cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is previous cesarean section a risk for incidental cystotomy at the time of hysterectomy? A case-controlled study.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if previous cesarean section is an independent risk factor for incidental cystotomy at the time of hysterectomy. Study design This is a case-controlled study that evaluated all cases of incidental cystotomy at the time of hysterectomy between January 1998 and December 2001. Five thousand and ninety-two hysterectomies were performed in the time period mentioned above, and 51 cases of incidental cystotomy were identified. Each case of incidental cystotomy was then matched to 3 controls with similar patient characteristics, medical histories, and surgical histories, as well as the absence of incidental cystotomy at the time of hysterectomy. Results Overall, 5092 hysterectomies were performed during the study period (total abdominal hysterectomy [TAH] 3140 [61.7%], total vaginal hysterectomy [TVH] 1519 [29.8%], laparoscopically-assisted vaginal hysterectomy [LAVH] 433 [8.5%]). Fifty-one cases of incidental cystotomy were identified (TAH: 24 [47.1%], TVH: 19 [37.3%], LAVH: 8 [15.7%]). The overall incidence of cystotomy was 1.0%. When considering TAH, there were 24/3141 (0.76%) cases of incidental cystotomy, with 8 (33%) of these patients with a history of previous cesarean section. During TVH, we encountered 19/1519 (1.3%) cases of incidental cystotomy, with 4 (21%) of these women having undergone a previous cesarean. Finally, during LAVH, there were 8/433 (1.8%) cases of incidental cystotomy. Five (62.5%) of these patients had a previous history of cesarean section. In comparison, 19/72 (26.4%) TAH controls had a previous history of cesarean. Four out of 57 (7.0%) TVH controls had a history of cesarean section. Finally, 2/24 (8.3%) LAVH controls had a history of previous cesarean. Conclusion Previous cesarean section is indeed a significant risk factor for damage to the lower urinary tract at the time of hysterectomy (odds ratio [OR] 2.04; 95%CI 1.2-3.5). When analyzed separately, the OR of incidental cystotomy at the time of TAH, TVH, and LAVH in a woman with a history of previous cesarean was 1.26, 3.00, and 7.50, respectively. Only the value for LAVH was statistically significant ( P = .005; 95%CI 1.8-31.4).
Hazards in the home: using older adults' perceptions to inform warning design

Older adults' perceptions of hazards associated with home product usage and beliefs about product warnings were assessed. Focus group interview data were coded along the dimensions of (a) product type; (b) hazard type; (c) hazard knowledge; (d) hazard avoidance; (e) product warning presence; and (f) product warning necessity. A survey supplemented the focus group results by gathering measures of usage patterns and usability difficulties associated with various types of household products. Older adults reported routine use of products they considered to be hazardous and identified an array of home safety concerns. Furthermore, personal experience was an important source of older adults' hazard knowledge and they described a number of hazard avoidance strategies. These data provide insight into older adults' home safety behaviour and suggest a number of approaches to improving hazard communication and warning design.
The Affordable Care Act Reduces Emergency Department Use By Young Adults: Evidence From Three States

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) extended eligibility for health insurance for young adults ages 19–25. This extension may have affected how young adults use emergency department (ED) care and other health services. To test the impact of the ACA on how young adults used ED services, we used 2009–11 state administrative records from California, Florida, and New York to compare changes in ED use in young adults ages 19–25 before and after the ACA provision was implemented with changes in the same period for people ages 26–31 (the control group). Following implementation of the ACA provision, the younger group had a decrease of 5.9 ED visits per 1,000 people compared to the older group—a relative change of −1.5 percent. The largest relative decreases were found in women (−2.3 percent) and blacks (−3.5 percent). This relative decrease in ED use implies a total reduction of more than 38,000 visits from young adults ages 19–25 across the three states in 2011. When we compared the probability of ever using the ED b...
Power quality improvement of grid-connected wind energy conversion system for optimum utilization of variable speed wind turbines

This paper presents an improved technique for the power quality of the electrical part of a wind generation system with a synchronous generator (SG). The main aim is to optimize the utilization of wind power injected into the grid. To realize this goal, an uncontrolled rectifier-digitally controlled inverter (URDCI) system is proposed. The advantage of the proposed system is its simplicity due to reduced number of controlled switches which leads to less control complexity. The inverter system provides economic utilization of the wind generator by insuring unity power factor operation under different possible conditions. It also provides full control of active and reactive power injected into the grid using a digitally controlled voltage source inverter (VSI). A voltage oriented control (VOC) scheme is presented in order to control the energy to be injected into the grid. In an attempt to minimize the harmonics in the inverter current and voltage and to avoid poor power quality of the wind energy conversion system (WECS), an LC filter is inserted between VOC VSI and the grid. Simulation results are carried out to validate the proposed solution. The proposed technique is implemented by a digital signal processor (DSP TMS320F240) to verify the good performance of the proposed control system and agree with the simulation results to a great extend. The results verify the validity of the proposed model and show its practical superiority in renewable energy applications.
Anti-influenza virus activity of the neuraminidase inhibitor 4-guanidino-Neu5Ac2en in cell culture and in human respiratory epithelium

Abstract The anti-influenza activity of the neuraminidase inhibitor 4-guanidino-Neu5Ac2en (4-G-NAc) was determined in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells by yield reduction and ELISA and in explants of human respiratory epithelium by yield reduction. In MDCK cells, 50% inhibitory concentrations (EC 50 ) averaged 0.5 μg/ml for influenza A/Virginia/88(H3N2) and 0.04 μg/ml for A/Texas/36/91(H1N1) by ELISA, and 10 TCID 50 /ml decrease in yield (EC 90 ) at 48 h were 50%. 4-G-NAc is a potent and selective inhibitor of clinical isolates of influenza A and B viruses in human respiratory epithelium.
"Of course it's true; I saw it on the Internet!": critical thinking in the Internet era

Students use the Net as a primary source of information, usually with little or no regard as to the accuracy of that information.
Effects of triiodothyronine (T3) on the development of rat cerebellar cells in culture

Abstract To determine whether or not the effects of thyroxine on the cells of the external granular layer of rat cerebellum are direct or indirect, Purkinje cell-free dissociated cell cultures from 5-day-old rat cerebellum in serum-free medium were treated with triiodothyronine (T3) at concentrations of 20–3000 ng/ml. Cultures were assayed for uptake and synthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) after 3 weeks, and for thymidine incorporation at 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. Specific (per mg protein) activity of glutamic acid decarboxylase and of GABA uptake into neurons was reduced by the more physiologic (50 or 500 ng/ml) concentrations of T3, probably due to a non-neuronal increase in overall protein synthesis, since the total per culture values seem unaffected by hormone. Thymidine uptake was significantly increased only at the highest (unphysiologic) concentration of T3 on the second day after treatment. None of the label appeared to be in the nuclei of the neuronal cells at any of the times and concentrations tested. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that T3 does not have a direct effect on the proliferation of neurons derived from the external granular layer, although it does seem to affect some non-neuronal cells. T3 also does not seem to enhance differentiated GABA functions (uptake or synthesis) beyond the levels achieved using insulin, progesterone, putrescine, selenium and transferrin.
Conformational transitions as determinants of specificity for the DNA methyltransferase EcoRI.

Changes in DNA bending and base flipping in a previously characterized specificity-enhanced M.EcoRI DNA adenine methyltransferase mutant suggest a close relationship between precatalytic conformational transitions and specificity (Allan, B. W., Garcia, R., Maegley, K., Mort, J., Wong, D., Lindstrom, W., Beechem, J. M., and Reich, N. O. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 19269–19275). The direct measurement of the kinetic rate constants for DNA bending, intercalation, and base flipping with cognate and noncognate substrates (GAATTT, GGATTC) of wild type M.EcoRI using fluorescence resonance energy transfer and 2-aminopurine fluorescence studies reveals that DNA bending precedes both intercalation and base flipping, and base flipping precedes intercalation. Destabilization of these intermediates provides a molecular basis for understanding how conformational transitions contribute to specificity. The 3500- and 23,000-fold decreases in sequence specificity for noncognate sites GAATTT and GGATTC are accounted for largely by an ∼2500-fold increase in the reverse rate constants for intercalation and base flipping, respectively. Thus, a predominant contribution to specificity is a partitioning of enzyme intermediates away from the Michaelis complex prior to catalysis. Our results provide a basis for understanding enzyme specificity and, in particular, sequence-specific DNA modification. Because many DNA methyltransferases and DNA repair enzymes induce similar DNA distortions, these results are likely to be broadly relevant.
On properties of the n-dimensional norm residue symbol in higher local class field theory

Let k be a finite extension of Qp which contains the roots of unity μ. Here ¦μ¦ = q = pu, p ≠ 2. We consider an n-dimensional local field given explicitly as a power series in n − 1 variables by Xn = k t1… tn−1. The norm residue symbol has been generalized by Vostokov for mixed characteristic local fields X = t1 tn−1 of dimension n. It is a non-degenerate pairing given by Kn(X)(Kn(X))q × X∗(X∗)q → μ where Kn(X) is the nth Milnor K-group of X = Xn and X∗ is the multiplicative group of X. It is shown here that the Vostokov pairing on the n-dimensional local field Xn = k t1 tn−1 commutes with the Vostokov pairing on the n − 1 dimensional local field Xn − 1 = k t1 tn − 2. We achieve this by constructing a map M which projects the roots of unity from the pairing on X = Xn onto the roots of unity from the pairing on Xn − 1.
Performance of Four 4.5 M Two-in-One Superconducting R & D Dipoles for the SSC

Four 4.5 m long superconducting dipoles built to specifications similar to those for SSC Reference Design A have been successfully tested. They were wound with NbTi cable in two-layer cos? coils of 3.2 cm inner diameter. The coil ends were flared to increase thie minimum bending radius, anticipating coils wound from prereacted Nb3Sn. The coils were mounted in a reusable "two-in-one" iron yoke prestressed by means of a bolted stainless steel shell. The first two magnets as well as the fourth one, a special magnet designed to study cross-talk between the bores, used CBA/Tevatron cable. The third utilized cable with improved ("high homogeneity") NbTi conductor. All four reached central fields corresponding to their short sample limits at 4.5K without training, nearly 6. OT for the first two magnets, 6.5T for the third, and 5.4T for the fourth. At 2.5K modest training was required to reach short sample limits of 7.2T, 7.1T, 7.8T, and 6.6T respectively. The measured values of the allowed harmonics were within several × 10-4 of the calculated ones.
Determination of the uniformity of uranium fission deposits using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and alpha-particle scanning

Abstract The uniformity of the areal density of uranium deposits used in neutron induced fission cross-section measurements has been measured using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry of 1-MeV He + ions as well as by scanning the natural α-particle decay of the uranium. The measurements used the 3-MV positive-ion accelerator at the National Institute of Standards and Technology along with a versatile scattering chamber with numerous ports, five-axis goniometer, target ladder, and solid state detector. The variation in areal density of a 265- μg /cm 3 UO 2 deposit with a diameter of 89 mm was measured using the 1-MeV He + beam. The results are in excellent agreement with those obtained from α -particle activity measurements. However, the Rutherford backscattering data provide better definition of the uniformity near the edge of the deposits. Our experience indicates that the backscatter technique is useful for measuring variations of 1% in areal densities but is less sensitive to the absolute areal density. The stoichiometry of the deposit was additionally measured with X-ray diffraction.
Finite Element Mesh Considerations for Reduced Integration Elements

Finite element models of spent fuel casks and canisters that are typically used in impact and impulse analyses may contain tens of thousands of nonlinear elements. These models use explicit time integration methods with small time steps. To achieve reasonable run times, fully integrated elements are replaced with under-integrated elements that use reduced integration procedures. When fully integrated these elements produce a linear strain distribution. Reduced integration, however, results in a constant strain distribution, which requires more elements through the thickness of the canister shell to achieve the same accuracy as fully integrated elements. This paper studies the effect of the number of reduced integration elements through the thickness of the canister shell and the ratio of element height to shell thickness on the accuracy of the strains in regions of high through-thickness bending, such as the junction between the shell and base plate. It is concluded that mesh refinement has a significant effect on the maximum plastic strain response in such regions and that a converged solution may not be attainable within practical limits of mesh refinement, if the results are based solely on the maximum plastic strain on a cross section at a structural discontinuity. The objective is not to chase the stress concentration with ever finer meshes, but rather the objective is to establish a mesh density within the discontinuity region that results in the stresses and strains that are associated with the bending moment that restores compatibility at the structural discontinuity. In this case a converged solution is obtained by investigating the response of other elements on the same cross section that are not located on the surface of the stress concentration at the structural discontinuity. Based on the results, a “rule of thumb” is proposed for mesh refinement in a region of severe structural discontinuity wherein reasonably proportioned reduced integration solid elements are used and plastic strains are evaluated.
commentary: Taking Back Year 4: A Call to Action

In this issue of Academic Medicine, Walling and Merando's literature review on the senior-year curriculum finds a broad consensus that this final year underperforms educationally at many U.S. medical schools, but little agreement on how to improve it. The review challenges us to consider how best to develop this key piece of educational real estate, which is too often frittered away on auditions, interview odysseys, and electives of uncertain educational value. In this commentary, the author approaches this education question from an unorthodox viewpoint, the delivery system and medical workforce perspectives. He proposes taking back major portions of Year 4 from elective clerkships and investing the time in required course work to prepare graduates to practice and lead in a redesigned 21st-century health system, providing superior access and outcomes at sustainable costs. The recommendations draw inspiration from the Institute of Medicine's "Chasm" reports, specifically echoing its 2003 Health Professions Education report that identified five new competencies deemed essential for all 21st-century health professionals. Finally, the author disputes the view that delivery system overhaul lies beyond the purview of educators, pointing to the historical precedent of the greatest medical paradigm shift of all time, the closure of the proprietary medical schools a century ago triggered by Flexner's report. The author closes by calling medical educators to action, to prepare the next generation of physicians to radically redesign health care and lead us out of the present crisis.
Money with a Mean Streak? Foreign Economic Penetration and Government Respect for Human Rights in Developing Countries

This study examines the relationship between foreign economic capital and the level of government respect for two types of human rights in developing countries. Two opposing schools of thought offer explanations as to what this relationship might be like. According to the liberal neoclassical school, the acceptance of liberal economic doctrine will provide positive political benefits to developing countries. The “dependency” school, on the other hand, argues that because ties between core and periphery elites give governments in developing nations an incentive to repress, human rights conditions will worsen as foreign economic penetration increases. The results of previous empirical queries into this matter have been mixed. In contrast to most studies, we focus on a broader measure of foreign economic capital, including foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, debt, and official development assistance. Using ordered logit analysis on a cross-national sample of forty-three developing countries from 1981 to 1995, we discover systematic evidence of an association between foreign economic penetration and government respect for two types of human rights, physical integrity rights and political rights and civil liberties. Of particular interest is the finding that both foreign direct investment and portfolio investment are reliably associated with increased government respect for human rights.
Stability of an internally constrained, hyperelastic slab

Abstract The elastic stability of an internally constrained thick plate is investigated on the basis of the well-known Euler dead load criterion of existence of adjacent equilibrium states. Two classes of internally constrained materials are examined—the Bell constrained material characterized by tr V=3, and the incompressible material for which det V=1, V being the left-stretch tensor. Although this study focuses mainly on instability of a Bell constrained slab, some new results are presented as well for an incompressible neo-Hookean slab. Graphical illustrations of the critical stretch as a function of the slenderness measure of the slab are provided for two classes of Bell materials—the simple hyperelastic Bell material model and an empirical model first described in experiments by Bell. The oscillatory nature of the stability results for Bell’s empirical model differ from the monotone solutions found for both the simple hyperelastic Bell material and the neo-Hookean material models. Estimates for buckling loads of thin plates deduced from the thick-plate analysis are compared with classical results. The critical load found for the simple hyperelastic Bell material coincides with the result deduced from classical thin plate theory, while the solution found for Bell’s law, which is parabolic in the engineering strain, does not. The half-space stability problem is examined as an extension of results deduced for a thick plate based on Bell’s law.
Neddylation plays an important role in the regulation of murine and human dendritic cell function

Posttranslational protein modifications (PTMs) are necessary for cells to function properly. The role of PTMs in regulating immune responses, specifically those mediated by dendritic cells (DCs), which are critical for both innate and adaptive immunity, is not well understood. Utilizing multiple but complementary approaches, we determined the role of an important but less understood type of PTM, namely, neddylation, in regulating DC functions. Inhibition of neddylation suppressed the release of proinflammatory cytokines by DCs in response to Toll-like receptor, nucleotide oligomerization domain–like receptor, and noninfectious CD40L stimulation. These effects were more profound than those mediated by the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib or a commonly used antiinflammatory agent, dexamethasone. Targeting neddylation also suppressed the ability of DCs to stimulate murine allogeneic T cells in vitro and in vivo and human allogeneic T-cell responses in vitro. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that inhibition of neddylation reduced both canonical and noncanonical nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity. Neddylation inhibition prevented the degradation of inhibitor-κB and thus reduced the translocation and activation of NF-κB, but without perturbation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. Thus, blocking neddylation could be a novel strategy for mitigating immune-mediated disease processes.
Direct Diagnoses of Stratosphere–Troposphere Exchange

This study discusses the direct diagnosis of stratosphere‐troposphere exchange. The method introduced by Wei is applied to the Goddard Earth Observation System assimilated dataset. In many respects, the results generally agree with those of other studies using the same method and different datasets. However, sensitivity tests and theoretical considerations indicate that the instantaneous two-way exchange may be significantly exaggerated by the Wei method, because the method is rather sensitive to input data errors such as those that are invariably present in assimilated datasets. The method becomes somewhat better conditioned as the results are more heavily averaged, but this also reduces the method’s ability to diagnose two-way exchange. Additionally, when the flux across various surfaces is averaged over the globe and the entire year, the result implies unrealistically large imbalances in the annually averaged mass budget of the stratosphere. This could be caused by modest biases in the model used to perform the data assimilation. Since pure model simulations have an internal dynamical consistency that is lacking in assimilated datasets, the analysis appears to explain the fairly large discrepancies between the two-way fluxes obtained in studies using models and those obtained in studies using assimilated datasets. It may also explain the discrepancies between the net fluxes obtained by the Wei method and those obtained by other methods.
Joint Impairment and Ambulation in the Elderly

Objective: To test the impact of joint impairment on ambulation in the elderly, using a multivariate model. Design: Cross-sectional observational study (baseline data from an ongoing longitudinal study). Subjects: Five hundred thirty-two persons over age 60, including continuing care retirement community (CCRC) (n = 222), homebound (n = 63), and ambulatory (n = 247) respondents. Mean age at assessment = 76.6 (SD = 6.6). Measurement: Independent variables included sociodemo-graphics, physician measures of lower joint impairment, an index of cormorbidities derived from physical examination or chart abstract, self-assessed arthritis pain, depression, and anxiety. The dependent variable, ambulation, was measured as walk-rate, based on the time required to walk 50 feet. Main Results: For the total sample, 61% of the subjects were impaired in more than one lower joint group, with almost 50% of the homebound impaired in more than three joint groups. Demographics (particularly age and education) explained much of the variance in walk-rate. After controlling for demographics and membership in the groups purposely sampled (CCRC, homebound, ambulatory), lower joint impairment accounted for an additional 7% of the variance in walk-rate. Total amount of variance explained by the model was 56% (Adjusted R2 = .56). A 3-point change in lower joint impairment score, equivalent to the maximum impairment score for a single joint group, is associated with a 4-second change in the mean time required to walk 50 feet. The knee and lower spine joints contributed most to the impact of the lower joint impairment measure. Conclusions: Among the elderly, age and education are strong predictors of performance on a walk-rate test. Independent of demographics and non-musculoskeletal conditions, joint impairment is associated with diminished walking ability in this population.
Why Not Parties in Russia?: Democracy, Federalism, and the State

1. Electoral markets and Russia's political smorgasboard 2. Party entrepreneurship in Russia's electoral market, 1989-2004 3. How much party is in the party system? 4. Electoral markets and party substitutes in Russia: origins and impact 5. Parties and party substitutes: determining the balance 6. Conclusion: the market model and theories of parties, national integration, and transitions from authoritarian rule.
Investigation of a high-efficiency nebulizer and a thimble glass frit nebulizer for elemental analysis of biological materials by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry

Abstract A high-efficiency nebulizer (HEN) and a demountable thimble glass frit nebulizer are evaluated for argon inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (Ar ICP-AES). Aerosol characteristics for the HEN and the thimble frit are studied using laser Fraunhofer diffraction. Analyte transport efficiencies, mass transport rates, detection limits, and short- and long-term stabilities are measured. Four standard reference materials (trace elements in water, oyster tissue, bovine liver, and orchard leaves) are analyzed. For comparison, results obtained by a high-solid pneumatic nebulizer (conespray nebulizer) are also presented. Transport efficiencies of up to 50–60% are obtained for the HEN and the thimble frit nebulizer at an uptake rate of 11 μl min. For the elements tested, short- and long-term precisions and detection limits obtained with the thimble frit are comparable to those of a commonly used pneumatic nebulizer. Good agreement with certified values is obtained for six trace elements in a standard reference material (SRM) water sample nebulized by the thimble frit. However, signal suppression is observed when the biological or plant SRMs are nebulized with the thimble frit nebulizer. In contrast, satisfactory results are obtained for the same matrices when the HEN and the conespray nebulizer are used.
Methods of osseous reconstruction of the mandible following surgical resection.

Osseous reconstruction of the surgically resected mandible has presented, for some time, a considerable surgical problem. This paper presents the results of a series of experimental investigations evaluating the various morphologic and immunologic types of autogenous bone grafts in the reconstruction of the surgically resected mandible. The osteogenic inductive effect of hemopoietic marrow in combination with autogenous cancellous bone is reviewed and examples of this inductive effect are cited. The application of the particulate graft of cancellous bone and marrow to the restoration of large areas of lost mandibular bone is described. In this application, the particulate graft is used with a compatible metal implant designed to offer an optimal grafting system for the reconstruction of large areas of the mandible. The metallic implant, in addition to containing the bone graft, serves to control and fix the host bone fragments and lessens the period of intermaxillary immobilization necessary for healing. Normal aesthetic mandibular contour is restored and routine dental prosthesis may be constructed over the reconstructed mandible. It is felt that this system offers the optimal approach, through the combination of implant metals and highly osteogenic graft tissues, to the reconstruction of the mandible following surgery.
Time-optimal control strategy for saturating linear discrete systems

An easily implemented strategy for obtaining the required minimal-time and time-optimal control sequence for a given initial state of an nth-order linear discrete system with constraints on the input is described. This strategy uses the boundary faces of the reachable set for the determination of the minimal time. The time-optimal control sequence is achieved by dividing the reachable set into linear and saturated parts.
Building scientific capacity in developing countries

Simply transferring knowledge and instrumentation is not enough to help developing countries build their own research base. Such efforts must be tied to national and local needs to create trust and services for society in the long term
Medical follow-up of living kidney donors by 1 year after nephrectomy.

Abstract Background Concerns have been raised that many kidney donors do not receive adequate medical care after nephrectomy. In 2003, our program developed a policy recommending that donors receive medical follow-up by 12 months postnephrectomy. We hypothesized that medically complex donors would have a higher rate of follow-up than other donors. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 137 live kidney donors from a single center was performed. Donors were considered medically complex if they had hypertension, body mass index of 30 or greater, nephrolithiasis, age 65 years or older, creatinine clearance less than 80 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , or had a first-degree relative with diabetes mellitus. Adequate follow-up was defined as one visit with a nephrologist at our center, or blood pressure, serum creatinine, and urinalysis checked elsewhere. Results Eighty-three donors (61%) had adequate follow-up, 42 did not, and 12 could not be contacted. At multivariate logistic regression, donors with adequate follow-up were more likely to be medically complex (odds ratio, 2.48; 95% confidence interval 1.18–5.23; P = .02) and older than donors with inadequate follow-up (odds ratio, 1.46 per 10 years of age; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–2.10; P = .04). Conclusion A substantial minority of donors do not receive recommended care by 1 year after nephrectomy.
Exercise, functional limitations, and quality of life: A longitudinal study of persons with multiple sclerosis

Abstract Stuifbergen AK, Blozis SA, Harrison TC, Becker HA. Exercise, functional limitations, and quality of life: a longitudinal study of persons with multiple sclerosis. Objective To explore the trajectories of functional limitations, health behaviors (exercise), and quality of life (QOL) and their interrelations over a 5-year time period in a sample of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design Descriptive longitudinal survey study. Setting Southwestern United States. Participants Convenience sample of 611 people with MS (mean age at time 1, 49.4y). Ninety percent of the participants remained enrolled in the study. Response rates at each annual data collection ranged from 85% to 90% of eligible participants. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures A series of self-report instruments to measure functional limitations, exercise behaviors, and QOL were completed annually over a 5-year period. Results Using multivariate latent curve modeling techniques, rates of change in functional limitations correlated negatively with rates of exercise behaviors and QOL ratings. The level of exercise behaviors at time 1 and rate of change in functional limitations were negatively related—suggesting that higher exercise levels at time 1 were related to slower accumulation of functional limitations over time. Conclusions Data analysis methods that allow examination of both the individual and group level of change are particularly appropriate when examining trajectories of change in persons with MS because of the highly individualized progression and presentation of the disease. Findings of this descriptive longitudinal study support the potential positive impact of exercise on the long-term progression of functional limitation and QOL for persons with MS.
The integral paradigm: The truth of faith and the social sciences

This article proposes a paradigm for the social sciences derived from Pitirim A. Sorokin’s writings about Integralism. His conception of a three-component system of truth and knowledge which includes the senses, reason, and faith is the foundation of this integral perspective. The paradigm entails the incorporation of religious-ethical ideas within the established frame of reference of the social sciences. The consensus among several world religions that some version of the Golden Rule is the most fundamental ethical principle, and the idea of individual transformation involving the realization of this principle, are advanced as the foundation for integral social science. The virtues, the vices and the Ten Commandments are presented as more specific schemes which articulate the positive and negative precepts associated with the Golden Rule. The incorporation of these religious-ethical ideas in value premises, existing paradigms and theories, special fields, and empirical research is considered. Integralism is proposed as a solution to the current crisis of fragmentation and anomie in the social sciences.
Path Planning for a Digital Robotic Arm

Discretely actuated or digital robotic manipulators have become popular because they are highly repeatable, need no feedback control, and are relatively less expensive and lightweight compared to continuously actuated manipulators. This research investigates trajectory planning for discretely actuated manipulators within a static environment without obstacles and with known initial and final positions. In particular, the focus will be on minimizing oscillations of a path trajectory and minimizing the deviation from the ideal path, as well as minimizing the torque required to actuate each joint. Motion strategies are developed and their effect studied.© 2008 ASME
Effects of thiourea on the adrenal glands of chick embryos.

HYPOTHYROIDISM was produced in chick embryos by injections of thiourea from the 8th day of incubation to hatching (Adams and Bull, 1949; Adams and Buss, 1952) and the effects on the embryonic adrenal glands were examined. The most obvious changes were cortical atrophy and medullary hypertrophy, which were apparent on incubation days 18–20. materials and methods Five doses of 0.5 cc. of 0.4% thiourea were injected into yolk sacs of 48 White Plymouth Rock embryos on alternate incubation days 8–16. Each embryo received a total dose of 10 mg. of the drug. In addition 12 embryos were given three injections on days 12, 14, and 16 and 10 embryos received two injections, 5 on days 6 and 18 and 5 on days 10 and 16. Controls were 93 embryos which either were uninjected or injected with 0.5 cc. distilled water. Embryos were killed daily from days 8–20. All embryos were weighed after removal of their membranes.
Multiresidue screen for cardiotoxins by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography.

A two-dimensional thin-layer chromatographic method was developed for the qualitative determination of the cardiotoxins oleandrin, gitoxin, digitoxin, gitoxigenin, and grayanotoxins I, II, and III in gastrointestinal contents (stomach, rumen, colon, and cecum contents), feces, and plant material. The cardiotoxins were extracted with dichloromethane. The extract was cleaned up by charcoal and reverse phase solid-phase extraction columns. Analysis was performed by two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography on silica gel plates and visualized by aluminum chloride followed by chloramine T spray. The method detection limits were 0.05 μg/g for oleandrin, 0.1 μg/g for gitoxin, and 0.2 μg/g for the other toxicants in gastrointestinal contents and feces and were 5 times higher in plant material. Four replicate fortifications of bovine rumen contents, bovine feces, and alfalfa at these levels were all well recovered. The diagnostic utility of the method was tested by analyzing samples submitted to the veterinary tox...
The Structural and Electrical Characterization of Copper Decorated Boundaries in Silicon Bicrystals

Silicon bicrystals have been fabricated by sintering together single crystal {001} and {111} wafers with low angle misorientations In the range of 0.5 to 3.0 degrees. The interfaces in these bicrystals contain regular arrays of screw dislocations with observed spacings of 10 to 40 nm. The dislocations were decorated with copper which was first sputter-deposited on an external surface, then diffused into the interface by annealing the bicrystal at 400°C for 15 minutes. Analytical electron microscopy was used to characterize the spacing, orientation, and copper concentration of these dislocation arrays. The electrical properties of both decorated and undecorated bicrystals were determined using a two-probe step I-V method, and the behavior of both types of bicrystals compared.
Maternal hepatic and embryonic effects of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene in the rat

The possible maternal hepatic and reproductive effects of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (TCB) were assessed in rats given 0, 36, 120, 360, and 1200 mg/kg/day of TCB on Days 9-13 of gestation. The animals were sacrificed on Day 14 of pregnancy. Maternal deaths (2/9 rats, 6/6 rats) were recorded in the 360 and 1200 mg/kg/day treatment groups and body weight gain was significantly decreased in the 360 mg/kg/day TCB group. Maternal liver weight, liver/body weight ratio, and hepatic microsomal protein content were unaffected by TCB treatment. Although Day 14 NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity was affected only at 360 mg/kg/day TCB, the maternal hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 content was significantly increased by administration of both 120 and 360 mg/kg/day of TCB. Hepatic microsomal aminopyrine N-demethylase, ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase, and UDP-glucuronyl transferase activity towards p-nitrophenol were also increased at 120 and 360 mg/kg TCB. Glutathione S-transferase activity to 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene and 1,2 dichloro-4-nitrobenzene were both increased by pretreatment with TCB. Although pretreatment with 360 mg/kg/day TCB did not increase resorptions, embryolethality, or teratogenicity, embryonic development was significantly retarded by all four growth criteria used (head length, crown-rump length, somite number, and protein content).
The use of tricyclic antidepressants in children and adolescents

For children and adolescents, TCAs have proven efficacy in the treatment of enuresis, OCD, and ADHD, with less compelling evidence in anxiety and tic disorders and as-yet unproven efficacy in major depression. The TCAs continue to be a valuable second-line treatment in the previously mentioned conditions. Given the possible adverse effects caused by these medications and the individual variability in plasma levels, effective, responsible use of these medications includes careful monitoring by the prescribing clinician.
Bupropion Use and Risk of Open-Angle Glaucoma among Enrollees in a Large U.S. Managed Care Network

Objective Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) mediates retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma. Anti-TNF drugs are neuroprotective in an animal model of glaucoma. It is unclear whether medications with anti-TNF properties such as bupropion have an impact on the risk of developing open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in humans. The purpose of this study is to determine whether bupropion use alters the risk of developing OAG. Methods Claims data for beneficiaries age ≥35 years with no pre-existing OAG enrolled in a large nationwide U.S. managed care network continuously for ≥4 years between 2001-2011 was analyzed to identify patients who had been newly-diagnosed with OAG. The amount of bupropion use as captured from outpatient pharmacy claims over a four-year period was also quantified for each beneficiary. Multivariable Cox regression modeling assessed the impact of bupropion and other antidepressant medications on the risk of developing OAG with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics of the enrollees along with medical and ocular comorbidities. Results Of 638,481 eligible enrollees, 15,292 (2.4%) developed OAG. After adjustment for confounding factors including use of other antidepressant medication classes, each additional month of bupropion use was associated with a 0.6% reduced risk of OAG (HR = 0.994, (95% CI: 0.989-0.998), p = 0.007). Compared to nonusers, those with 24-48 months of bupropion use had a 21% reduced hazard (HR=0.79, (CI: 0.65-0.94), p = 0.0099) of OAG. This association did not differ among persons taking bupropion for depression or for other reasons (p-interaction = 0.82). There was no significant association between use of tricyclic antidepressants (HR = 1.000, (CI: 0.997-1.004), p = 0.95) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (HR = 0.999, (CI: 0.997-1.001), p = 0.39) and development of OAG. Conclusion These findings suggest bupropion use may be beneficial in reducing the risk of OAG. If prospective studies confirm the findings of this analysis, this may identify a novel therapeutic target for OAG.
Sumoylation of Topoisomerase I Is Involved in Its Partitioning between Nucleoli and Nucleoplasm and Its Clearing from Nucleoli in Response to Camptothecin

Previous studies identified a small fraction of putatively sumoylated topoisomerase I (TOP1) under basal conditions ( approximately 1%), and anticancer camptothecins that trap the TOP1-DNA covalent intermediate markedly increase the sumoylation of TOP1 (<or=10%). To study the role of the sumoylation of TOP1, we mutated sites on green fluorescent protein (GFP)-TOP1 corresponding to the consensus sequence for protein sumoylation (PsiKXE, where Psi is a hydrophobic residue) and assayed the mutants for basal and camptothecin-induced sumoylation. Only one of the eight mutants, K117R, located in the highly charged NH2-terminal region, showed a substantial reduction ( approximately 5-fold) in basal and camptothecin-induced sumoylation; thus, Lys-117 appears to be the major sumoylation site. A triple mutant having the PsiKXE sequences flanking K117R additionally mutated (K103R/K117R/K153R) showed little if any sumoylation, but was degraded like wild-type GFP-TOP1 during camptothecin treatment. However, K103R/K117R/K153R-GFP-TOP1 was markedly concentrated within nucleoli, depleted from the remainder of nucleus, and failed to be cleared from nucleoli in response to camptothecin treatment. These data are consistent with a model wherein basal transient sumoylation of the NH2-terminal, highly charged, disordered region prevents TOP1 binding to sites in nucleoli, thus driving it to bind in the nucleoplasm; and camptothecin treatment, which increases TOP1 sumoylation, further shifts the binding resulting in delocalization of TOP1 from nucleoli to nucleoplasm.
Lipid Droplets Are Novel Sites of N-Acylethanolamine Inactivation by Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase-2

Anandamide (AEA) and other bioactive N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) are primarily inactivated by the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Recently, FAAH-2 was discovered in humans, suggesting an additional enzyme can mediate NAE inactivation in higher mammals. Here, we performed a biochemical characterization of FAAH-2 and explored its capacity to hydrolyze NAEs in cells. In homogenate activity assays, FAAH-2 hydrolyzed AEA and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) with activities ∼6 and ∼20% those of FAAH, respectively. In contrast, FAAH-2 hydrolyzed AEA and PEA in intact cells with rates ∼30–40% those of FAAH, highlighting a potentially greater contribution toward NAE catabolism in vivo than previously appreciated. In contrast to endoplasmic reticulum-localized FAAH, immunofluorescence revealed FAAH-2 was localized on lipid droplets. Supporting this distribution pattern, the putative N-terminal hydrophobic region of FAAH-2 was identified as a functional lipid droplet localization sequence. Lipid droplet localization was essential for FAAH-2 activity as chimeras excluded from lipid droplets lacked activity and/or were poorly expressed. Lipid droplets represent novel sites of NAE inactivation. Therefore, we examined substrate delivery to these organelles. AEA was readily trafficked to lipid droplets, confirming that lipid droplets constitute functional sites of NAE inactivation. Collectively, these results establish FAAH-2 as a bone fide NAE-catabolizing enzyme and suggest that NAE inactivation is spatially separated in cells of higher mammals.
A Caribbean Musical Enigma: Barbados

At first glance, Barbados might seem a viable candidate for the tit e of "le st enig atic Caribbe n soci ty." Unlike several of its Eastern Caribbean neighbors, it was ruled by a single European power from the time of its original colonization in 1627 until political independence in 1966. Partly because of this, it became known as "Little England." Along with this nickname went an image of cultural homoge neity, "puritanical" propriety and tidiness, and a relatively comfortable fit between imposed colonial culture and local identity. The postcolonial shift in perspective that has rendered such imagery highly problematic has occurred more slowly in Barbados than in many other parts of the Caribbean; but by the time Destination Barbados was completed in the late 1990s, it was well underway. As a promotional vehicle for the country's music, dance, and festival traditions, the film bears witness, in a peculiarly discomfiting and perhaps unintentional way, to the cultural dilemma of postcoloniality in a former slave plantation society. In one of the film's more revealing moments, a local UNESCO official, Hubert Charles, tells us that not so long ago "people were of the view that Barbados was a cultureless society." While the former "Little England" is hardly the only part of the Caribbean to have had this charge leveled at it, Barbados has arguably been more vul nerable to such representations than most of its island neighbors. Indeed, as Barbadian scholar and cultural critic Curwen Best (1999:142) points out, "Barbados has for most of its history been regarded as the Caribbean island with the least to offer by way of a vibrant indigenous culture." In the Caribbean region?a part of the world that takes special pride in the vitality of its performing arts?the stakes are raised dramatically when the yardstick used to measure the health of a local "cultural heritage" is the one featured in this film: music and dance. And so the film is at considerable pains to establish not only the "rich ness," but the profound "indigenousness" and "Africanness" of the Bajan musical heritage. In the opening sequence, an Africanesque percussion ensemble featuring congas and timbales sets the stage for a narrative
Confirmation of onychomycosis by in vivo confocal microscopy

Onychomycosis is common in adults and constitutes 20% of all nail disease. Widely used methods to confirm a clinical diagnosis of onychomycosis often yield negative results (ie, potassium hydroxide [KOH] preparation) or are slow (ie, dermatophyte cultures). We report a case of onychomycosis in which we used in vivo confocal microscopy to diagnose the disease; we also correlated our findings with results from routine KOH preparations. On the basis of our findings, we hypothesize that in vivo confocal microscopy may be faster and more accurate than the conventional microscope used in KOH preparations in the diagnosis of onychomycosis.