cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Banking Structure and Monetary Policy Transmission: Evidence from Firm-Level Investment

We find a significant increase in sensitivities of firm-level investment to monetary policy changes after interstate banking deregulation (IBD) in the U.S. The sensitivities are on average 2% more negative in the years following IBD compared to prior. The intensification of monetary policy potency is through the balance sheet channel of transmission. The result is driven entirely by firms with low external financing premium, characterized by low book leverage and high book-to-market ratio. Consistent with our empirical finding, when the financial accelerator is turned on in a calibrated DSGE model, the investment response to monetary policy shocks is amplified.
PATHOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF LENTIVIRAL INFECTION OF GOATS

Lentiviral infections occur in goats throughout the world, and infected animals remain infected for life. Unlike the lentiviruses of sheep, goat lentiviruses produce clinical signs in both kid goats and adults, but the clinical syndromes differ greatly between the two age groups. Leukoencephalomyelitis is the primary manifestation of disease in kid goats, but lentivirus infected adult goats typically have a chronic, progressive arthritis. In both age groups, subclinical disease is common. Chronic interstitial pneumonia and chronic mastitis are seen in infected goats as they are in the lentiviral infections of sheep. Immunosuppression of infected goats does not alter viral replication, and lesions do not occur in infected immunosuppressed goats. Lentiviral infections of goats and sheep share several pathological, as well as epidemiological similarities, but they differ primarily in that clinical expression of disease in goats occur in both young and adult animals.
The effects of model composition design choices on high-fidelity simulations of motoneuron recruitment and firing behaviors.

Objective Computational models often require tradeoffs, such as balancing detail with efficiency; yet optimal balance should incorporate sound design features that do not bias the results of the specific scientific question under investigation. The present study examines how model design choices impact simulation results. Approach We developed a rigorously-validated high-fidelity computational model of the spinal motoneuron pool to study three long-standing model design practices which have yet to be examined for their impact on motoneuron recruitment, firing rate, and force simulations. The practices examined were the use of: (1) generic cell models to simulate different motoneuron types, (2) discrete property ranges for different motoneuron types, and (3) biological homogeneity of cell properties within motoneuron types. Main results Our results show that each of these practices accentuates conditions of motoneuron recruitment based on the size principle, and minimizes conditions of mixed and reversed recruitment orders, which have been observed in animal and human recordings. Specifically, strict motoneuron orderly size recruitment occurs, but in a compressed range, after which mixed and reverse motoneuron recruitment occurs due to the overlap in electrical properties of different motoneuron types. Additionally, these practices underestimate the motoneuron firing rates and force data simulated by existing models. Significance Our results indicate that current modeling practices increase conditions of motoneuron recruitment based on the size principle, and decrease conditions of mixed and reversed recruitment order, which, in turn, impacts the predictions made by existing models on motoneuron recruitment, firing rate, and force. Additionally, mixed and reverse motoneuron recruitment generated higher muscle force than orderly size motoneuron recruitment in these simulations and represents one potential scheme to increase muscle efficiency. The examined model design practices, as well as the present results, are applicable to neuronal modeling throughout the nervous system.
Gender-Identity Problems

Parents are frequently concerned about gender identity and gender role. Questions about the adequacy of a boy’s penis, a girl’s preference for playing baseball, adolescent homosexual experimentation, and cross-dressing in preschool or latency years are frequent. In no other area are parents more worried and confused about what is “normal.” Physicians are in the position to render an essential service by allowing parents to express their fears and by providing accurate information and assessment. Since education in these areas is often lacking, the physician will often seek consultation.
Intraoperative Doppler Ultrasound During Robotic Surgery

The use of robotic assistance has evolved dramatically in minimally invasive surgery. One of the disadvantages of the robotic platform is the lack of tactile feedback. This increases the surgeon’s reliance on adjunctive tools that may provide visual and sensory guidance when manipulating anatomical structures such as arteries and veins. Intraoperative Doppler ultrasound is one such technology that provides the surgeon the ability to detect vessels in areas that may be difficult to visualize or for auditory confirmation in a complex dissection. This chapter focuses on currently available intraoperative Doppler ultrasound systems and their applications during robotic-assisted urological procedures.
Applications of Spectral-Domain OCT in AMD

High-resolution optical imaging of objects hidden in scattering media such as the human eye is a challenging and important problem with many industrial and medical applications.
Hemosuccus pancreaticus from superior mesenteric artery pseudoaneurysm within perceived pancreatic mass.

Bleeding from the pancreatic duct is a rare source of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and is referred to as hemosuccus pancreaticus. Often a result of pseudoaneurysm formation from chronic pancreatitis, hemosuccus pancreaticus is a difficult diagnosis due to its peculiar clinical presentation. This is a case of a 51-year-old male with a history of chronic pancreatitis, who initially presented with a pancreatic mass found on CT scan. The mass was found to be inconclusive for malignancy on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration. The patient subsequently was lost to follow-up and returned with melena and evidence of a superior mesenteric pseudoaneurysm in the previous mass on CT angiography. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully treated with endovascular embolization. Diagnosis of hemosuccus pancreaticus can be challenging due to the intermittent nature of hemorrhage and the variable clinical presentation—which initially appeared as a pancreatic neoplasm in our patient. Repeat imaging and angiography are invaluable for both the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding from an unknown source in the setting of chronic pancreatitis.
Response to Further Research Needed for Virtual Quality Assurance Experiential Site Visits.

To the Editor: We thank Dr. Howe for her letter providing further discussion on our manuscript evaluating the perceptions of preceptors participating in virtual quality assurance experiential site visits.[1][1] We also agree that further research is needed related to alternative methods for
Worker Size, Geographical Distribution, and Introgressive Hybridization of Invasive Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Tennessee

Worker size and geographical distribution of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren), black imported fire ants (Solenopsis richteri Forel), and their hybrid (S. invicta × S. richteri) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) were evaluated from colonies sampled across Tennessee. The fire ant species and hybrid status were determined using cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid indices obtained from gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Hybrids were the most common fire ant throughout Tennessee. With the exception of a few isolated S. invicta samples, only hybrids were found in east Tennessee, and hybrids predominated in middle Tennessee. In west Tennessee, mixed populations of S. richteri and hybrids were found. Hybrids were more common in west Tennessee than a survey performed a decade earlier. No statistical differences were detected in the average inter-colonial worker size of S. richteri and hybrids. Likewise, average worker size was not related to geographic location in Tennessee. The similarity in average worker size among hybrid colonies with a wide range of cuticular hydrocarbon and venom alkaloid values suggests introgression was not impacting ant size in colonies sampled throughout Tennessee.
Some Examples of Laminar Boundary-Layer Flow on Rotating Blades

Laminar flow over a cylindrical blade rotating steadily in an incompressible fluid has been studied by Fogarty. The results of his investigation of this three-dimensional boundary-layerflow problem are here applied to a number of specific examples involving both positive and negative pressure gradients in the chordwise direction. In these examples, the chordwise component of flow in the boundary layer is the solution of the two-dimensional problem treated by Falkner and Skan. The spanwise-flow component is determined by a linear partial differential equation involving the chordwise component. This equation is separated into two ordinary differential equations by means of appropriate similarity transformations. The results of a numerical integration indicate how the spanwise component is affected by the chordwise pressure gradient.
An analysis of randomized controlled trials underpinning ST-elevation myocardial infarction management guidelines.

Abstract Background The fragility index (FI) is calculated by iteratively changing one outcome “event” to a “non-event” within a trial until the associated p-value exceeds 0.05. Purpose To investigate the FI and fragility quotient (FQ) of trial endpoints referenced in the ACCF/AHA/SCAI guidelines in the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarctions. Secondarily, we assess the post-hoc power and risk of bias for these specific outcomes and whether differences exist between adequately and inadequately powered studies on fragility measures. Basic procedures All citations referenced in the guideline were screened for inclusion criteria. The FI and FQ for all included trials were then calculated. The Cochrane ‘risk of bias’ Tool 2.0 was used to evaluate the likelihood and sources of bias in the included trials. Main findings Forty-two randomized controlled trials were included for assessment. The median FI was 10 with a FQ of 0.0055. Seven trials were at a high risk of bias, all due to bias in the randomization process. Fifteen trials were found to be underpowered. Adequately powered studies had higher FIs and FQs compared to underpowered studies. Principal conclusions Our findings support the use of FI and FQ analyses with power analyses in future methodology of randomized control trials. With understanding and reporting of FI and FQ, evidence of studies can be readily available and quickly eliminate some readers' concern for possible study limitations.
Primary Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction Visualized on 123I Preablation Scan for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

A 56-y-old man underwent total thyroidectomy and bilateral central and right lateral neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma with lymph nodes metastases. Before radioiodine ablation, a 123I scan established the diagnosis of primary nasolacrimal duct obstruction (dacryostenosis).
In vivo, noncontact, real-time, PV[O]H imaging of the immediate local physiological response to spinal cord injury in a rat model.

We report a small exploratory study of a methodology for real-time imaging of chemical and physical changes in spinal cords in the immediate aftermath of a localized contusive injury. One hundred separate experiments involving scanning NIR images, one-dimensional, two-dimensional (2-D), and point measurements, obtained in vivo , within a 3 × 7 mm field, on spinal cords surgically exposed between T9 and T10 revealed differences between injured and healthy cords. The collected raw data, i.e., elastic and inelastic emission from the laser probed tissues, combined via the PV[O]H algorithm, allow construction of five images over the first 5 h post injury. Within the larger study, a total of 13 rats were studied using 2-D images, i.e., injured and control. A single 830-nm laser (100-μm diameter round spot) was spatially line-scanned across the cord to reveal photobleaching effects and surface profiles possibly locating a near surface longitudinal artery/vein. In separate experiments, the laser was scanned in two dimensions across the exposed cord surface relative to the injury in a specific pattern to avoid uneven photobleaching of the imaged tissue. The 2-D scanning produced elastic and inelastic emission that allowed construction of PV[O]H images that had good fidelity with the visually observed surfaces and separate line scans and suggested differences between the volume fractions of fluid and turbidity of injured and healthy cord tissue.
Polarization as a tuning parameter for Floquet engineering: Magnetism in the honeycomb, square, and triangular Mott insulators

Magnetic exchange couplings can be tuned by coupling to periodic light, where the frequency and amplitude are typically varied: a process known as Floquet engineering. The polarization of the light is also important, and in this paper, we show how different polarizations, including several types of unpolarized light, can tune the exchange couplings in distinct ways. Using unpolarized light, for example, it is possible to tune the material without breaking either time-reversal or any lattice symmetries. To illustrate these effects generically, we consider single-band Hubbard models at half-filling on the honeycomb, square and triangular lattices. We derive the effective Heisenberg spin models to fourth order in perturbation theory for arbitrary fixed polarizations, and several types of unpolarized light that preserve time-reversal and lattice symmetries. Coupling these models to periodic light tunes first, second, and third neighbor exchange couplings, as well as ring exchange terms on the square and triangular lattices. Circularly polarized light induces chiral fields for the honeycomb and triangular lattices, which favors noncoplanar magnetism and potential chiral spin liquids. We discuss how to maximize the enhancement of the couplings without inducing heating.
Broadening the stimulus set: Introducing the American Multiracial Faces Database

Face-based perceptions form the basis for how people behave towards each other and, hence, are central to understanding human interaction. Studying face perception requires a large and diverse set of stimuli in order to make ecologically valid, generalizable conclusions. To date, there are no publicly available databases with a substantial number of Multiracial or racially ambiguous faces. Our systematic review of the literature on Multiracial person perception documented that published studies have relied on computer-generated faces (84% of stimuli), Black-White faces (74%), and male faces (63%). We sought to address these issues, and to broaden the diversity of available face stimuli, by creating the American Multiracial Faces Database (AMFD). The AMFD is a novel collection of 110 faces with mixed-race heritage and accompanying ratings of those faces by naive observers that are freely available to academic researchers. The faces (smiling and neutral expression poses) were rated on attractiveness, emotional expression, racial ambiguity, masculinity, racial group membership(s), gender group membership(s), warmth, competence, dominance, and trustworthiness. The large majority of the AMFD faces are racially ambiguous and can pass into at least two different racial categories. These faces will be useful to researchers seeking to study Multiracial person perception as well as those looking for racially ambiguous faces in order to study categorization processes in general. Consequently, the AMFD will be useful to a broad group of researchers who are studying face perception.
Prisons and COVID-19: A Desperate Call for Gerontological Expertise in Correctional Health Care.

The large and continued growth of the older adult population within United States (US) prisons affects not only criminal justice policy and correctional health practice, but also gerontology. Amidst the unfolding COVID-19 crisis, associated knowledge and skills surrounding older adulthood will be critical to assuring the needs of older adults incarcerated in prisons are met during their detention, while undergoing off-site intervention in community settings, and when preparing for release. We outline several key areas for which gerontologists and associated practitioners are especially well-suited in the effort to curtail morbidity and mortality driven by the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Critical gerontological knowledge and skills needed in prison healthcare include awareness regarding the unusual clinical presentations of COVID-19 among older adults, deconditioning among older adults due to immobility, challenges in prognostication, and advance care planning with older adults. Specific, targeted opportunities for gerontologists are identified to reduce growing risks for older adults incarcerated in prisons.
Mini-review: Elucidating the psychological, physical, and sex-based interactions between HIV infection and stress

Stress is generally classified as any mental or emotional strain resulting from difficult circumstances, and can manifest in the form of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other neurocognitive disorders. Neurocognitive disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD are large contributors to disability worldwide, and continue to affect individuals and communities. Although these disorders affect men and women, women are disproportionately represented among those diagnosed with affective disorders, a result of both societal gender roles and physical differences. Furthermore, the incidence of these neurocognitive disorders is augmented among People Living with HIV (PLWH); the physical ramifications of stress increase the likelihood of HIV acquisition, pathogenesis, and treatment, as both stress and HIV infection are characterized by chronic inflammation, which creates a more opportunistic environment for HIV. Although the stress response is facilitated by the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, when the response involves a psychological component, additional brain regions are engaged. The impact of chronic stress exposure and the origin of individual variation in stress responses and resilience are at least in part attributable to regions outside the primary stress circuity, including the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus. This review aims to elucidate the relationship between stress and HIV, how these interact with sex, and to understand the physical ramifications of these interactions.
Acquisition of Surface EMG Using Flexible and Low-Profile Electrodes for Lower Extremity Neuroprosthetic Control

For persons with lower extremity (LE) amputation, acquisition of surface electromyography (sEMG) from within the prosthetic socket remains a significant challenge due to the dynamic loads experienced during the gait cycle. However, these signals are critical for both understanding the clinical effects of LE amputation and determining the desired control trajectories of active LE prostheses. Current solutions for collecting within-socket sEMG are generally (i) incompatible with a subject’s prescribed prosthetic socket and liners, (ii) uncomfortable, and (iii) expensive. This study presents an alternative within-socket sEMG acquisition paradigm using a novel flexible and low-profile electrode. First, the practical performance of this Sub-Liner Interface for Prosthetics (SLIP) electrode is compared to that of commercial Ag/AgCl electrodes within a cohort of subjects without amputation. Then, the corresponding SLIP electrode sEMG acquisition paradigm is implemented in a single subject with unilateral transtibial amputation performing unconstrained movements and walking on level ground. Finally, a quantitative questionnaire characterizes subjective comfort for SLIP electrode and commercial Ag/AgCl electrode instrumentation setups. Quantitative analyses suggest comparable signal qualities between SLIP and Ag/AgCl electrodes while qualitative analyses suggest the feasibility of using the SLIP electrode for real-time sEMG data collection from load-bearing, ambulatory subjects with LE amputation.
An Extension of Train (2015): Welfare Calculations in Discrete Choice Models When Anticipated and Experienced Attributes Differ, and When Market Attributes and Price May Be Conditional on Whether Consumers Are Misled

We extend Train (2015) to explicitly allow the product attributes and price to differ conditional on whether a firm acts to induce a difference between anticipated and experienced attributes. This allows the firm to change price for a good depending on the context. Unlike in the base model, here, a consumer that chooses some alternative j∗ independent of firm practices can still be injured relative to the but for world because of a price increase that does not change the choice probabilities. We provide some examples of how various conditions on price changes between the observed and but-for states effects the welfare calculation.
Review of Rethinking Teacher Preparation Program Design: by Etta R. Hollins and Connor K. Warner, New York, Routledge, 2021, 186 pp., $44.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-0367713904

Since at least Richard Ingersoll's (2003) discussion of teachers treated as “tall children,” teacher management and teacher preparation have been explicitly tied to education reform and school choi...
A new perspective on NAFLD: focusing on lipid droplets.

Lipid droplets (LDs) are complex and metabolically active organelles. They are composed of a neutral lipid core surrounded by a monolayer of phospholipids and proteins. LD accumulation in hepatocytes is the distinctive characteristic of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is a chronic, heterogeneous liver condition that can progress to liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Though recent research has improved our understanding of the mechanisms linking LDs accumulation to NAFLD progression, numerous aspects of LD biology are either poorly understood or unknown. In this review, we provide a description of several key mechanisms that contribute to LDs accumulation in the hepatocytes, favouring NAFLD progression. First, we highlight the importance of LD architecture and describe how the dysregulation of LD biogenesis leads to endoplasmic reticulum stress and inflammation. This is followed by an analysis of the causal nexus that exists between LD proteome composition and LD degradation. Finally, we describe how the increase in size of LDs causes activation of hepatic stellate cells, leading to liver fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We conclude that acquiring a more sophisticated understanding of LD biology will provide crucial insights into the heterogeneity of NAFLD and assist in the development of therapeutic approaches for this liver disease.
Child Sexual Abuse: The History, Current State of the Art and the Challenges for the Future: A Pediatric Perspective

Chapter review of the evolution in the field of the diagnosis and management of possible child sexual abuse as referred from parents, law enforcement and social services. The review includes an overview of the importance of history, impact of testimony by both the child victim and the medical professional on the outcome of the legal intervention. Conclusions focused on the importance of outcomes for children and families and child protection as the most important measurement of effective and appropriate interventions as well as maintaining a professional, research-based foundation for diagnosis and treatment. Additional information is provided on the current standards for (1) Interviewing and (2) Medical diagnosis and includes a summary of the challenges to professionals as they continue to research and diagnosis cases of child sexual abuse.
Applications of approximate Lagrangians to linear dissipative nonreciprocal circuit. III. Reverse-time Lagrangian

For pt.II see Proc. 23rd Ann. Pittsburgh Conf. on Modelling and Simulation (1992). The method of approximate Lagrangians is used to extend the applicability of reverse-time Lagrangians to nonreciprocal circuits. For some classes of test functions the reverse-time Lagrangian and the classical Lagrangian are equivalent. >
Time resolved measurements of relativistic laser hole boring using broadband relay imaged GRENOUILLE

To measure relativistic laser hole boring velocities up to 0.18c, an ultra-broadband diagnostic capable of retrieving the full time resolved pulse phase is required. The design of such a device based on GRENOUILLE is presented.
Construction and Characterization of Symmetrical States for Multiqubit Systems

A general method in constructing a complete set of wave functions for multipartite identical qubits is presented based on the irreducible representations of the permutation group and the nth rank tensors. Particular examples for n =2, 3, and 4 are derived and the entanglement behavior for each state is examined from several criteria. It is found that the states so constructed are all bound entangled states. For the case of even n, all the states are found to have maximum "n-tangle". The symmetry in spin space is found to increase the n-tangle in general. The "n-tangle" for n = 4 is found not always representing 4-way entanglement. It measures the degree of spin-space symmetry instead. A useful relationship in the classification between systems containing different number of qubits is given in terms of the Young's Tableaux based on our analysis.
Sexual excitability as related to the menstrual cycle in the monkey

S EVERAL systematic attempts have been made to determine cyclic changes in the sex desire of women. The methods employed in these studies (Stopes,l Davis2 Hamilton3) lack the objectivity desirable in a scientific study and the results are further vitiatod by the inaccuracies of memory on the part of the subjects. Moreover, the most important event in the menstrual cycle? namely ovulation, is at, present not ascertainable with accuracy in women. Inasmuch as the important events of the cycle can be readily determined in favorable female rhesus monkeys and since their sexual physiology in all essential respects seems to parallel that of women (Corner,4 Allen5 Hartman”), this animal seemed a promising subject for studying certain aspects of sex behavior and its physiologic basis. A first step in such a study has been made by correlating quantitat,ive changes in sex desire with the physiologic events of the menstrual cycle. Sexual excitability was measured by recording the frequency with which certain sexual elements of the female’s behavior occurred when she was mated successively to each of four different males for periods of ten minutes. The three behavioral units chosen for this measurement were: (1) “presenting”; (2) attempts to attract the male’s at,tention by threatening an outsider; (3) goin g toward as against going away from the male. The first two are obviously sexual behavior and they a,re reacted to as such by the male. The t,hird shows some correlation with them and was therefore considered to be an indication of sex desire. Eight females have been studied for from three to eight months each. Tests were made three times a week. The sexes were kept segregated except during the tests. The physiologic changes in the sex tract were followed by means of vaginal smears and rectal palpation of the uterus, and ovaries.6 In the cases here reported, therefore, the exact time of ovulation is known. Primates differ from the lower mammals in accepting copulation throughout the cycle instead of for only a short period at the time of ovulation. The present observations indicate, however, that sexual cx.. citability typically increases just before ovulation and falls thereafter, even though the drop is not usually so complete as to mean consistent, refusal to mate.
Depletion Attraction Caused by Unadsorbed Polyelectrolytes

Total internal reflection microscopy was used to measure the total interaction between a 6 μm glass sphere and a glass plate, separated by an aqueous solution containing 0.1−1.0 mM of KBr, when bot...
Fermentation kinetics of recombinant yeast in batch and fed‐batch cultures

Fed-batch cultures of recombinant microorganisms have attracted attention as they can separate cell growth stage from cloned-gene expression phase during fermentations. In this work, the effect of different glucose feeding strategies on cell growth and cloned gene expression was studied during aerobic fed-batch fermentations of recombinant yeast, containing the plasmid pRB58. The plasmid contains the yeast SUC2 gene, which codes for the enzyme invertase. Some feeding policies resulted in a constant glucose concentration inside the fermentor, while others deliberately introduced a cyclic variation. The cell mass yield was found to be higher at low glucose concentrations, thus indicating a shift to the more energy-efficient respiratory pathway. The SUC2 gene expression was derepressed at glucose levels below 2 g/L. The response of specific invertase activity to changes in the medium glucose concentration was found to be almost immediate.
Doppler estimation using a coherent ultrawideband random noise radar

An ultrawideband random noise (white Gaussian noise) radar system operating in the 1 - 2 GHz frequency range has been used to estimate the Doppler spectra of moving objects. A unique technique has been developed to introduce coherence into the system by performing heterodyne correlation of the received signal with the time delayed replica of the transmitted signal. This operation preserves the phase of the reflected signal which is generally lost in traditional homodyne correlation receivers. Knowledge of the phase of the received signal and its time dependence due to the motion of the target permits the system to be configured as a Doppler radar for detecting both linear and rotational motion. This paper describes the basic theory of random noise Doppler radar and presents simulated and experimental results obtained using the University of Nebraska's 1 - 2 GHz random noise radar system.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Clinical healing rates of meniscus repairs of tears in the central-third (red-white) zone.

Purpose To determine the clinical healing rate of repairs of meniscus tears that extend into the central one-third region and the factors that affect the outcome. Methods A systematic search of PubMed was conducted to determine the outcome of meniscus repairs in the red-white (R/W) zone. Inclusion criteria were as follows: English language, clinical trials published from 1996 to 2013, R/W tears analyzed separately from tears in other zones, arthroscopic suture-based repairs, and all evidence levels. Results Of 344 articles identified, 23 met the inclusion criteria. There were 1,232 patients who had 1,326 meniscus repairs, of which 767 were in the R/W zone. Concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction was performed in 955 patients (78%). The mean age was 25 years, and the mean follow-up was 4 years. Evaluation criteria included clinical examination in 22 studies, follow-up arthroscopy in 15, magnetic resonance imaging in 6, weight-bearing radiographs in 3, and the International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score in 1. Overall, 637 (83%) of the repairs were considered clinically healed because no additional surgery was required and no obvious clinical meniscus symptoms were detected. This included 382 of 470 inside-out suture repairs (81%) and 255 of 297 all-inside suture repairs (86%). Twenty-two factors were assessed in 13 studies to determine their influence on the outcome, with varying results. Authors generally found that patient age, chronicity of injury, involved tibiofemoral compartment, gender, and concurrent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction did not adversely affect the results. Insufficient data existed to assess the healing rates according to the type of meniscus tear except for single longitudinal tears. Complications were reported in 3% of the patients in this review. Long-term assessment of a chondroprotective effect of the repairs was conducted in only 2 studies. Conclusions An acceptable midterm clinical healing rate was found for R/W meniscus repairs, supporting this procedure when appropriately indicated. Long-term studies assessing the chondroprotective effect in the involved tibiofemoral compartment using magnetic resonance imaging and radiographs are needed. Level of Evidence Level IV, systematic review of Level I-IV studies.
Internal fracture fixation

Over the past decade, many improvements to small animal internal fracture fixation have been developed, including improved fixation techniques and a more diverse selection of implants. The understanding that appropriate fixation selection is based on a plethora of biologic, mechanical, and clinical factors has also emerged. Classically, the methods of internal fracture fixation have used pins, wires, screws, and plates to rigidly stabilize fractures that have been anatomically reduced with significant disruption to the biologic fracture environment. Newer methods attempt to minimize trauma to the soft tissues surrounding a fracture and promote biologic osteosynthesis using such implants as interlocking nails and plate-rod fixations. This review provides an overview of both the traditional and current principles of small animal internal fracture fixation.
Dimeric Endophilin Stimulates Self-Assembly and GTPase Activity of Dynamin

Endophilin, which participates in membrane vesiculation during receptor mediated endocytosis, is a 40-kDa SH3 domain-containing protein that binds to the proline/arginine-rich domain of dynamin, a 100kDa GTPase essential for endocytic membrane scission. The N-terminal BAR domain of endophilin contains an amphipathic helix, which has been shown to penetrate the hydrophobic core of the membrane bilayer and initiate membrane bending which is subsequently stabilized by the remainder of the protein. When BAR domains dimerize, they present a concave, positively-charged surface that could interact with, and thereby deform, membranes containing negatively charged lipids. Since the oligomerization state of endophilin is important for its biological function we studied its dimer-monomer equilibrium using analytical ultracentrifugation and fluorescence polarization/anisotropy, which yielded Kd values of ∼5 micromolar and 15 micromolar, respectively. We also demonstrated that endophilin significantly enhances the self-assembly of dynamins 1 and 2 and that this enhancement is proportional to the fraction of dimeric endophilin present. Moreover, there is a close correlation between the concentrations of endophilin that promote dynamin self-assembly and those that stimulate dynamin GTPase activity. Finally, we used two-photon FCS to study the interaction of EGFP-endophilin with polymerizing dynamin. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant RO1GM076665 (DMJ).
The Gateway Science Workshop Program: Enhancing Student Performance and Retention in the Sciences Through Peer-Facilitated Discussion

Minority student attrition and underachievement is a long-standing and widespread concern in higher education. It is especially acute in introductory science courses which are prerequisites for students planning to pursue science-related careers. Poor performance in these courses often results in attrition of minorities from the science fields. This is a particular concern at selective universities where minority students enter with excellent academic credentials but receive lower average grades and have lower retention rates than majority students with similar credentials. This paper reports the first year results of a large scale peer-facilitated workshop program designed to increase performance and retention in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at a selective research university. After adjusting for grade point average or SAT-Math score, workshop participants earned higher final grades than nonparticipants in Biology and Chemistry, but not in Physics. Similar effects on retention were found. While, positive effects of the program were observed in both majority and minority students, effect sizes were generally largest for minority students. Because of practical constraints in Physics, implementation of the program was not optimal, possibly accounting for the differential success of the program across disciplines.
Computerized patent information processing in the All-Union Centre: The current state and prospects

Abstract The development is described of the system for computerized patent information processing in the Scientific and Production Amalgamation (SPA) ‘Poisk’ (‘search’ in Russian) which is the All-Union patent service centre of the U.S.S.R. An integrated Computerized System of Patent Information (CSPI) was set up in 1976, which deals with the following services: (1) distribution of patent information in machine readable form; (2) computerized distribution of patent documents to users; (3) retrieval of patent information; (4) statistical analysis; and (5) computerization of document handling. Details of the organization of these services are given.
One session of TTM-tailored condom use feedback: a pilot study among at-risk women in the Bronx

There is an urgent need to implement interventions to curb the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), especially HIV. Consistent condom use is an effective preventive strategy, yet especially among those at highest risk, condom use remains too low. This paper describes changes in condom use and stages of condom use over two-three months time following a single session with an interactive multimedia computer-delivered Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-tailored expert system originally designed for at-risk adolescents. The intervention provided immediate TTM-tailored feedback to diverse urban women based on their stage of condom use and other TTM variables. Previous work found this system was acceptable. These data showed that 89% of women returned for a second session two-three months later, further supporting this system's utility. After just one feedback session, 21% of women not using condoms at baseline started using condoms consistently at follow-up, with a trend for a relationship to baseline stage of condom use. These results support further randomized controlled research on the reach and efficacy of computer-based TTM-tailored and individualized condom use interventions.
Streptolysin O induced alterations in rabbit erythrocyte membrane polypeptides

Abstract Rabbit erythrocyte membranes were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate Sephadex G-200 chromatography. Four proteins are prominent in the polypeptide profile of normal rabbit erythrocyte; these proteins have molecular weights of 320,000, 88,000, 40,000 and 25,000. Erythrocytes treated with the cytolytic toxin streptolysin O have a grossly different polypeptide profile; polypeptides of molecular weight 105,000 dominate the protein profile. The treatment of rabbit erythrocytes with streptolysin O is also associated with the appearance of more free cholesterol then is present in untreated cells; it is felt that this alteration is secondary to changes in membrane polypeptides.
Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Motor Memory Formation in the Cerebellum

The cerebellum stores associative motor memories essential for properly timed movement; however, the mechanisms by which these memories form and are acted upon remain unclear. To determine how cerebellar activity relates to movement and motor learning, we used optogenetics to manipulate spontaneously firing Purkinje neurons (PNs) in mouse simplex lobe. Using high-speed videography and motion tracking, we found that altering PN activity produced rapid forelimb movement. PN inhibition drove movements time-locked to stimulus onset, whereas PN excitation drove delayed movements time-locked to stimulus offset. Pairing either PN inhibition or excitation with sensory stimuli triggered the formation of robust, associative motor memories; however, PN excitation led to learned movements whose timing more closely matched training intervals. These findings implicate inhibition of PNs as a teaching signal, consistent with a model whereby learning leads first to reductions in PN firing that subsequently instruct circuit changes in the cerebellar nucleus.
Hypophysectomy increases the sensitivity of rats to naloxone-induced hypothermia

Abstract Three experiments were done to explore the role of pituitary endorphins in thermoregulation. Hypophysectomized rats were found to be hypothermic when compared to intact rats, but to show a hyperthermic response to handling-induced stress of equal magnitude to that seen in intact animals. In unstressed intact and hypophysectomized animals, the specific opiate antagonist, naloxone, produced a dose-dependent hypothermia, but hypophysectomized animals were found to be ten times more sensitive to naloxone than were the intact animals. In contrast, short-term blockade of pituitary endorphins by dexamethasone had no effect on the magnitude of the naloxone-inducted hypothermia. It was concluded that endorphins of pituitary origin play a long-term tonic role in the modulation of the sensitivity of the brain opioid systems.
Efficient Finite Element Method for Aircraft Deicing Problems

In this article a finite element formulation based on an assumed states method is proposed for the solution of heat conduction problems with phase change at a fixed temperature. Attention is directed towards reduction of computer cost through the use of an efficient formulation, solver, and algorithm. The procedure is applied to the analysis of an electrothermally deiced aircraft surface. Nomenclature C* = apparent heat capacity CT = coefficient in Kirchhoff temperature function, dimensionless c = specific heat capacity H = enthalpy per unit volume h = heat-transfer coefficient k = thermal conductivity L = latent heat of fusion for ice n = unit normal vector q = rate of heat generation per unit volume T = temperature Tx = ambient temperature t = time AT = a small temperature interval 6 - Kirchhoff variable p = density Subscripts L - liquid m = melting point or element node number R = reference value 5 = solid w = two phase substance
My Heart's in the Highlands / Mé srdce je na Vysočině

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2007 Pages: 76 Publisher: Městske kulturni středisko
A Web Portal for Bariatric Patients -- Effective Relationships Management

Drawn upon patient relationship management, this project focuses on increasing effectiveness of weight loss surgery by managing the relationship between patients and physicians through a Web portal. Data collection from bariatric patients and some discussion among physicians and advisory teams provide some basis for Web portal content. Iterations were and will be made based on the collected data from users. Bariatric patients prefer getting information from physicians and online sources; however, they do not use online WLS resources or websites. The content they would like to access is medical information about WLS, then nutrition and exercise. The supports they prefer to obtain are from family, friends and coworkers. This may lead to unsuccessful support group meetings. Suggested either trust or information overload issue needs to be dealt with.
Interrelationships between physical activity and other health behaviors among university women and men.

Abstract Background. The interrelationships among health behaviors are not well understood. The present study examines health behaviors and their relations to various types of physical activity among university seniors. Methods. The study sample was an ethnically diverse group of 576 men and women (mean age 24.5 ± 2 years) recruited from a large urban university. Physical activity was assessed with a modification of the Blair Seven-Day Recall by telephone interview, and health behaviors were assessed with the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, College Version. Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to determine whether health behaviors of men and women were associated with physical activity after adjusting for potential demographic confounders. Results. Nineteen health behavior items were factor analyzed, yielding 5 factors: tobacco use, drinking and driving, unsafe sex, eating fatty foods, and eating healthy foods. Physical activity measures included leisure-time moderate and vigorous activities, flexibility, and strengthening activities. For men, a significant relation was found between three of four indices of physical activity and eating healthy foods ( P >0.05), but no association was noted with other health behaviors. For women, vigorous physical activity was related to eating healthy foods, and strengthening activities were related to eating fewer fatty foods ( P Conclusions. Consistent with previous studies, physical activity was found to have modest associations with eating behaviors but not with other health-related behaviors.
Determination of prostacyclin in plasma through a bioluminescent immunoassay for 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha: implication of dosage in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension

This work describes a solid-phase immunoassay for 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha, the stable hydrolysis product of prostacyclin (prostaglandin I2). Prostacyclin, a potent vasodilator with antiplatelet and antiproliferative properties is an effective treatment for primary pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with scleroderma and scleroderma-like syndrome. Levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha can be directly correlated with levels of prostacyclin. Therefore, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha, has become the indicator of choice to measure prostacyclin levels. The single-step immunoassay for 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha reported here was developed using the bioluminescent protein aequorin as a label. Analyte-label conjugates were constructed by linking the carboxyl group of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha and lysine residues of aequorin by chemical conjugation methods. The binding properties of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha toward its antibody and the bioluminescent properties of aequorin were retained in the conjugate, which was then used to generate a dose-response curve for the analyte in a convenient microtiter plate format. The concentration of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha after extraction from plasma showed good correlation with the concentration of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1alpha obtained without prior extraction of the same plasma sample. This measurement demonstrated that the assay allows the measurement of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1alpha directly in plasma without any pretreatment of the samples, which results in a much simpler method with a faster assay time.
Laminins α2 and α4 in Pancreatic Acinar Basement Membranes Are Required for Basal Receptor Localization

Basement membranes (BMs) are thin layers of extracellular matrix (ECM) found at the basal surface of many cell types, including epithelial cells. BMs present growth, differentiation, and anti-apoptotic signals and provide structural support to cells, compartmentalize tissues, and serve as filters. The structure and function of BMs depend on their complement of laminins, a family of αβγ heterotrimeric glycoproteins. We found that laminins containing the α2 and α4 chains are the major laminins in pancreatic acinar BMs. Importantly, these laminins were required for proper basal localization on acinar cells of two laminin receptors, dystroglycan and integrin α6β4.
Beta and gamma-induced Cerenkov radiation in water.

The spectral energy distribution of radiation from water bombarded by radium gamma-rays or P32 beta-rays is that expected for Cerenkov radiation. A solution of P32 in water furnishes a source of Cerenkov radiation which is convenient for the determination of the spectral sensitivity of photographic emulsions.