
Development of Novel Anti-Cancer Strategies Based on Angiogenesis Inhibition

Abstract Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing ones. It forms the core of the metastatic cascade, since the tumor cells needs nutrition for their growth at distant sites. The work by Folkman et al., has led to a significant understanding of the angiogenesis process and development of novel anti-cancer strategies based on angiogenesis inhibition. In the present chapter we have discussed various pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic molecules that are involved in angiogenesis. Further, we have tried to summarise the various molecules both natural and synthetic that inhibit angiogenesis and are being used as novel strategies for the treatment of cancer.