cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Acute Obstetrical Needs and the Potential Utility of Point-Of-Care Ultrasound in the North East Region of Haiti: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) implemented through task shifting to nontraditional users has potential as a diagnostic adjuvant to enhance acute obstetrical care in resource-constrained environments with limited access to physician providers. Objective: This study evaluated acute obstetrical needs and the potential role for POCUS programming in the North East region of Haiti. Methods: Data was collected on all women presenting to the obstetrical departments of two Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP)-affiliated public hospitals in the North East region of Haiti: Fort Liberte Hospital and Centre Medicosocial de Ouanaminthe. Data was obtained via retrospective review of hospital records from January 1 through March 31, 2016. Trained personnel gathered data on demographics, obstetrical history, diagnoses, clinical care and outcomes using a standardized tool. Diagnoses a priori, defined as those diagnoses whose detection could be assisted with POCUS, included multi-gestations, non-vertex presentation, cephalopelvic disproportion, placental abruption, placenta previa, spontaneous abortions, retained products and ectopic pregnancy. Results: Data were collected from 589 patients during the study period. Median maternal age was 26 years and median gestational age was 38 weeks. The most common reason for seeking care was pelvic pain (85.2%). Sixty-seven (11.5%) women were transferred to other facilities for higher-level care. Among cases not transferred, post-partum hemorrhage, infant mortality and maternal mortality occurred in 2.4%, 3.0% and 0.6% of cases, respectively. There were 69 cases with diagnoses that could have benefited from POCUS use. Between sites, significantly more cases had the potential for improved diagnostics with POCUS at Fort Liberte Hospital (19.8%) than Centre Medicosocial de Ouanaminthe (8.2%) (p Conclusion: Acute obstetrical care is common and POCUS has the potential to impact the care of obstetrical patients in the North East region of Haiti. Future programs evaluating the feasibility of task shifting and the sustainable impacts of acute obstetric POCUS in Haiti will be important.
Cyberspace Odyssey: A Competitive Team-Oriented Serious Game in Computer Networking

Cyberspace odyssey (CSO) is a novel serious game supporting computer networking education by engaging students in a race to successfully perform various cybersecurity tasks in order to collect clues and solve a puzzle in virtual near-Earth three-dimensional space. Each team interacts with the game server through a dedicated client presenting a multimodal interface, using a game controller for navigation and various desktop computer networking tools of the trade for cybersecurity tasks on the game's physical network. Specifically, teams connect to wireless access points, use packet monitors to intercept network traffic, decrypt and reverse engineer that traffic, craft well-formed and meaningful responses, and transmit those responses. Successful completion of these physical network actions to solve a sequence of increasingly complex problems is necessary to progress through the virtual story-driven adventure. Use of the networking tools reinforces networking theory and offers hands-on practical training requisite for today's cyber operators. This article presents the learning outcomes targeted by a classroom intervention based on CSO, the design and implementation of the game, a pedagogical overview of the overall intervention, and four years of quantitative and qualitative data assessing its effectiveness.
“Upon All the Living and the Dead”: James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, and Their Infinite Ghosts

This chapter explores the fraught influence of James Joyce upon Jorge Luis Borges, and their shared fascinations with the infinite dead. Specifically, this chapter explores how Joyce and Borges both used ghosts as manifestations of infinity, as a strategy by which to challenge and exceed the massive—yet ultimately finite—political and economic neocolonial systems that attempt to catalog, account for, and thereby colonize all things. As an illustrative example, this chapter examines how the ghost scene from Borges’s 1944 story “The Garden of Forking Paths” re-enacts a similar ghost scene from Joyce’s 1914 story “The Dead.”
Caregiving and caring with pride: Health behavior work among older gay married couples

The focus of this qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of older gay married individuals around caregiving and health behavior work with their partners. The study used data from five lo...
Structural and spectroscopic characterization of an einsteinium complex.

The transplutonium elements (atomic numbers 95-103) are a group of metals that lie at the edge of the periodic table. As a result, the patterns and trends used to predict and control the physics and chemistry for transition metals, main-group elements and lanthanides are less applicable to transplutonium elements. Furthermore, understanding the properties of these heavy elements has been restricted by their scarcity and radioactivity. This is especially true for einsteinium (Es), the heaviest element on the periodic table that can currently be generated in quantities sufficient to enable classical macroscale studies1. Here we characterize a coordination complex of einsteinium, using less than 200 nanograms of 254Es (with half-life of 275.7(5) days), with an organic hydroxypyridinone-based chelating ligand. X-ray absorption spectroscopic and structural studies are used to determine the energy of the L3-edge and a bond distance of einsteinium. Photophysical measurements show antenna sensitization of EsIII luminescence; they also reveal a hypsochromic shift on metal complexation, which had not previously been observed in lower-atomic-number actinide elements. These findings are indicative of an intermediate spin-orbit coupling scheme in which j-j coupling (whereby single-electron orbital angular momentum and spin are first coupled to form a total angular momentum, j) prevails over Russell-Saunders coupling. Together with previous actinide complexation studies2, our results highlight the need to continue studying the unusual behaviour of the actinide elements, especially those that are scarce and short-lived.
Growth‐defense trade‐offs masked in unadmixed populations are revealed by hybridization

Organisms are constantly challenged by pathogens and pests, which can drive the evolution of growth-defense strategies. Plant stomata are essential for gas exchange during photosynthesis and conceptually lie at the intersection of the physiological demands of growth and exposure to foliar fungal pathogens. Generations of natural selection for locally adapted growth-defense strategies can eliminate variation between traits, potentially masking trade-offs and selection conflicts that may have existed in the past. Hybrid populations offer a unique opportunity to reset the clock on selection and to study potentially maladaptive trait variation before selection removes it. We study the interactions of growth, stomatal, ecopysiological, and disease resistance traits in poplars (Populus) after infection by the leaf rust Melampsora medusae. Phenotypes were measured in a common garden and genotyped at 227K SNPs. We isolate the effects of hybridization on trait variance, discover correlations between stomatal, ecophysiology, and disease resistance, examine trade-offs and selection conflicts, and explore the evolution of growth-defense strategies potentially mediated by selection for stomatal traits on the upper leaf surface. These results suggest an important role for stomata in determining growth-defense strategies in organisms susceptible to foliar pathogens, and reinforces the contribution of hybridization studies toward our understanding of trait evolution.
Information Cascades and the 2016 Republican Nomination: Results of a Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test Applied to Popular Vote Totals

Since the 1990s researchers have identified a social process variously known as “herding,” “information cascades,” and “bandwagoning.” More recent research suggests that such effects may be identifiable because outputs are Pareto distributed. The popular vote in the 2016 Republican primaries may be Pareto distributed, as are the popular votes in some other elections, including the 1972 and 1976 Democratic primaries — suggesting that such elections have been influenced by that social process.
Effects of a Single Rapid Infusion System on Platelet Function in Stored Whole Blood: An Ex Vivo Study.

Introduction Rapid infusion systems (RIS) are used to warm and rapidly infuse crystalloids and blood products. Current guidelines do not approve of platelet transfusion through a RIS, but data supporting these guidelines are scarce. Our hypothesis was that an infusion of whole blood through a RIS would degrade platelet quantity, impede viscoelastic clot strength, and inhibit platelet aggregation response to adenosine diphosphate pathway (ADP) activation. Methods Ten iterations of a simulated scenario of transfusing whole blood via a single brand and make of RIS (Belmont Fluid Management System 2000, Belmont Medical Technologies, Billerica, MA) were performed. Units of whole blood, which were two to nine days old, were leukoreduced prestorage. Blood was used to prime the RIS and then warmed and infused at 100 mL/min into a reservoir. Blood samples were collected before and immediately after infusion. Samples were tested for platelet count, size, and viscoelastic clot strength using thromboelastographic and aggregation assays. Results The study sample (n = 10) included platelets with an average age of 5.3 days. The infusion through the RIS had a detrimental effect on all the maximal amplitudes (MA) of viscoelastic testing: MA ADP (mean difference = -18.7 mm; 95% CI: -24.1 to -13.3, P = 0.004), MA rapid thromboelastography (MA rTEG) (mean difference = -6.0; 95% CI: -10.0 to -2.0, P = 0.008), MA TEG (mean difference = -7.1; 95% CI: -10.9 to -3.4, P = 0.004), mean platelet volume (MPV) (mean difference = -0.3; 95% CI: -0.6 to -0.1, P = 0.02), and platelet count (mean difference = -68.3 × 103/µL; 95% CI: -86.9 to -49.7, P = 0.004). Conclusions Platelet quantity, viscoelastic clot strength, and platelet aggregation response to ADP each decline after infusion through a RIS. Further studies regarding microaggregates and platelet activation are required.
Secondary syphilis as an initial presentation of HIV

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, generally presents in distinct stages that sequentially progress in a predictable pattern. However, in the ca...
Effect of Excess Mg to Control Corrosion in Molten MgCl2 and KCl Eutectic Salt Mixture

Abstract Structural alloys may experience corrosion when exposed to molten chloride salts due to selective dissolution of active alloying elements. One way to prevent this is to make the molten salt reducing. For the KCl + MgCl2 eutectic salt mixture, pure Mg can be added to achieve this. However, Mg can form intermetallic compounds with nickel at high temperatures, which may cause alloy embrittlement. This study shows that an optimum level of excess Mg could be added to the molten salt which will prevent corrosion of alloys like 316 H, while not forming any detectable Ni-Mg intermetallic phases on Ni-rich alloy surfaces.
Abstract P338: Diurnal Salivary Cortisol is Associated with Increased Glycemia and Insulin Resistance: The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Introduction: Hypercortisolism is associated with insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes mellitus (DM); however, to our knowledge prior studies have not examined the association of diurnal cortisol curve features with measures of glycemia or IR in a population-based setting. We hypothesized that cortisol curve features would be positively associated with (1) glycemia in those with and without DM and (2) IR, in non-diabetic subjects. Methods: We examined the cross-sectional association of cortisol curve features with glycemia and IR in 1,069 ethnically diverse men and women (mean age 70 ± 9) in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Stress II Study. Salivary cortisol measures were collected over 2 days with 8 time points measured per day. Cortisol curve features included log-transformed wake-up cortisol, cortisol awakening response (CAR; awakening to 30 minutes post-awakening), early decline slope (30 minutes to 2 hours post-awakening), late decline slope (2 hours post-awakening to bedtime), overall decline slope, bedtime cortisol, and total area under the curve (AUC). DM was defined based on fasting glucose (≥ 126 mg/dL), hypoglycemic medication use, and/or physician diagnosis. Glycemia was assessed via hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and IR via the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR). We used linear regression models to examine the cross-sectional association of log-transformed cortisol curve features with HbA1c, stratified by DM status, and with HOMA-IR in non-diabetic participants. Adjustments were made for socio-demographics, adiposity, depressive symptoms, medications and cigarette smoking. Results: The association of cortisol curve features with HbA1c varied by DM status in unadjusted and adjusted models. Following multivariable adjustment, cortisol curve features were not associated with HbA1c among non-diabetic subjects; however, among those with DM, early decline slope, overall decline slope, bedtime cortisol, and total cortisol AUC were significantly and positively associated with a 5.7% (95% CI, 2.3,9.3), 38.8% (95% CI, 4.4, 84.4), 3.1% (95% CI 1.1,5.2), and 5.3% (95% CI 2.3,8.5) higher HbA1c, respectively. Wake-up cortisol, CAR, and late decline slope were not associated with HbA1c. Among those without DM, wake-up cortisol and AUC were inversely associated with a 9.4% lower (95% CI, -14.3, -4.2) and 11% lower (95% CI, -17.2, -4.3) HOMA-IR, respectively, in the unadjusted model; however, these results were attenuated and became non-significant following multivariable adjustment (-1.6%; 95% CI, -6.4, 3.4 for wake-up cortisol and -2.8%; 95% CI, -9.2, 4.2 for AUC). Conclusion: Among those with DM, cortisol curve parameters suggestive of higher cortisol exposure were associated with higher HbA1c. These findings suggest a role for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation in hyperglycemia associated with DM.
Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Unity.

Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Unity. Herbert L. Bodman and Nayereh Tohidi. eds. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 1998. 310 pp.
Chenodeoxycholic acid-3-sulfate. Metabolism and excretion in the rat and hamster and effects on hepatic transport systems.

Abstract The metabolism and excretion of chenodeoxycholic acid-3-sulfate were determined in rats and hamsters. Constant intravenous infusions of 1, 2, and 3 μmoles/min in rats gave a maximum excretion In bile of 1.25 μmoles/min. Simultaneous infusions of sodium taurocholate at 2.0 μmoles/min and sulfobromophthalein at 0.2 μmole/min had no effects on the maximum excretion rate of chenodeoxycholic acid-3-sulfate. However, the bile acid ester sulfate caused a dose-related reduction in the excretion rate of BSP without affecting bile acid excretion rate and without a reduction in total bile flow. Chromatographie analysis of ester sulfate, a bile acid recovered in bile and urine, indicated that more than 95% had not undergone further metabolic transformation.
The effects of symmetrical recombination site hixC on Hin recombinase function.

An artificial recombination site hixC composed of two identical half- sites that bind the Hin recombinase served as a better operator in vivo than the wild type site hixL (Hughes, K. T., Youderian, P., and Simon, M. I (1988) Genes & Dev. 2, 937-948). In vitro binding assays such as gel retardation assay and methylation protection assay demonstrated that Hin binds to hixC as tightly as it binds to hixL, even when the sites are located in negatively supercoiled plasmids. However, hixC served as a poor recombination site when it was subjected to the standard inversion assay in vitro. hixC showed a 16-fold slower inversion rate than the wild type. A series of biochemical assays designed to probe different stages of the Hin-mediated inversion reaction, demonstrated that Hin dimers bound to hixC have difficulty in forming paired hix site intermediates. KMnO4 and S1 nuclease assays detected an anomalous structure of the center of hixC only when the site was in negatively supercoiled plasmids. Mutational analysis in the central region of hixC and assays of paired hix site formation with topoisomers of the hixC substrate plasmid suggested that Hin is not able to pair hixC sites because of the presence of the anomalous structure in the center of the site. The structure does not behave like a DNA "cruciform" since Hin dimers still bind efficiently to the site. It is thought to consist of a short denatured "bubble" encompassing 2 base pairs. During the study of mutations in the center of hixC, it was found that Hin is not able to cleave DNA if a guanine residue is one of the two central nucleotides close to the cleavage site. Furthermore, Hin acts in a concerted fashion and cannot cleave any DNA strand if one of the four strands in the inversion intermediate is not cleavable.
Unc119 gene deletion partially rescues the GRK1 transport defect of Pde6d (- /-) cones.

PrBP/δ, encoded by the Pde6d gene, is an isoprenyl-binding protein that regulates trafficking of isoprenylated proteins, such as PDE6 and GRK1, from photoreceptor inner segments to outer segments. Trafficking of PDE6 and GRK1 to photoreceptor outer segments is impeded in Pde6d knockout mice. In Pde6d -/- cones, PDE6 and GRK1 are nearly undetectable and the b-wave amplitudes of photopic ERGs in Pde6d -/- mice are reduced by over 50 %. We reported recently that UNC119, a homolog of PrBP/δ highly expressed in photoreceptors, functions as an acyl-binding protein and regulates transport of G-proteins in sensory neurons. Since both PrBP/δ and UNC119 regulate peripheral protein trafficking in photoreceptors, we generated Pde6d; Unc119 double knockout mice in order to study how PrBP/δ and UNC119 may interact. Surprisingly, knockout of Unc119 partially reversed the transport defect of GRK1 in cone photoreceptors caused by deletion of Pde6d, and the b-wave amplitudes of photopic ERGs in the double knockout mice were significantly higher than those in the Pde6d -/- mice. These results suggest that cone transport of isoprenylated and acylated proteins is interdependent.
Boosting statistical tagger accuracy with simple rule-based grammars

We report on several experiments on combining a rule-based tagger and a trigram tagger for Spanish. The results show that one can boost the accuracy of the best performing n-gram taggers by quickly developing a rough rule-based grammar to complement the statistically induced one and then combining the output of the two. The specific method of combination is crucial for achieving good results. The method provides particularly large gains in accuracy when only a small amount of tagged data is available for training a HMM, as may be the case for lesser-resourced and minority languages.
732-3 Improved Results After Nonfenestrated Fontan Operation in Patients Less than 4 Years Old

Early mortality (EM) after nonfenestrated Fontan operation (NF) has been reported to be higher for young pts, specifically those less than 4 yrs old. In our recent experience, overall EM has decreased markedly. In order to determine if the risk of EM after NF is still significantly increased for young pts, we reviewed all 839 pts who had NF at our institution between 1973–92. During this period, 123 (15%) pts younger than age 4 yrs had a NF. EM for this group of pts was 22/123 (18%). During the last 20 yrs, EM after NF for pts younger than 4 yrs has decreased progressively at our institution: 197–77 = 50%, 1978–82 = 32%, 1983-86 = 20%, 1987–92 = 12% (p l 0.04). In the 3 early time periods, EM was consistently greater in pts younger than 4 yrs than in older pts. However, in our recent experience (1987–92), EM after NF for pts younger than 4 yrs [8/69 (12%)] is not significantly different from EM after NF for older pts [22/270 (8%)]. Many factors have contributed to the improved early outcome in young pts. Among these are the fact that in our earlier experience (1973–86), pts younger than 4 yrs frequently had NF on a non-elective basis [20/54 137%)] due to progressive clinical deterioration. Also, in the more recent period, selection criteria for NF have become more stringent and staging operations (i.e. cavopulmonary connections) have been more widely utilized. Several institutions have advocated atrial baffle fenestration to improve survival for high-risk Fontan pts including those less than 4 yrs old. However, our results with nonfenestrated Fontan operations indicate that with careful pt selection, children younger than age 4 yrs, have an operative risk which is not only improved, but similar to that observed in older pts. Therefore, any technical modification of the Fontan procedure must be evaluated in light of these recent improved results.
Breaking Bread with the Brethren: Fraternalism and Text in a Black Atlantic Church Community

This ethnographic article examines the constitution of brotherhood at Dixon Bible Chapel (DBC)—a West Indian and African American Brethren church community located in Lithonia, Georgia, a suburb of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Based on my analysis of interview, oral history, and church historical texts collected during fieldwork from 2006 to 2008, I propose that DBC members conceptualize brotherhood as an egalitarian, closely knit form of religious belonging inspired by New Testament representations of the church. Furthermore, I argue that is through DBC brothers’ textual rituals that brotherhood is substantiated as a framework for male democratic religious participation and leadership. Though hierarchies of class, ethnicity, gender, and generation segment the ranks of DBC brotherhood and the church community writ large, church members invest in brotherhood as a social formation that they believe sidesteps the exclusions of mainstream religious institutions. Extending the implications of DBC brotherhood to the present issue’s emphasis of black fraternal organizations, I pose questions about the meanings and salience of fraternalism as a social model for Afro-diasporic institution building.
Predicting the Sound Transmission Loss of Sandwich Panels by Statistical Energy Analysis Approach

A statistical energy analysis (SEA) approach is used to predict the sound transmission loss (STL) of sandwich panels numerically. Unlike conventional SEA studies of the STL of sandwich panels, which consider only the antisymmetric (bending) motion of the sandwich panel, the present approach accounts for both antisymmetric and symmetric (dilatational) motions. Using the consistent higher-order sandwich plate theory, the wave numbers of the waves propagating in the sandwich panel were calculated. Using these wave numbers, the wave speed of the propagating waves, the modal density, and the radiation efficiency of the sandwich panels were determined. Finally, the sound transmission losses of two sandwich panels were calculated and compared with the experimentally measured values, as well as with conventional SEA predictions. The comparisons with the experimental data showed good agreement, and the superiority of the present approach relative to other approaches is discussed and analyzed.
Surface roughness quantification of CoCrMo implant alloys

The articulating surfaces of CoCrMo alloy wear specimens and retrieved femoral components of artificial total knee joints are subject to uneven wear. A repeatable and reliable measurement method is necessary to evaluate the surface damage. In this study, the surface roughness of CoCrMo alloy specimens subjected to in vitro third-body wear, and retrieved femoral components of knee joints were analyzed using a white light interference surface profilometer. Each third-body wear specimen was divided into a 19x19 grid of 1-mm(2) squares (361 squares) and each femoral condyle of retrieved specimens was divided into two 10x10 grids of 1-mm(2) squares (100 squares). The surface roughness average (Ra) and root mean square roughness (RMS) were measured for each of the squares. The average of all points measured was defined as the true surface roughness mean (TSRM). Measurements were then performed on 40-60 (in vitro specimens) or 30 (retrieved specimens) randomly selected points on each surface and a cumulative average was calculated. The cumulative average surface roughness value from only a few (5-15) measurement points generated large deviations (>40%) from the TSRM, but converged to the TSRM as the number of measurements increased. The number of randomly selected points necessary for the cumulative average roughness to be within 10% of the TSRM was defined as the representative measurement number (RMN). The RMN for the third-body wear specimens (surface area of 573 mm(2)) was 40 points, and the RMN for the retrieved femoral components (surface area of 100 mm(2)) was 20 points. To obtain the cumulative surface roughness average within a desired percentage of the TSRM, it is important to define or experimentally determine the critical minimum number of measurements, RMN. Several types of measurements may be necessary to understand wear and damage on metal components of artificial knee joints. The TSRM represents a consistent and reproducible measure of surface damage, and a starting point to develop appropriate measurement protocols to quantify damage on a specific surface.
ADHD, psychostimulants, and sleep disorders: Is there a link?

Sleep difficulties occur in a high percentage of children and adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Poor sleep worsens cognitive difficulties; ADHD children who sleep poorly have increased school absenteeism, and their caregivers are more often late for work. This article will review new findings in ADHD sleep disorder studies and the impact of psychostimulant treatment on sleep-related problems. Insomnia is frequently reported as a side effect when stimulants are initiated but is usually mild to moderate in severity and improves during the first week of treatment. Polysomnography shows improvement in sleep latency and overall sleep efficiency when ADHD adults are treated with methylphenidate twice a day. A large clinical trial in ADHD children found no difference in overall sleep parameters between placebo and sustained-release methylphenidate. Similarly, an adult lisdexamfetamine trial found no change in overall sleep efficiency with significant improvement in daytime function.
Studies toward the syntheses of pluramycin natural products. The first total synthesis of isokidamycin

We report the first total synthesis of the complex C-aryl glycoside isokidamycin, the epimer of the naturally-occurring pluramycin antibiotic kidamycin. The synthesis features a highly efficientDiels-Alder reaction between a substituted naphthyne and a glycosylatedfuran to form the anthracene core bearing a pendant angolosamine C-glycoside. The regiochemical outcome of the Diels-Alder reaction was controlled by employing a disposable silicon-tether to link the reactive napthyne and the glycosyl furan, rendering the cycloaddition intramolecular. The benzopyranone moietyof the aromatic nucleus was appended by cyclization of a functionalized vinylogous amide onto an advanced anthrol intermediate. The vancosamine amino glycoside was introduced by an O→C-glycoside rearrangement that produced the β-anomer. Subsequent refunctionalizations then led to isokidamycin.
Effects of Omega-Methyl Pantethine, a Pantothenic Acid Antagonist, on the Development of Turkey Embryos

Abstract Vitamin antagonists have been used extensively in nutritional and metabolic studies but their use in the field of chemical embryology has been limited. Cravens and Snell (1949) studied the effects of desoxypyridoxine on the development of the chick embryo and Karnofsky et al. (1949) used folic acid analogs in similar studies. Drell and Dunn (1946 Drell and Dunn (1948) reported that omega-methyl pantothenic acid, which has a methyl group substituted for a hydrogen in the terminal group of the pantoyl portion of the molecule, is an antagonist of pantothenic acid for many species of lactobacilli and, later, for rats and mice. Bean and Hodges (1954) have also reported a pantothenic acid deficiency with omega-methyl pantothenate in humans. These results could not be confirmed by Bird and co-workers (1955) who were unable to induce a pantothenic acid deficiency in rats using either omega-methyl pantothenic acid or omega-methyl pantethine. Omega-methyl pantethine, however, was found to …
Clinical Outcomes in High Flexion Total Knee Arthroplasty Were Not Superior to Standard Posterior Stabilized Total Knee Arthroplasty. A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized Study

High flexion prostheses have been introduced to achieve high flexion and improve clinical outcomes. Controversy exists in the literature regarding outcomes of high flexion vs. standard implants. This multicenter study compares outcomes in patients receiving a high flexion prosthesis vs. standard prosthesis. 278 high flexion and standard knee prostheses were used. Patients were followed for two years and evaluated prospectively. The mean HSS was 87.3 for the standard group and 88.9 for the flexion group. At two-year follow up the standard prosthesis group had mean flexion of 121° and the high flexion group had mean flexion 120°. No knee had aseptic loosening, infection, or osteolysis. At two-year follow up, there were no significant differences in range of motion, clinical outcome, or radiographic evaluation. Pre-operative motion and functional status have greater impact on clinical outcome than implant alone.
The influence of native tropomyosin on the ATP threshold for turbidity development of actomyosin and myofibril suspensions

Abstract By using an ATP regenerating system to maintain constant ATP concentration, a marked drop in the ATP threshold for turbidity development is observed in the presence of EGTA 2 . This effect is abolished when native tropomyosin is destroyed by trypsin digestion or removed by mild alkaline washing of actomyosin. When fresh native tropomyosin is added to such modified actomyosin, it is incapable of restoring more than a small part of the turbidity threshold shift, although it restores the ATPase inhibition almost completely.
Electronic-structure method for general space-filling cell potentials.

It is shown that the scattering matrix in the form describing multiple-scattering processes for collections of muffin-tin (MT) potentials is rigorously valid for nonoverlapping potentials of arbitrary shape. In particular, the near-field corrections (NFC's) ostensibly arising in the latter case are shown to vanish identically. It follows that the well-known method of Korringa and of Kohn and Rostoker for calculating electronic structure is valid for non-MT potentials. Model calculations illustrating directly the vanishing of NFC's and a calculation for elemental Nb are presented and the effects of convergence in such calculations are discussed.
Exploring the long-term balance between net precipitation and net groundwater exchange in Florida seepage lakes

Summary The long-term balance between net precipitation and net groundwater exchange that maintains thousands of seepage lakes in Florida’s karst terrain is explored at a representative lake basin and then regionally for the State’s peninsular lake district. The 15-year water budget of Lake Starr includes El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-related extremes in rainfall, and provides the longest record of Bowen ratio energy-budget (BREB) lake evaporation and lake-groundwater exchanges in the southeastern United States. Negative net precipitation averaging −25 cm/yr at Lake Starr overturns the previously-held conclusion that lakes in this region receive surplus net precipitation. Net groundwater exchange with the lake was positive on average but too small to balance the net precipitation deficit. Groundwater pumping effects and surface-water withdrawals from the lake widened the imbalance. Satellite-based regional estimates of potential evapotranspiration at five large lakes in peninsular Florida compared well with basin-scale evaporation measurements from seven open-water sites that used BREB methods. The regional average lake evaporation estimated for Lake Starr during 1996–2011 was within 5% of its measured average, and regional net precipitation agreed within 10%. Regional net precipitation to lakes was negative throughout central peninsular Florida and the net precipitation deficit increased by about 20 cm from north to south. Results indicate that seepage lakes farther south on the peninsula receive greater net groundwater inflow than northern lakes and imply that northern lakes are in comparatively leakier hydrogeologic settings. Findings reveal the peninsular lake district to be more vulnerable than was previously realized to drier climate, surface-water withdrawals from lakes, and groundwater pumping effects.
Vascular injuries and their sequelae in pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures: Toward a goal of prevention

Between 1988 and 1994, 128 consecutive children with grade III supracondylar humeral fractures presented for treatment at our hospital. Seventeen had absent or diminished (detected with Doppler but not palpable) radial pulses on initial examination. Fourteen of these 17 children recovered pulse (palpable) after reduction and stabilization of their fractures. The remaining three had persistent absence of radial pulse. Each of these three children was explored immediately and found to have a significant vascular injury requiring repair. Two of the 14 children who had initially regained their pulses had a progressive postoperative deterioration in their circulatory status during the first 24-36 h, including loss of the radial pulse. Both of these children had arteriograms that identified vascular injuries. Both underwent exploration and bypass grafting. One of these two children had been transferred 48 h after injury, resulting in delay of management of his vascular impairment. Despite exploration, vascular repair, and fasciotomy, he ultimately developed Volkmann's ischemic contracture. All five children with significant vascular injuries had absent or diminished radial pulses on presentation. Immediate reduction and fixation followed by careful evaluation and treatment of ischemia were associated with excellent outcome in four of the five children.
Investigating Antecedents of Behavioral Intentions in Mobile Commerce

ABSTRACT Despite the importance of mobile commerce (m-commerce) as an emerging channel of communication, marketing, and sales in business, few studies address how consumers decide to use m-commerce. In this study, we develop a conceptual framework for investigating the role of the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and perceived enjoyment in determining consumers' intention to use m-commerce. We also investigate the importance of social influence in determining intention to use m-commerce. We draw on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to develop our theoretical model. The empirical examination of our research model indicates that extrinsic and intrinsic motivations positively impact intention to use m-commerce. The current research model and its results could provide a rigorous basis for understanding consumers' behavior in wireless contexts.
Partitioning of physiological noise signals in the brain with concurrent near-infrared spectroscopy and fMRI

The blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are contaminated with noise from various physiological processes, such as spontaneous low-frequency oscillations (LFOs), respiration, and cardiac pulsation. These processes are coupled to the BOLD signal by different mechanisms, and represent variations with very different frequency content; however, because of the low sampling rate of fMRI, these signals are generally not separable by frequency, as the cardiac and respiratory waveforms alias into the LFO band. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of the individual noise processes by conducting concurrent near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and fMRI studies on six subjects during a resting state acquisition. Three time series corresponding to LFO, respiration, and cardiac pulsation were extracted by frequency from the NIRS signal (which has sufficient temporal resolution to critically sample the cardiac waveform) and used as regressors in a BOLD fMRI analysis. Our results suggest that LFO and cardiac signals modulate the BOLD signal independently through the circulatory system. The spatiotemporal evolution of the LFO signal in the BOLD data correlates with the global cerebral blood flow. Near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to partition these contributing factors and independently determine their contribution to the BOLD signal.
Exercise: where the body leads and the heart must follow

At rest and during exercise, cardiac output is regulated to closely match the body's oxygen demand. In resting dogs with impaired electrical conductivity from the SA node to the ventricles (AV block), increasing heart rate by ventricular pacing (from 100 to 180 beats min−1) does not elicit changes in cardiac output or arterial pressure, whereas stroke volume (SV) decreases (White et al. 1971); but it is unknown if humans respond similarly to increases in heart rate due to anatomical and physiological differences (i.e. blood volume distribution). In a recent article in The Journal of Physiology, Bada et al. (2012) explored the effects of heart rate and peripheral vasodilatation on cardiac output with the use of atrial pacing in humans. The authors postulated that increasing heart rate via atrial pacing would attenuate SV due to reductions in central venous and left ventricular filling pressure.
An easily constructed pipette for pressure microinjections into the brain.

A simple device for making pressure microinjections into the brain, its application for delivery of a tracer substance, biotin dextran amine, and an example of the resulting axonal transport are described. The device is based on the use of a Luer tip Hamilton microliter syringe mated directly to the plastic hub of an injection needle assembly in which the metal needle has been replaced by a glass pipette. In model experiments, the injection sites were measured in brain sections of rats, which were perfused with fixative immediately after administration of the tracer, and the relationship between the injected volume and the area of the injection site was evaluated. The results showed that the device provided accurate and reproducible delivery of the fluid.
The death of a star.

When Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar asked in his twenties, ‘What happens to a massive star when it runs out of fuel?’ he had little idea that it would take a generation of astronomers to find the answer.
The Topographic Primal Sketch

A complete mathematical treatment is given for describing the topographic primal sketch of the underlying gray tone intensity surface of a digital image. Each picture element is independently classified and assigned a unique descriptive label, invariant under monotonically increasing gray tone transformations from the set (peak, pit, ridge, ravine, saddle, flat, and hillside), with hillside having subcategories (inflection point, slope, convex hill, concave hill, and saddle hill). The topographic classification is based on the first and second directional derivatives of the estimated image- intensity surface. A local, facet model, two-dimensional, cubic polynomial fit is done to estimate the image-intensity surface. Zero-crossings of the first directional derivative are identified as locations of interest in the image.
The graph Voronoi diagram with applications

The Voronoi diagram is a famous structure of computational geometry. We show that there is a straightforward equivalent in graph theory which can be efficiently computed. In particular, we give two algorithms for the computation of graph Voronoi diagrams, prove a lower bound on the problem, and identify cases where the algorithms presented are optimal. The space requirement of a graph Voronoi diagram is modest, since it needs no more space than does the graph itself. The investigation of graph Voronoi diagrams is motivated by many applications and problems on networks that can be easily solved with their help. This includes the computation of nearest facilities, all nearest neighbors and closest pairs, some kind of collision free moving, and anticenters and closest points. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Absence of Phase Transition in {QCD} With Massless Quarks

Abstract SU(3) lattice gauge theory with four flavors of massless Susskind fermions is studied on a small (4 4 ) lattice. The fermion determinant is treated in an exact manner. It is observed that the phase transtion which is seen in the pure gauge theory on that lattice disappears when the fermionic determinant is included in the action.
Alaska Tsunami Warning Center's automatic and interactive computer processing system

The Alaska Tsunami Warning Center has the responsibility of providing timely tsunami warning services for Alaska and the west coasts of Canada and the United States. Recently, the ATWC implemented a new microcomputer system which is used for both automatic and interactive earthquake processing, and for disseminating critical information to the Tsunami Warning System recipients. Real-time seismic wave form data from 23 short-period and 9 long-period sites in Alaska, the lower 48 States, and Hawaii, are continually computer-monitored for the occurrence of an earthquake. Once detected from the short-period wave form data, pre- and post-earthquake data are displayed on a graphics terminal along with an indicator to identify the time of the onset of theP waves (P-picks). TheP-picks can easily be changed during or after data collection via a mouse. Magnitudes (M b ,M l ,M B ,M S ) are automatically computed from appropriate short- and long-period wave form data concurrently with the above processing. A second graphics terminal displays cycle-by-cycle long-period wave form data that was used to compute an earthquake'sM B andM S magnitudes. An earthquake's parametric data and other information are available and printed within tens of seconds after theP wave arrivals are recorded at the first 5 sites, then 7 sites, 9 sites, and a final parametric computation using all collected data. Three video display monitors are used for displaying the parameters, procedural aids, and a map showing the epicenter. Additionally, selected event parameters are immediately transmitted by VHF radio to alphanumeric beepers which are carried by standby duty personnel during those times that the Center is not manned. Using a dedicated video display terminal and printer, the interactive system can use data and parameters resulting from the automatic processes for concurrent parameter recomputations; perform additional computations; disseminate critical information; and generate procedural aids for duty geophysicists to facilitate an earthquake/tsunami investigation.
Electrowetting of Nanofluids Containing Silver Nanoparticles

Application of voltage across a liquid-dielectric interface resulting in the change of fluid contact angle is known as electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) effect [1]. EWOD actuation is one of the most preferred techniques to move liquid at microscale due to relatively low voltages, low currents and power consumption requirements, and the absence of electrolysis. Our recent work has shown that nanofluids containing semiconductor nanoparticles exhibit a very strong EWOD effect [2, 3]. In particular, in the tested voltage range of 0 to 60 V, nanofluids loaded with molecularly-capped bismuth telluride nanoparticles show enhanced stability and increased actuation range of contact angle change. Developing a fundamental understanding of the role of nanostructure inclusions in controlling and potentially enhancing the EWOD effect would pave the way for the efficient use of EWOD with nanofluids in a wide range or microfluidic applications. Here we extend the studies on the EWOD behavior of nanofluids, to a system containing noble metal nano particles. In this abstract we report the preliminary results of the electro-wetting studies on nanofluids containing silver nano particles.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Interaction of dental cements with the complement system

The relative complement-activating properties of several dental cements were investigated. After the cements were incubated with fresh human serum as a source of complement, the percent of the electrophoretic conversion was assessed by means of the C3 crossed-immunoelectrophoresis technique. It was determined that the ZnO-containing cements--which include zinc phosphate, zinc polycarboxylate, zinc oxide eugenol, and zinc hexyl vanillate--each caused C3 conversion, indicative of complement activation. Glass-ionomer cement, which does not contain ZnO, did not activate the complement system. In dose-response studies, ZnO at relatively low concentrations was effective in causing C3 conversion, while at higher concentrations ZnO appeared to block C3 conversion. Supernatants from ZnO suspensions also caused C3 conversion. Cement particle size, as well as soluble degradative products containing ZnO or Zn++, were suggested as possible factors contributing to the differential effects of the dental cements on complement activation and/or function.
Prevalence and correlates of alcohol and cannabis use disorders in the United States: Results from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health

Abstract Background Limited current information on the epidemiology of lifetime alcohol and cannabis use disorders in the United States is available. Aims To present detailed information about the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of lifetime alcohol and cannabis use disorders rates in the United States. To examine gender differences in hazard ratios for the onset of alcohol and cannabis dependence. Methods Participants in Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 15,500, age range: 24–32) were interviewed between 2008 and 2009. Participants who exceeded screening thresholds were queried about lifetime DSM-IV alcohol and marijuana abuse and dependence symptoms. Age of substance dependence onset was queried. Results Lifetime rates of alcohol abuse and dependence were 11.8 and 13.2%. Lifetime rates of cannabis abuse and dependence were 3.9 and 8.3%. Lifetime alcohol and cannabis dependence onset peaks were 23 and 20. Correlates of lifetime alcohol abuse included being male (OR 1.4), African-American (OR 0.7), income in the 2nd or 3rd quartile (OR 0.7 and 0.6). Correlates of lifetime alcohol dependence were: being male (OR 1.8), African-American (OR 0.5), and never being married (OR 1.5), and regions outside of the west (Midwest OR 0.7, South OR 0.6, Northeast OR 0.6). Correlates of cannabis abuse and dependence were being male (OR 1.8 and 1.4). Conclusions Lifetime alcohol and cannabis use disorders are highly prevalent in the US population. Men are at higher risk for alcohol and cannabis use disorders. Alcohol use disorders demonstrated specific sociodemographic correlates while marijuana use disorders did not.
Eyelid Laceration in a Neonate by Fetal Monitoring Spiral Electrode

Abstract Purpose: To report an unusual case of birth injury caused by an internal fetal monitoring spiral electrode. Method: Case report. Results: A neonate with eyelid lacerations was examined within the first hour of life after a fetal scalp electrode was inadvertently affixed to the left upper eyelid during labor. The superficial lacerations healed without sequelae, and there was no globe injury. Conclusions: Ocular adnexal birth injury by a fetal monitoring scalp electrode has been reported rarely. Because fetal brow malpresentation is uncommon, the occurrence of this injury is unusual. Although alarming, the periorbital edema associated with this malpresentation probably protects the eyelid from perforation and the globe from injury.