cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Absorption Model to Establish Dissolution Bioequivalence Safe Space for Oseltamivir in Adult and Pediatric Populations

Bioequivalence (BE) studies support the approval and clinical use of both new drug and generic drug products. Virtual BE studies have been conducted using physiologically based pharmacokinetic absorption models (PBPK AMs) to aid the evaluations of generic drug products. The aim of the current study is to determine the dissolution boundary for maintaining BE between the test and reference oseltamivir phosphate (OP) drug products using the PBPK AM-based virtual BE studies in adults and pediatrics. The adult PBPK AM for OP and its metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate (OC) are developed and verified/validated using intravenous and oral data from multiple generic OP products. The pediatric PBPK AM is extrapolated from the adult PBPK AM. The virtual BE analysis is conducted using simulated PK profiles from the reference products and the generic products with theoretical dissolution profiles as inputs. Results indicate that the generic products with 10% slower dissolution profile than the pivotal reference bio-batch could still maintain BE to the reference in adults. In contrast, a stringent trend of dissolution boundary is observed for pediatrics (6% slower for adolescents, 4% slower for 0-2-month neonates) to maintain BE. This study addresses the important applications of PBPK AM in evaluating BE in different age populations, mitigating risk of formulation/batch changes, and providing a quantitative basis for setting clinically relevant dissolution specifications for OP and OC in both adults and pediatrics.
Abstract 17177: Furosemide Promotes Myocardial Fibrosis in Swine Heart Failure

Introduction: Although frequently used in heart failure (HF), long-term furosemide exacerbates HF in a swine model. This paradoxical phenomenon may reflect furosemide-induced alterations in signali...
Evaluating quality of patient-reported outcome measures in patients with hypospadias.

Summary Introduction There is growing recognition of the importance of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in pediatric hypospadias. We have previously presented a conceptual framework for Hypospadias-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), which posited 5 domains of HRQoL in this population. The framework components (domains) included penile appearance, voiding function, social function, psychological/behavioral function, and pubertal/sexual health. In this work, we investigated the established validity and relevance of PROs within each of these domains for patients with hypospadias. Materials and methods We evaluated existing measures with published psychometric data, including validation data, in the hypospadias population. We also assessed the available data on each measure according to the guidelines of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust (Table) in order to establish measure quality. We also examined the power of existing validation studies according to suggested guidelines for psychometric validation and factor analysis. Discussion Available validated measures in the hypospadias population have focused primarily on penile appearance and to a lesser degree on pubertal development/sexual health. There were no validated disease-specific measures with dedicated evaluations of other key HRQoL domains including voiding-related sequelae, social function, or psychological function. In addition, no single measure addressed all of the quality guidelines posed by the Scientific Advisory Committee. Conclusions Current generalized measures for PROs lack relevance to the experience of hypospadias patients, and disease-specific assessments are often focused on penile appearance. Improving measure quality is necessary to optimize the value of our assessments and better help our patients with hypospadias. Summary Table . SAC Criteria for Measures with Available Psychometric Data in Hypospadias Patients. Domain Instrument Reliability Validity Interpretability Responsiveness Respondent Burden Penile Appearance GPS (child/Adult) Yes Yes Adequate Adequate 9 items (Child) GPS (adult) Yes Yes Adequate Adequate 20 items PPPS Yes Yes Unknown Adequate 4 items PPS Yes No Adequate Adequate 4 items HOSE Yes No Decreased Unknown 5 items Social Function (None) a N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Voiding Function Mini-IPSS No b No Unknown Unknown 21 items Psychological Function PGWBI Yes No Decreased Unknown 22 items Pubertal/Sexual Health BPS (Child) Yes No Unknown Adequate 10 items BPS (Adult) Yes No Adequate Adequate 11 items BESAA Yes Yes Unknown Unknown 30 items SIGHT Yes Yes c Decreased Unknown 11 items a No psychometric data available in the hypospadias population. b See text. The mini-IPSS demonstrated face validity but was not evaluated for construct or content validity. c See text. The SIGHT questionnaire did not demonstrate convergent validity with the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient activation in people living with chronic conditions.

Abstract Objective The objectives of this review are to (1) describe the state of the science of patient activation interventions for the self-management of chronic conditions; (2) identify effective intervention elements for improving patient activation; and (3) compare intervention effectiveness across chronic conditions. Methods This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement (PRISMA). PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were searched. Results Thirty-two articles published between 2005 and 2019 were identified with intervention elements of self-management, disease management, and education. Meta-analysis of a subset of seven randomized controlled trials (n = 7) that used the 13-item version of the Patient Activation Measure with data collection points at 6 months demonstrated that patient activation did not change significantly in comparison with controls (MD = 0.25, 95 % CI = 0.02–0.47). Conclusion Most interventions reported significant improvement in patient activation and were linked to tasks such as regular exercise and monitoring glucose. However, the meta-analysis of RCTs did not confirm these findings. Practice implications Patient activation can be assessed and addressed uniformly across all chronic conditions to improve patient engagement in care.
Consumer-Optimal Market Segmentation

Consumer surplus in a market is affected by how the market is segmented. We study the maximum consumer surplus across all possible segmentations of a given market served by a multi product monopolist. We characterize markets for which the maximum consumer surplus equals a first best benchmark (i.e., maximum total surplus minus minimum profit). The first best benchmark is achievable whenever the seller does not find it profitable to screen types by offering multiple bundles, highlighting a novel impact of screening. We also characterize markets for which consumer surplus can be increased compared to the unsegmented market, and show that these markets are generic. We construct a simple segmentation that improves consumer surplus in these markets.
How to Increase Citations to Legal Scholarship (Originally titled: Hein, U.S. News, and How to Increase Citations)

Using nearly 250,000 law review articles published on HeinOnline in a five-year period, the authors analyze citation patterns and characteristics of the articles such as title length, number of authors, article length, publication format, and more. The authors describe past citation studies and best practices in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The authors find that factors beyond article quality likely impact scholarly citations. Drawing from the lessons in the citation patterns, article characteristics, and SEO best practices, the authors offer techniques to increase the article citation counts of articles published in U.S. law journals. Based on data pulled from Hein, U.S. News will introduce a new scholarly impact ranking later this year. While this new ranking has the potential to improve the overall law school rankings, it opens the door to a wide range of potential issues from citation cartels to keyword stuffing to less focus on important but less well-known areas of the law. Using lessons from the SEO world, the authors conclude with a detailed discussion of these potential problems.
mCore: Achieving Sub-millisecond Scheduling for 5G MU-MIMO Systems

MU-MIMO technology enables a base station (BS) to transmit signals to multiple users simultaneously on the same frequency band. It is a key technology for 5G NR to increase the data rate. In 5G specifications, an MU-MIMO scheduler needs to determine RBs allocation and MCS assignment to each user for each TTI. Under MU-MIMO, multiple users may be coscheduled on the same RB and each user may have multiple data streams simultaneously. In addition, the scheduler must meet the stringent real-time requirement (~1 ms) during decision making to be useful. This paper presents mCore, a novel 5G scheduler that can achieve ~1 ms scheduling with joint optimization of RB allocation and MCS assignment to MU-MIMO users. The key idea of mCore is to perform a multi-phase optimization, leveraging large-scale parallel computation. In each phase, mCore either decomposes the optimization problem into a number of independent sub-problems, or reduces the search space into a smaller but most promising subspace, or both. We implement mCore on a commercial-off-the-shelf GPU. Experimental results show that mCore can offer the best scheduling performance for up to 100 RBs, 100 users, 29 MCS levels and 4 × 12 antennas when compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms. It is also the only algorithm that can find its scheduling solution in ~1 ms.
I saw you like this now I wanna know

In this paper, we focus on how interactants accomplish different forms of participation in the “one-to-many” context of social media interactions, where single users frequently have a wide audience of potential recipients to their posts. How do social media users ascertain who might be a relevant recipient to these posts, and how do other users who interact with these posts position themselves within a relevant participation framework? We explore these questions by examining how participants on Twitter orient to the act of “liking” a post as a resource for moving into the participation framework of the talk, and we show how this orientation allows likes to serve as possible pathways for launching new actions and activities. We examine these practices using the framework of conversation analysis (CA), showing how participants use public noticings of another user’s likes as a preface to, and justification for, a subsequent invitation sequence or complaint sequence. We additionally show how the specific media affordances of Twitter, which render likes publicly visible to others, facilitates the noticing of likes as a device for inciting new courses of action.
On the Socratic Method

He admitted that his questioning was, at times, annoying like a gadfly, and that through his questioning he brought forth ideas as a midwife brings out an infant from the mother’s womb. Yet, these are descriptions, not theory. He also claimed that he was guided by “a divine sign,” and, further, that there was a dialectical method or art for discovering truth in ecstatic abandon, though it required training and practice (gymnasia). Yet neither the role of inspiration nor the dialectic of discovery are generally mentioned as part of his method.
The Primary Structure of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B I. ISOLATION, COMPOSITION, AND SEQUENCE OF TRYPTIC PEPTIDES FROM OXIDIZED ENTEROTOXIN B

Abstract Thirty peptides obtained from the tryptic digestion of oxidized staphylococcal enterotoxin B were isolated chromatographically on columns of Dowex 50W-X2 and AG1-X2 by using pyridine-acetic acid and N-ethylmorpholine-pyridine-acetic acid buffer systems. The isolated peptides were further purified by paper chromatography and electrophoresis. The amino acid composition and sequence of each purified peptide were determined. A total of 239 amino acid residues was found to be present in the tryptic peptides.
Eddy Diffusion in Homogeneous Turbulence

Taylor's theory of diffusion by continuous movements and Einstein's equation of diffusion were applied to eddy diffusion of particles in two dimensional field of homogeneous turbulence in broad shallow channel with extreme bottom roughness; method of determining Lagrangian eddy size, eddy diffusivity, turbulence intensity, and mixing length; experimental verification of Kilmogoroff similarity principle.
Decision Styles of Corporate Leaders: Do Differences Make a Difference?

Ineffective decision making at the top rungs of organizations is a perennial concern, yet empirical research into the decision styles of corporate leaders is scant. Conceptually sound and psychometrically validated constructs for alternative decision styles of corporate leaders are rare. This study develops and validates a multi-dimensional measure of different decision styles used by corporate leaders. Structural equation modeling is used to examine if different decision styles are associated with different performance outcomes for strategic decisions related to new opportunities. The three dimensions of decision styles evidence convergent and discriminant validity in a sample of 100 Corporate Leaders. In addition, the different decision styles relate differently with individual and organizational outcomes. Surprisingly, the integrative decision style achieves satisfactory psychometric properties but is inert to performance outcomes. Possible directions for future research are also discussed.
Humid Air Corrosion of YMP Waste Package Candidate Material

The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is evaluating candidate materials for high level nuclear waste containers (Waste Packages) for a potential deep geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The potential repository is located above the water table in the unsaturated zone. The rock contains nominally 10% by volume water and gas pressure in the emplacement drifts of the repository is expected to remain near the ambient atmospheric pressure. The heat generated by the radioactive decay of the waste will raise the temperature of the waste packages and the surrounding rock. Waste Package temperatures above the ambient boiling point of water are anticipated for the waste emplacement scenarios. Because the repository emplacement drifts are expected to remain at the ambient atmospheric pressure, the maximum relative humidity obtainable decreases above the boiling point of water. Temperatures of the Waste Packages and the surrounding rock are expected to reach maximum temperature within 100`s of years and then gradually decrease with time. Episodic liquid water contact with the WPs is also expected; this will result in the deposition of salts and mineral scale.
Decreased Expression of the Human Folate Receptor Mediates Transport-defective Methotrexate Resistance in KB Cells*

The human membrane-associated folate binding protein, or folate receptor (hFR), is a necessary component of folate and methotrexate (MTX) transport in some cell lines. To investigate the role of hFR in acquired MTX resistance in human cells, we characterized nine MTX-resistant clones selected from human nasopharyngeal epidermoid carcinoma (KB) cells (cells which transport folates/anti-folates via the hFR) cultured in media containing low folate concentrations. Compared with wild type KB cells, the level of resistance of the clones ranges from 2- to 80-fold higher and the resistant phenotypes of the clones are characterized as follows. 1) DHFR levels are increased (3-13-fold) in four of nine clones; 2) MTX polyglutamation is not detectably different; 3) the extents of MTX efflux are similar; 4) initial rates of MTX efflux are similar except for two clones which exhibit slightly faster efflux rates (approximately 2-fold); and 5) the Vmax for specific MTX and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate transport are decreased (2-18-fold) in all mutants. The Kt values for MTX transport of each mutant are similar to the Kt of KB cells. These results indicate that all nine MTX-resistant clones exhibit defective MTX transport and that four clones also have increased DHFR levels. Based on folic acid binding assays, the hFR is reduced by 1.8-24-fold in these clones relative to KB cell hFR expression. Western, Northern, and Southern analyses are consistent with decreased hFR expression in these clones rather than mutations, resulting in alterations in the size or ligand binding affinities of the hFR. The decrement in hFR expression correlates closely with the degree of reduction in MTX transport Vmax for each clone. Since folate and MTX influx proceed via hFR in KB cells and in these mutants, the correlation (R2 = 0.90) between hFR expression and the MTX transport Vmax of each clone indicates that hFR expression is an important determinant of acquired MTX resistance in this human tumor cell line. These studies demonstrate that defective transport (manifested by decreased Vmax) resulting from decreased expression of the hFR is frequent in KB cells cultured under these conditions and suggest that modulation of hFR may be relevant to MTX cytotoxicity or resistance in tissues or cells expressing functionally significant levels of hFR.
Studies on cobalt myoglobins and hemoglobins. XV. Thermodynamic properties of oxygen equilibrium of cobalt hemoglobin.

Abstract Oxygen equilibrium curves of cobalt hemoglobin were measured at five temperatures between about 5 ° and 25 °C in order to determine the enthalpy and entropy changes at each step of oxygenation. The averaged heat for oxygenation depends upon pH and anion conditions. The heat associated with each step of oxygenation is uniform under the given set of experimental conditions where cobalt hemoglobin binds oxygen co-operatively. The apparent non-uniformity vanishes after correction for the heat associated with the non-heme ligands, indicating that the intrinsic heat of oxygen binding is primarily uniform with respect to oxygenation steps. Two compensation processes were observed between the enthalpy and entropy changes corresponding to oxygenation of the low affinity and high affinity molecular species, which suggests that the compensation process is related to the co-operative oxygen binding in cobalt hemoglobin. The thermodynamic properties were compared with those of iron hemoglobin reported by Imai (1979) and Imai & Yonetani (1975b). The co-operative mechanism operating in cobalt hemoglobin is concluded to be essentially the same as that in iron hemoglobin with respect to its thermodynamic nature.
F76Patients undergoing three‐dimensional ultrasound: review of referrals for 111 patients

Background Three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) is a rapidly emerging imaging technology offering improved visualization of patient anatomy. The purpose of this project was to identify the distribution of patients referred for 3DUS on a clinical service and assess the potential impact on care and management strategies. Method Charts from 111 patients having 3DUS studies in our clinical obstetrical and gynecological service were reviewed for indications. Patients were categorized as: 1) 3DUS specific referrals based on 2DUS findings, 2) value added DUS studies to 2) trouble shoot problems identified with 2DUS, 3) physician requested 3DUS studies to enhance patient reassurance and 4) patient initiated 3DUS studies for reassurance. Results Indication for 3DUS studies were: 3DUS specific referrals (30) (e.g. facial anomalies, sonohysterogams), trouble shoot problems identified with 2DUS (45) (e.g. club feet, vasa previa), physician requested studies to enhance patient reassurance (e.g. prior anomalies) and patient initiated 3DUS for reassurance (15) (e.g. prior anomalies, surrogate parents, hospice patients). Availability of 3DUS imaging resulted in new models of patient referral (internet, patient initiated, distant to the community). Conclusion As new technology (e.g. 3DUS) enters the clinical arena, new pathways for patients to access technology develop (outside referrals, patient referrals, internet). Improved information alters and improves patient responses (comprehension, decision making, reassurance) to their medical situation.
Progeria; report of a case with cephalometric roentgenograms and abnormally high concentrations of lipoproteins in the serum.

A typical case of progeria (Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome) is reported including the findings of the necropsy. Death occurred at the age of 11 years as the result of an accident. Analysis of cephalometric roentgenograms of this patient revealed that the characteristic facies of progeria results from marked retardation of facial growth in the presence of relatively normal growth of the neurocranium, and is therefore not the result of premature aging. Atherosclerosis was found in this child at necropsy. Concentrations of lipoproteins in the serum determined by analytical ultracentrifugation during life were found to be abnormally high, suggesting a metabolic error rather than premature aging of the arteries as the cause of the atherosclerosis. Psychologic studies showed the patient to be of normal intelligence with no evidence of senilism. Analysis of these data leads to the conclusion that premature aging does not occur in progeria.
Enhancement of the activity of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus by an optical brightener in the eastern hemlock looper, Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

The pathogenicity of a nuclear polyhedros is virus originally isolated from Lambdina fiscellaria lugubrosa (Hulst) was compared between treatments with and without the optical brightener Blankophor P167 against L. f. fiscellaria (Guenee) in the laboratory. The brightener significantly enhanced viral activity by 7.5-fold in terms of LD50, and by 22.9-fold in terms of LD95. With the addition of the brightener, the virus killed L. fiscellaria larvae 1.5- to 1.8-fold faster than without the brightener. Key words: nuclear polyhedrosis virus; Lambdina fiscellaria fiscellaria; optical brightener; virus enhancement
Natural killer cell therapy and aerosol interleukin-2 for the treatment of osteosarcoma lung metastasis.

PURPOSE Survival of patients with osteosarcoma lung metastases has not improved in 20 years. We evaluated the efficacy of combining natural killer [NK] cells with aerosol interleukin-2 [IL-2] to achieve organ-specific NK cell migration and expansion in the metastatic organ, and to decrease toxicity associated with systemic IL-2.
Rapid overlapping‐volume acquisition and reconstruction (ROVAR): automated 3D tiling for high‐resolution, large field‐of‐view optical microscopy

Summary Micrometer-scale three-dimensional data from fluorescence microscopes offer unique insight into cellular morphology and function by resolving subcellular locations of fluorescent dyes and proteins. To increase field-of-view size while using a high-resolution multiphoton microscope, we have created an automated system of rapidly acquiring overlapping image stacks from multiple fields-of-view along a nonplanar tissue surface. Each image stack is acquired only between the surface and the maximal penetrating depth, as determined by the image signal-to-background ratio. This results in the acquisition of the volume containing visible tissue along the tissue surface, excluding the empty volume above the tissue and the volume beyond the maximum imaging depth within the tissue. The automated collection of overlapping volumes is followed by reconstruction that can efficiently generate a single three-dimensional volume of the tissue surface. This approach yields data spanning multiple millimetres at micrometre resolution that is faster while requiring less work from the microscope operator. The advantages of the system are demonstrated by acquisition of data from intact, unfixed organs without a coverglass both in vivo and in situ.
The influence of vision on the automatic postural muscle responses of newly standing and newly walking infants

In adults, visual inputs do not appear to contribute significantly to automatic postural muscle responses (90–100 ms latency) activated by transient support surface displacements causing threats to standing balance, but are activated through slow pathways with latencies of more than 200 ms. However, it has been shown that the postural sway behavior of early walking infants is strongly influenced by visual flow cues that falsely signal self-movement. To determine whether there also are significant contributions of vision to automatic postural muscle responses in this age group, two groups of infants were tested on a moveable platform; pre-walkers (n=6) and early walkers (n=6). Pre-walkers did not show any measurable effect of visual condition (vision vs no vision) on muscle response characteristics. However, the integrated gastrocnemius activity of early walkers increased significantly in vision versus no vision conditions (P<0.05). These results show that visual cues contribute to, or modulate, the automatic postural responses in children who are in the developmental transition to independent walking.
Why volition is a foundation problem for psychology

Since the advent of behaviorism the question of volition or "will" has been largely neglected. We consider evidence indicating that two identical behaviors may be quite distinct with respect to volition: For instance, with practice the details of predictable actions become less and less voluntary, even if the behavior itself does not visibly change. Likewise, people can voluntarily imitate involuntary slips they have just made. Such examples suggest that the concept of volition applies not to visible behavior per se, but to the control system that guides behavior. Involuntary events include both automatisms (which do not violate one′s intentions) and counter voluntary actions such as slips (which do). An adequate theory of voluntary control must account for the entire set of such pairs of voluntary/involuntary contrasts. The problem of volition highlights core psychological issues. (1) Voluntary acts are consistent with one′s current dominant goals. (2) Volition and consciousness are intimately related. Consciousness of an action seems to recruit unconscious resources that help in planning, executing, and monitoring a voluntary act. Conversely, losing conscious access to an action seems to produce a loss of voluntary control. However, (3) voluntary actions are not wholly conscious. It appears that we only need conscious access to nonroutine choice-points in the flow of control; routine aspects are handled unconsciously. (4) The goals that guide voluntary acts often encounter conflict, either from reality or from other goals, and emotions are widely believed to result from appraisals of such conflicts (Lazarus, 1991). Finally, (5) there is a close connection between countervoluntary slips and the symptoms of clinical pathology, which involve a loss of voluntary control over speech, action, feeling, imagery, or thought. A modern version of William James′ ideomotor theory is proposed, based on Global Workspace theory (Baars, 1983, 1988, 1992). The theory shows how a conscious goal image could activate unconscious plans and automatisms that shape a voluntary act. Conscious feedback from the act serves to communicate success or failure to many unconscious routines, which may then adapt cooperatively to shape future actions.
Low temperature stacked electrodes for flexible crystalline semiconductor thin film solar cells

Large area crystalline InP nanomembranes (NM) with p-i-n vertical junction were transferred to flexible plastic substrates, based on low temperature frame assisted membrane transfer process. Low temperature annealing-free stacked electrodes were investigated for the compatibility of energy efficient NM stacking and manufacturing processes. Here we report the properties of stacked contacts between n-InP NMs and different kinds of electrode materials, such as aluminum and indium tin oxide (ITO). The stacked InP NM-ITO contact appears to be excellent ohmic contact, with measured contact resistance of 0.45 ω•cm2. Flexible InP solar cells with stacked back ITO and Al contacts were also fabricated, based on 240 and 1000 nm thick InP NMs. The efficiency of the solar cell with back InP-ITO contact is much higher than the efficient of the cells with back InP-Al contact. Such low temperature energy efficient NM transfer and electrode stacking techniques are highly desirable for a wide range of thin film solar cell manufacturing processes.
Stifled Voices: Barriers to Help-Seeking Behavior for South African Childhood Sexual Assault Survivors

In South Africa, females under the age of 18 comprise approximately 40% of the rapes and other forms of sexual assault that occur. However, South African girls face multiple barriers to seeking help in the aftermath of sexual assault. This literature review provides an overview of childhood sexual assault in South African girls and addresses barriers to help-seeking behaviors. Risk factors as well as relevant sociocultural, economic, structural, and psychological perceptions regarding childhood sexual assault among South African girls are also discussed. Finally, clinical implications, culturally relevant psychotherapeutic techniques, and suggestions for future research are provided in an effort to reduce the negative mental health consequences for the victims.
Litigation of missed cervical spine injuries in patients presenting with blunt traumatic injury.

Background Approximately 800,000 cervical spines are cleared in emergency departments each year. Errors in diagnosis of cervical spine injury are a potentially huge medicolegal liability, but no established protocol for clearance of the cervical spine is known to reduce errors or delays in diagnosis. Methods The Lexis-Nexis, Westlaw, and Medline databases were queried for cases of missed cervical injury. Errors were categorized according to a novel system of classification. Type I errors occurred when inadequate or improper tests were ordered. Type II errors occurred when adequate tests were ordered, but were either misread or not read. Type III errors occurred when adequate tests were ordered and read accurately, but the ordered test was not sensitive enough to detect the injury. Results Twenty cases of missed or delayed diagnosis of cervical spine injury were found in 10 jurisdictions. Awards averaged 2.9 million dollars (inflation adjusted to 2002 dollars). Eight cases resulted in verdicts in favor of the defendant, but none of these cases involved an alleged Type II error. Conclusion Fear of lawsuits encourages defensive medicine and complicates the process of clearing a patient's cervical spine. This analysis adds medicolegal support for the judicious use of imaging studies in current cervical spine clearance protocols. However, exposure to significant liability suggests that a low threshold for computed tomography is a reasonable alternative.
Introduced amphibians and reptiles in California

Abstract At least seven species of introduced amphibians and reptiles have established breeding populations in California, and two other forms are suspected of breeding in the State. An additional 30 exotic or transplanted species have been recorded, which represents only a fraction of the many introductions that originate as released pets or escapes. Most established introductions are transplants from other parts of the US, but some exotics have successfully invaded California. Present evidence indicates that these alien animals detrimentally affect the native fauna, some are pests to man, and control of these forms is difficult. Further complications may be avoided by curbing imports and regulating imported wildlife to ensure that release to the wild is not a possibility. Eradication procedures for alien animals should be developed and implemented.
Chloroquine, quinine and quinidine inhibit calcium release from macrophage intracellular stores by blocking inositol 1,4,5‐trisphosphate binding to its receptor

The binding of many ligands to cellular receptors induces a signaling cascade which generates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). IP3 binding to its receptors in various internal compartments causes a rapid Ca2+ efflux into the cytosol. We now demonstrate that chloroquine blocks ligand-induced Ca2+ mobilization without affecting IP3 synthesis. The effect is independent of the ligand employed and occurred with five unrelated ligands; namely, α2-macroglobulin-methylamine, angiotensin II, bradykinin, carbachol, and epidermal growth factor. Chloroquine, quinidine, and quinine, however, block binding of [3H]IP3 to its receptors by 90%, 88%, and 71%, respectively. These observations suggest a previously undetected mechanism by which these agents may in part function as antimalarials. J. Cell. Biochem. 64:225–232. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effect of antibiotic dosage on mortality from whole body x-irradiation.

SummaryRats were given varying doses of terramycin hydrochloride beginning 72 hours and ending 1 to 4 hours prior to x-irradiation. The highest dosage level (200 mg/rat/day) was the most effective in lowering mortality. It is probable that larger doses of antibiotics are required in the x-irradiation syndrome than are required for the treatment of other diseases.
Results of electrophysiological testing and long-term follow-up in patients sustaining cardiac arrest only while receiving type IA antiarrhythmic agents.

UNLABELLED Therapeutic management of patients sustaining a cardiac arrest while receiving antiarrhythmic agents can be difficult since the role of the drug in possibly facilitating the arrhythmia is often difficult to define. To determine if the response to programmed stimulation could give insight into which patients may have experienced a drug-induced cardiac arrest, we studied 29 patients (61 +/- 9 years) with no prior history of sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VT) who suffered a cardiac arrest only while receiving type Ia antiarrhythmic agents. Patients with documented myocardial infarction, acute ischemia, electrolyte abnormalities, or torsade de pointes were excluded from the study. Twenty-four patients had coronary artery disease with prior myocardial infarction (ejection fraction 28% +/- 9%) and five patients had idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction 31% +/- 6%). During baseline electrophysiological testing, 19 patients (66%) had inducible sustained ventricular arrhythmias: uniform VT, n = 14 (group I), polymorphic VT or ventricular fibrillation, n = 5 (group II). Ten patients (group III) had no inducible sustained ventricular arrhythmias. To determine if rechallenge with a type Ia agent could facilitate induction of a sustained ventricular arrhythmia in group III, eight patients underwent ten electrophysiological studies during therapy with either procainamide or quinidine. Only two patients developed sustained VT in response to programmed stimulation. Patients in groups I and II received therapy guided by electrophysiological testing, including antiarrhythmic agents alone (n = 8), subendocardial resection (n = 4), or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (n = 7). Patients in group III received antiarrhythmic agents empirically (n = 3), or for treatment of atrial tachyarrhythmias (n = 2) or nonsustained VT (n = 1). In addition, four patients in group III received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. During a mean follow-up of 28 +/- 27 months (range: 1 day-84 months) 13 patients died suddenly or received a defibrillator shock preceded by syncope or presyncope: group I: n = 5; group II: n = 2; group III: n = 6. IN CONCLUSION (1) most patients sustaining a cardiac arrest only in the presence of type Ia antiarrhythmic agents have inducible sustained VT in the absence of antiarrhythmic agents, and (2) the risk of recurrent VT persists in patients without inducible sustained arrhythmias in the drug-free state, regardless of whether they manifest inducible arrhythmias after rechallenge with a type Ia agent.
TIP27: a novel repressor of the nuclear orphan receptor TAK1/TR4

The nuclear orphan receptor TAK1/TR4 functions as a positive as well as a negative regulator of transcription; however, little is known about the factors regulating or mediating its activity. Yeast two-hybrid analysis using the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of TAK1 as bait identified a novel TAK1-interacting protein, referred to as TIP27, which functions as a repressor of TAK1-mediated transactivation. TIP27 is a 27 kDa protein containing two zinc finger motifs. Mammalian two-hybrid analysis showed that TIP27 interacts specifically with TAK1 and not with several other nuclear receptors tested. The region between Asp39 and Lys79 of TIP27, referred to as TAK1-interaction domain (TID), is critical for its interaction with TAK1 while the TAK1-LBD from helix 3 until the C-terminus is required for the optimal interaction with TIP27. Pull-down assays demonstrated that the TIP27 physically interacts with TAK1 and supported the critical importance of the TID. Confocal microscopy showed that in the nucleus, TIP27 and TAK1 co-localize. TIP27 acts as a strong repressor of DR1-dependent transcriptional activation by TAK1. This repression does not involve the inhibition of TAK1 homodimerization or DR1 binding but may be due to an effect on co-activator recruitment by TAK1. Our results indicate that TIP27 functions as a TAK1-selective repressor.
Workstation Robotics: A Pilot Study of a Desktop Vocational Assistant Robot

Rehabilitation robots are increasingly being viewed as an appropriate assistive technology interface for persons with disabilities. The Desktop Vocational Assistant Robot (DeVAR) system is a voice-controlled robotic workstation designed to enable persons with severe mobility impairments to function independently in a work environment. This study examined the overall efficacy of the DeVAR system, the level of expertise required for therapist and support personnel, routine maintenance requirements, and the readiness of the device for a multicenter evaluation. Two precommercial DeVAR workstations were installed at selected sites. The pilot study spanned 8 months in which staff members and four subjects with high-level quadriplegia evaluated the systems extensively. Responses were generally favorable regarding ease of use and overall training process. Subjects recommended modifications, including incorporation of a noise cancellation microphone, more effective use of workstation space, and addition of vocational tasks. All respondents thought that if the recommended changes were implemented, DeVAR would have potential as a vocational assistant. The small number of subjects was due to the limited subject pool available for the study. On the basis of pilot results, the Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Baltimore, Maryland, is conducting a national multicenter evaluation to determine the overall utility and commercial readiness of the DeVAR system.
Recent Advances in Zinc Enzymology

Zinc enzymology is, compared to some other current areas of metallobiochemistry, a maturing field, but in addition to further developments of structure-function relationships it has also provided a number of surprising new results and ideas in the last few years. In fact, the number of studies makes it impossible to provide a comprehensive review of the recent literature on zinc enzymology here, and the authors therefore focus on those zinc enzymes for which structure-function relationships are possible on the basis of structural and biochemical data. This means that, with a few exceptions, only zinc enzymes for which NMR or crystal structures are available are included here. Another seemingly simple, yet experimentally sometimes complex issue concerns the choice of which metalloenzyme is a zinc enzyme. Since there is in principle no difference in chemical catalysis by low-affinity compared to high-affinity metal sites, some of these enzymes are also included in this article, especially if they are or have been discussed as zinc enzymes, or are active with zinc. 552 refs.
LC-MS/MS detection of peroxynitrite-derived 3-nitrotyrosine in rat microvessels

3-Nitrotyrosine (3NT) is used as a biomarker of nitrative pathology caused by peroxynitrite (PN), myeloperoxidase (MPO)-, and/or eosinophil peroxidase (EPO)-dependent nitrite oxidation. 3NT measurements in biological materials are usually based on either antibody staining, HPLC detection, or GC detection methodologies. In this report, a procedure is described for the measurement of 3NT and tyrosine (TYR) by LC-MS/MS that is simple, direct, and sensitive. Though highly specialized in its use as an assay, LC-MS/MS technology is available in many research centers in academia and industry. The critical assay for 3NT was linear below 100 ng/ml and the limit of detection was below 100 pg/ml. Regarding protein digested samples, we found that MRM was most selective with 133.1 m/z as the daughter ion. In comparison, LC-ECD was 100 times less sensitive. Basal levels of 3NT in extracted digests of rat brain homogenate were easily detected by LC-MS/MS, but were below detection by LC-ECD. The LC-MS/MS assay was used to detect 3NT in rat brain homogenate that was filtered through a 180 micron nylon mesh. Three fractions were collected and examined by phase contrast microscopy. The mass ratio (3NT/TYR) of 3NT in fractions of large vessel enrichment, microvessel enrichment, and vessel depletion was 0.6 ng/mg, 1.2 ng/mg, and 0.2 ng/mg, respectively. Ultimately, we found that the basal 3NT/TYR mass ratio as determined by LC-MS/MS was six times greater in microvessel-enriched brain tissue vs. tissue devoid of microvessels.
Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in Drosophila: a sex-influenced electrophoretic variant.

A variant of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in Drosophila melanogaster shows different electrophoretic migration in males and females. In heterozygotes, the variant influences the migration of G6PD produced by both chromosomes. Mixing of homogenates of males and females changes migration of the female-produced enzyme, suggesting that a protein produced in males is capable of altering the variant G6PD molecule. The hypothetical protein is also present in pseudomales and intersexes produced by sex transformation genes.
Nonlocal characteristics of the bulk upper critical field of niobium

Measurements of the anisotropic critical field ${H}_{c2}$ of Nb at temperatures down to 0.06 K show that its temperature dependence contains a logarithmic factor as predicted by Gor'kov on the basis of a nonlocal theory for an isotropic type-II superconductor. The critical field extrapolated to zero temperature, when averaged over all crystallographic directions and normalized to the slope of the critical field for $T\ensuremath{\approx}{T}_{c}$, has an enhancement close to that predicted by the Hohenberg-Werthamer calculation for the nonlocal effects of Fermi-surface anisotropy, as evaluated by Mattheiss for a band model of niobium.
An empirical likelihood-based method for comparison of treatment effects-Test of equality of coefficients in linear models

To compare two treatment effects, which can be described as the difference of the parameters in two linear models, we propose an empirical likelihood-based method to make inference for the difference. Our method is free of the assumptions of normally distributed and homogeneous errors, and equal sample sizes. The empirical likelihood ratio for the difference of the parameters of interest is shown to be asymptotically chi-squared. Simulation experiments illustrate that our method outperforms the published ones. Our method is used to analyze a data set from a drug study.
The cell in relation: An ecofeminist revision of cell and molecular biology

Abstract Ecofeminists must be aware of both the threats that the theories and practice of Western science hold for life on earth, as well as the goals that science shares with ecofeminism, namely to know and understand life. One way that feminists have addressed science is through their critiques, which provide a basis for understanding many of the inconsistencies between science and feminist principles. What is now called for is the revisioning of science along feminist lines. In this paper, I draw on a feminist theory of psychological development to describe a view of cell and molecular biology that is consistent with ecofeminist tenets. Such a revisioning of cell and molecular biology is important not only for broadened access and understanding of its theories amongst those groups of individuals traditionally underrepresented in science, including women, but also for providing new insights into health and disease at all levels of life.
Low yield of stress imaging in a population-based study of asymptomatic patients after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background— Little is known about the clinical value of stress imaging studies in asymptomatic patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and Results— Residents of Olmsted County, MN, who underwent PCI were followed up for the occurrence of stress imaging (stress nuclear or stress echocardiography), coronary angiography, or coronary artery bypass grafting (without angiography) as initial procedures after PCI. Patients whose first follow-up procedure was a stress imaging test were evaluated for their symptom status at the time of the study and whether they underwent angiography or revascularization (PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting) within 90 days. Of 1848 patients who underwent PCI during the study period, 710 (38%) had stress imaging as their initial procedure after PCI, and 241 (13% of the entire cohort) were asymptomatic at the time of testing. The majority (86%) of these 241 patients underwent PCI for acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina. Within 90 days of stress imaging, 16 of the 241 asymptomatic patients underwent angiography, and 2 patients were revascularized. Stratified by timing after PCI, none of 138 asymptomatic patients tested within 2 years of PCI underwent revascularization. Two of 103 asymptomatic patients tested after 2 years from PCI underwent revascularization. Compared with patients who were asymptomatic at the time of stress imaging, patients who did not undergo any follow-up procedures (stress imaging, angiography, or coronary artery bypass grafting) after the index PCI were older, were more likely to have comorbidities, and had significantly greater all-cause mortality ( P <0.001). Conclusions— In a population-based sample of patients undergoing PCI primarily for acute coronary syndromes, 1 in 8 had subsequent stress imaging when they were asymptomatic. These stress imaging tests resulted in further revascularization in <1% of patients. The low rate of downstream revascularization suggests that stress imaging in asymptomatic patients after PCI has low value.
Teaching Scientific Writing: Measuring Student Learning in an Intensive APA Skills Course

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (American Psychological Association [APA], 2010) provides a widely utilized template for preparing research reports in the behaviora...
Changing the presumption: providing ART to vaccine research participants.

For the past several years, a debate has raged over whether an obligation exists to provide antiretroviral treatment (ART) to individuals who become HIV-infected during preventive vaccine trials. A...