cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Different factors predict CentraLoc and Intrafix fixation of quadruple hamstring allografts in low density cadaveric tibiae

When using a quadruple semitendinosus–gracilis (STG) graft for ACL reconstruction tibial fixation is often the weak link. This study attempted to determine the relationship between perceived quadruple STG graft-tibial tunnel fixation quality using either a CentraLoc or an Intrafix device in cadaveric tibiae and biomechanical test performance. Within group perceived fixation quality relationships with bone mineral density (BMD), allograft diameter, and device insertion torque were also evaluated. Using a 0–10 point modified visual analog scale a senior orthopedic surgery resident rated perceived fixation quality following specimen preparation. Constructs then underwent 500 cycles between 50 and 250 N prior to load to failure testing (20 mm/min). Only the CentraLoc device group withstood mean forces comparable to those experienced by the ACL during routine activities of daily living without failing (448.4 ± 171 N vs. 338.4 ± 119 N, P = 0.04). Perceived fixation quality using the CentraLoc device correlated strongly with tibial BMD (r 2 = 0.91), but insignificantly with insertion torque or allograft diameter. CentraLoc device fixation quality prediction accuracy was fair for displacement during cyclic (r 2 = 0.68) and load to failure (r 2 = 0.65) biomechanical test performance. The Intrafix device displayed fair perceived fixation quality relationships with insertion torque (r 2 = 0.76) and allograft diameter (r 2 = 0.70) but not with tibial BMD. Intrafix device fixation quality prediction accuracy was fair for load to failure (r 2 = 0.63), but insignificant for displacement during cyclic biomechanical test performance. In cadaveric tibiae with poor cancellous trabecular bone density, the CentraLoc device provided more predictable and better quadruple STG allograft fixation than the Intrafix device.
The rise of global mean sea level as an indication of climate change.

Rising mean sea level, it is proposed, is a significant indicator of global climate change. The principal factors that can have contributed to the observed increases of global mean sea level in recent decades are thermal expansion of the oceans and the discharge of polar ice sheets. Calculations indicate that thermal expansion cannot be the sole factor responsible for the observed rise in sea level over the last 40 years; significant discharges of polar ice must also be occurring. Global warming, due in some degree presumably to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide, has been opposed by the extraction of heat necessary to melt the discharged ice. During the past 40 years more than 50,000 cubic kilometers of ice has been discharged and has melted, reducing the surface warming that might otherwise have occurred by as much as a factor of 2. The transfer of mass from the polar regions to a thin spherical shell covering all the oceans should have increased the earth9s moment of inertia and correspondingly reduced the speed of rotation by about 1.5 parts in 108. This accounts for about three quarters of the observed fractional reduction in the earth9s angular velocity since 1940. Monitoring of global mean sea level, ocean surface temperatures, and the earth9s speed of rotation should be complemented by monitoring of the polar ice sheets, as is now possible by satellite altimetry. All parts of the puzzle need to be examined in order that a consistent picture emerge.
Age and Survival Estimates in Patients Who Have Node-Negative T1ab Breast Cancer by Breast Cancer Subtype

Abstract Aim This article evaluates the risk of recurrence for patients who have small node-negative breast cancer by age and tumor subtype. Methods One thousand twelve patients with a T1a,bN0 breast cancer diagnosed between 1990 and 2002 who did not receive chemotherapy or trastuzumab were included. Patients and tumor characteristics were compared using the χ 2 or Wilcoxon's rank sum tests. Survival outcomes were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank statistic. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine association of breast cancer subtypes and age at diagnosis with other covariates. Results Median age was 51.5 years. There were 771 hormone receptor (HR)-positive, 98 HER2-positive, and 143 triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). Six hundred ninety-three patients were > 50 years, and 33 patients were ≤ 35 years. For 5-year survival estimates, there were 118 deaths and overall survival was 94.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 93.2%, 96.1%). After adjusting for breast cancer subtype and other tumor characteristics, patients ≤ 35 had 2.51 (95% CI=1.21-5.22) times greater risk of worse recurrence-free survival (RFS), and 2.60 (95% CI=1.05-6.46) times greater risk of worse distant RFS (DRFS) compared to patients > 50 years old. Compared to patients with HR-positive disease, patients with HER2-positive breast cancer had 4.98 (95% CI=2.91-8.53) times the risk of worse RFS and 4.70 (95% CI=2.51-8.79) times greater risk of worse DRFS, and patients with TNBC had 2.71 (95% CI=1.59-4.59) times greater risk of worse RFS and 2.08 (95% CI=1.04-4.17) times greater risk of worse DRFS. Conclusions In this cohort, patients with T1a,bN0 breast cancer, young age and breast cancer subtype were significantly associated with RFS and DRFS.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is not associated with genetic variants that mark risk of type 2 diabetes.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder of irregular menses, hyperandrogenism and/or polycystic ovary morphology. A large proportion of women with PCOS also exhibit insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, impaired glucose tolerance and/or type 2 diabetes (T2D). We therefore hypothesized that genetic variants that predispose to risk of T2D also result in risk of PCOS. Variants robustly associated with T2D in candidate gene or genome-wide association studies (GWAS; n = 56 SNPs from 33 loci) were genotyped in women of European ancestry with PCOS (n = 525) and controls (n = 472), aged 18–45 years. Metabolic, reproductive and anthropomorphic data were examined as a function of the T2D variants. All genetic association analyses were adjusted for age, BMI and ancestry and were reported after correction for multiple testing. There was a nominal association between variants in KCNJ11 and risk of PCOS. However, a risk score of 33 independent T2D-associated variants from GWAS was not significantly associated with PCOS. T2D variants were associated with PCOS phenotype parameters including those in THADA and WFS1 with testosterone levels, ENPP/PC1 with triglyceride levels, FTO with glucose levels and KCNJ11 with FSH levels. Diabetes risk variants are not important risk variants for PCOS.
Bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10-based cryptands, powerful hosts for paraquat derivatives.

Four new bis(m-phenylene)-32-crown-10-based cryptands with different third bridges were prepared. Their complexes with paraquat derivatives were studied by proton NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and X-ray analysis. It was found that these cryptands bind paraquat derivatives very strongly. Specifically, a diester cryptand with a pyridyl nitrogen atom located at a site occupied by either water or a PF6 anion in analogous complexes exhibited the highest association constant Ka = 5.0 × 106 M-1 in acetone with paraquat, 9000 times greater than the crown ether system. X-ray structures of this and analogous complexes demonstrate that improved complexation with this host is a consequence of preorganization, adequate ring size for occupation by the guest, and the proper location of the pyridyl N-atom for binding to the β-pyridinium hydrogens of the paraquat guests. This readily accessible cryptand is one of the most powerful hosts reported for paraquats.
Calculation of Mössbauer absorption areas for thick absorbers

Abstract The calculation of Lang 2 ) for interpreting Mossbauer spectrum areas is extended to larger values of absorber thickness. The results are presented graphically together with values of the absorption amplitude and relative line width calculated by Roberts and Thomson 3 ).
Nucleophilic addition of tertiary phosphines to the bis(benzene)metal(II) cations of the iron triad

Abstract The complexes [(benzene)2M]2+ (M = Fe, Ru, Os) react rapidlyand reversibly with tertiary phosphines to form cyclohexadienyl phosphonium ring adducts: Addition to both benzene rings does not occur even in the presence of excess phosphine. The room temperature 1H NMR spectra with P(n-Bu)3 are static, but with PPh3 exchange averaged spectra result. The rate and equilibrium constants with PPh3 were obtained via variable temperature 31P and 1H NMR. In contrast to previously reported phosphine addition reactions, the electrophilic reactivity (k1) is very metal dependent: Fe > Ru > Os (390 : 7 : 1). The reverse rate constant (k−1) is only weakly metal dependent, and the resulting linear free energy relationship (LFER) between Keq = k1/k−1 and k1 implies considerable CPPh3 bond formation in the transition state. It is suggested that metal → benzene π backbonding in [(C6H6)2M]2+ follows the order Ru, Os > Fe, and that this accounts for the greater thermodynamic and kinetic electrophilic properties of the iron complex. A mechanism for the phosphine addition reactions involving direct bimolecular attack on the arene is proposed. This and previous work allow the formulation of a rather extensive reactivity series for tertiary phosphine addition to coordinated cyclic π-hydrocarbons.
In vivo patterns of circulating steroids in adult male rats. II. Effect of total parenteral nutrition

Abstract The effect of Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) on testicular function in adult rats has been investigated. After 7 days of continuous total intravenous feeding, testis and accessory sex organ weights, as well as plasma levels of testosterone (T) were not significantly different from stock-fed controls. The delivery system for infusion of the parenteral solution was described and was modified to accommodate periodic blood withdrawal. Blood samples collected daily from TPN and control rats during the experimental period indicated that in vivo T concentrations varied from day to day. The results of these experiments indicate that the use of this model system presents an approach to observe the dynamics of circulating hormones in vivo in the conscious, unrestrained rat under precisely controlled conditions.
The Western Arctic Shelf–Basin Interactions (SBI) project: An overview

Editorial The Western Arctic Shelf-Basin Interactions (SBI) Project: An Overview Jacqueline M. Grebmeier and H. Rodger Harvey Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecology Group, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 10515 Research Drive, Building A, Suite 100, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37932, USA Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, PO Box 38, Solomons, MD 20688, USA
Vortex shedding noise of low tip speed, axial flow fans

Abstract Noise and performance tests were conducted on three low tip speed, half-stage, axial flow fans to determine the nature of the vortex shedding noise mechanism. Each fan was 356 mm in diameter and had eight equally spaced, variable pitch blades. The noise measurements were made in a free field environment and the fan back pressure and speed were varied during the tests. An acenaphthene coating on the blades was used to determine the regions of laminar and turbulent flow. Vortex shedding can be a significant source of noise when the fan is operated in a lightly loaded condition. Essentially it is due to instabilities in the laminar boundary layer on the suction side of the blade where these instabilities are in the form of Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves. These instabilities interact with the trailing edge of the blade and generate acoustic waves which radiate from the trailing edge and form a feedback loop with the source of the instabilities. Vortex shedding noise can contribute as much as 5 dB in overall noise level and up to 22 dB at higher frequencies (8–14 kHz). Serrations located at the leading edge, at the mid-chord, or near the trailing edge on the suction side were found to reduce the vortex shedding noise significantly. The mid-chord location was found to be the most satisfactory because, as well as eliminating the noise, the serrations provided a 3% improvement in peak efficiency. This improvement occurred because separation of the laminar boundary layer was prevented on the suction side. On the other hand, serrations placed at the other two locations tended to degrade fan performance.
Lin-28: An early embryonic sentinel that blocks Let-7 biogenesis

microRNAs are small regulatory RNAs that are processed from larger, genomically encoded transcripts. While the biochemical mechanism underlying microRNA processing is well understood, it was recently discovered that processing of one developmentally crucial group of microRNAs, the Let-7 family, is blocked by the protein Lin-28 in embryonic cells. This novel regulation of microRNA biogenesis may be very important for the maintenance of embryonic stem cell pluripotency as well as for the reprogramming of somatic cells to induce pluripotent stem cells. The studies leading to the discovery of the Let-7 block by Lin-28 and questions regarding the biochemical mechanism behind Lin-28-mediated microRNA silencing are discussed.
Divergent pathways of photosynthetic electron transfer: The autonomous oxygenic and anoxygenic photosystems

The aim of this article is to assemble and integrate, from a personal perspective of a research participant, seldom examined evidence that is incompatible with some basic tenets of photosynthetic electron transport, the cornerstone of which is the Z scheme. The nonconforming evidence pertaining to the mode of ferredoxin reduction and the role of the copper redox protein, plastocyanin, indicates that contrary to the Z scheme ferredoxin is reduced in two experimentally distinguishable ways: oxygenically by PS II (renamed the oxygenic photosystem), without the participation of PS I, and anoxygenically by PS I (renamed the anoxygenic photosystem). It also indicates that plastocyanin is not only, as the Z scheme asserts, the electron donor to the reaction center chlorophyll of PS I (P700) but also to the reaction center chlorophyll of PS II (P680). Other unconventional findings include evidence that the fully functional oxygenic photosystem, when operating separately from the anoxygenic photosystem, reduces plastoquinone to plastoquinol and subsequently oxidizes plastoquinol by two pathways acting in concert: one being the universally recognized DBMIB-sensitive pathway via the Rieske iron-sulfur center of the cytochrome bf complex and the other, a hitherto unrecognized, DBMIB-insensitive electron transport pathway around P680 that centers on cytochrome b-559. These nonconforming findings form the basis of an alternate hypothesis of photosynthetic electron transport that modifies and complements the Z scheme.
How to catch a 'fat' proton

We argue that high-multiplicity events in proton–proton or proton–nucleus collisions originate from large-size fluctuations of the nucleon shape. We discuss a pair of simple models of such proton shape fluctuations. A “fat” proton with a size of 3 fm occurs with observable frequency. In light of this result, collective flow behavior in the ensuing nuclear interaction seems feasible. We discuss the influence of these models on the parton structure of the proton.
Science Courses for Nonscience Majors: How Much Impact Can One Class Make?

The life science program at the University of Wyoming provides introductory and advanced courses for students throughout the University of Wyoming colleges, including courses for nonscience majors. With the fairly low number of total required science courses for nonscience majors many instructors of courses for nonmajors develop course goals to engage students in learning about science that is relevant to their lives, explore how science works, and demonstrate the connections between science and society. The desired goal is to educate students who are better able to make informed decisions in their general lives, the marketplace, or the voting booth. However, many current relevant issues, such as climate change, are difficult to cover in a traditional discipline based science course because of the interdisciplinary nature of the topics. To address this, an integrated freshmen-level science course was developed at the University of Wyoming and, during each semester, students complete surveys to gauge their...
Strategic marketing ambidexterity: antecedents and financial consequences

Strategic marketing ambidexterity (SMA), the blend of a firm’s exploitation of existing competencies and exploration of future capabilities in strategic marketing activities, represents a dynamic capability that is vital in achieving superior performance. Given its criticality, the authors examine how firm antecedents and industry contexts affect the shift in a firm’s SMA over time (movement in the blend of exploitation and exploration). In addition, the authors examine SMA’s influence on firm financial outcomes, i.e., risk and return. Using data from 1999 to 2011 on publically traded firms, the authors show that firm maturity and slack (financial and strategic) are key determinants of SMA. Specifically, increased firm maturity and strategic slack result in a shift toward exploitation, whereas increased financial slack results in a shift toward exploration. Industry competitiveness moderates these effects. In terms of the financial performance implications of SMA, the authors find that shifts in SMA toward exploitation increase return, but they also increase firm-idiosyncratic risk. The authors conclude with implications for theory and managerial practice.
Executable Description and Validation of SNA

The definition of IBM's Systems Network Architecture (SNA) has evolved into a specification of a node in the form of a metaimplementation using formal, state-oriented descriptive techniques. This evolution is traced here, and the different formal techniques are described. The culmination of this process has been the development of a PL/I-based programming language, Format and Protocol Language (FAPL), as a descriptive tool. Using FAPL, the architects now define SNA by a programmed meta-implementation of a node. In this form, it is precise, readily accessible to the implementing product designers and programmers, and structurally close to the implementations. The essential features of the meta-implementation and of FAPL are described, along with the implications and advantages of describing the architecture in an executable form. One major benefit, already being realized, is the capability to test the logical consistency and completeness of the executable description itself. The current status of the validation of the executable description and sample results obtained are described.
Do physicians address other medical problems during preventive gynecologic visits

Background: The patient-centered medical home model may be a strategic approach to improve delivery of women9s health care and consistently provide women with accessible and comprehensive care. We examined whether primary care physicians (family medicine, internal medicine, and hospital general medicine clinics) and obstetrician-gynecologists differ in scope and the number of medical issues addressed during preventive gynecologic visits. Methods: We analyzed data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to characterize visits with a primary diagnosis of gynecological examination or routine cervical Papanicolaou test between 1999 and 2008. We compared the number and type of concurrent nongynecologic diagnoses addressed by primary care physicians and obstetrician-gynecologists during visits. Results: A total of 7882 visits were included, representing 271 million primary visits for Papanicolaou tests. Primary care physicians were 2.41 times more likely to include one or more concurrent medical diagnoses during the preventive gynecologic visit compared with obstetrician-gynecologists (odds ratio, 2.41; 95% confidence interval, 1.63–3.57). Conclusions: Primary care physicians are significantly more likely to address concurrent medical problems during preventive gynecologic visits compared with obstetrician-gynecologists. These findings demonstrate the vital role of primary care physicians in providing comprehensive health care to women, consistent with principles of the patient-centered medical home model.
Predicting Organizational Success within a Project-Based Joint Venture Alliance

Project-based joint ventures (a special type of alliance) are an often-used method to form competitive organizational structures in the global market; they allow participants to quickly assemble project-needed assets on a short-term basis without substantial investment. However, published discussions of joint ventures describe mixed success and focus on factors that affect the ventures after they are formed. This paper exposes factors, which may be observed at joint venture inception, that are predictive of organizational success within the joint venture. The survey research of U.S. architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) firms indicates that smaller partners in a joint venture experience more market growth and are more successful. Also, a firm with strength in legitimacy (client trust) is more likely to gain in short-term income but will likely suffer some long-term market loss in comparison to its less-legitimized partners. It is further concluded that culture match among partners plays a significant role in ensuring profitable joint venture returns.
Mental stress elicits sustained and reproducible increases in skin sympathetic nerve activity

Mental stress (MS) is a known trigger of myocardial infarction and sudden death. By activating the sympathetic nervous system, MS may have deleterious effect on the cardiovascular system but this process is not completely understood. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the effect of MS on skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA). The secondary aim was to determine the reproducibility of SSNA to MS within a given day and ~1 week later. Ten subjects (26±1 yr.) performed two bouts of mental arithmetic lasting 3 min. The bouts were separated by 45 min. One week later the subjects returned to repeat MS. All experiments were conducted in the supine posture during the morning hours. To maintain neutral skin temperature, each subject wore a custom suit (34-35°C). Skin blood flow and sweat rate were measured on the dorsal foot. MS elicited a marked increase in SSNA within the first 10 s (184±42%; P<0.01) in all subjects, which was less during the remaining period of MS but remained elevated (87±20; P<0.01). The pattern of responses to MS was unchanged during the second bout (10 s, 247±55%; 3 min avg., 133±29%) and during the retest 1 week later (10 s, 196±55%; 3 min avg., 117±36%). MS did not significantly affect cutaneous vascular conductance or sweat rate during any trial. In summary, MS elicits robust and reproducible increases in SSNA in humans which may be followed over time to observe alterations in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system.
Hardware and software architectures for the CELL processor

The Cell processor is a first instance of a new family of processors intended for the broadband era. The processors will find early use in game systems (PlayStation3TM), a variety of other consumer electronics applications, a wide variety of embedded applications, and various forms of computational accelerators. Cell is a non-homogeneous multi-core processor, with one POWER processor core (two threads) dedicated to the operating system and other control functions, and eight synergistic processors optimized for compute-intensive applications.Cell addresses two of the main limiters to microprocessor performance: increased memory latency, and performance limitations induced by system power limits. Memory latency is addressed by introducing another software-managed level of private "local" memory, in between the private registers and shared system memory. Data is transferred between this local memory and shared memory with asynchronous cache coherent DMA commands, and synergistic processor load and store commands access the local store only. This organization of memory makes it possible for the Cell processor to have over 100 memory transactions in flight at the same time, more than enough to cover memory latency. Power limitations are addressed by two main mechanisms; a non-homogeneous multi-core organization, and an ultra high-frequency design that allows the chip to be operated at 3.2GHz at low voltage.The Cell processor supports many of today's programming models by introducing the concept of heterogeneous tasks or threads. Both Power processor and SPE based threads can be managed by the operating system and effectively utilized by applications starting with the relatively straightforward function offload model to the more complex single source heterogeneous parallel programming model. Cell achieves between one and two orders of magnitude of performance advantage over conventional single-core processors on compute-intensive (32-bit) applications, by permitting programmers and compilers explicit control over instruction scheduling, data movement and the use of a large register file.
Construction of stiffness matrices to maintain the convergence rate of distorted finite elements

High-order elements are an option for providing an enhanced rate of convergence. However, it is not widely known that if a high-order element based on a mapping from a master-element space is distorted by displacing one of the side nodes slightly from the traditional midside position then the rate of convergence drops one order. The proof for a three-node element in one dimension has been given previously. Here, a numerical demonstration is presented to show how quickly the rate is lost as the second node is moved from the midpoint. For a six-node triangular element, a similar convergence study is performed in two dimensions in which one of the side nodes is moved off centre along a straight line joining the vertices of the triangle. Again, a loss in the order of convergence is shown although the loss is only apparent for sufficiently small element size. To prevent this drop in the rate of convergence as a side node is displaced, a procedure is given for developing the element stiffness matrix without formulating element basis functions. For the six-node triangle, a complete quadratic representation is retained, but at the expense of element compatibility between nodes. The numerical investigation shows that convergence appears to be retained but that the error associated with the incompatibility is greater than the error obtained with the use of distorted isoparametric elements. The results of this study are particularly appropriate for domains with curved boundaries and for non-linear problems in which node positions are updated according to the deformation history.
Control of human PLP1 expression through transcriptional regulatory elements and alternatively spliced exons in intron 1.

*These authors contributed equally to this work.Although the myelin proteolipid protein gene (PLP1) encodes the most abundant protein in central nervous system (CNS) myelin, not much is known about the mechanisms that govern expression of the human gene (hPLP1). Much more is known about the processes that regulate Plp1 gene expression in rodents. From studies with Plp1-lacZ transgenic mice, it was determined that the first intron of mouse Plp1 (mPlp1) is required to attain high levels of expression in brain, concurrent with the active myelination period. Other studies have suggested that within mPlp1 intron 1 (>8 kb) lie several regions with enhancer-like activity. To test whether these sequences (and possibly others) in hPLP1 intron 1 are functional, deletion-transfection analysis was performed with hPLP1-lacZ constructs that contain various portions of the intron, or lack it altogether. Results presented here demonstrate the importance of hPLP1 intron 1 in achieving maximal levels of expression in the i...
Cooperative Adaptive Behavior Acquisition in Mobile Robot Swarms Using Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms

This paper describes the use of soft computing based techniques toward the acquisition of adaptive behaviors to be used in mobile exploration by cooperating robots. Navigation within unknown environments and the obtaining of dynamic behavior require some method of unsupervised learning given the impossibility of programming strategies to follow for each individual case and for every possible situation the robot may face. In this investigation in particular, it is intended to expose some of the benefits of cooperative learning robots using novel biologically inspired heuristic methods. Experiments were conducted using a Khepera mobile robot simulator which uses a neural network to generate behaviors based on robot sensor measurements. The training of this network was carried out with a genetic algorithm, where each individual is a neural network whose fitness function is the output of a function, proportional to the are a covered by the robot.
Singularity Analysis of Rigid-Body, Closed-Loop, Shape-Changing Mechanisms

This paper presents an analysis to create a general singularity condition for a mechanism that contains a deformable closed contour. This kinematic architecture is widely used in rigid-body shape changing mechanisms. The general singularity equation is reduced to a condensed form, which allows geometric relationships to be readily detected. A method for formulating the singularity condition for a mechanism with N links in the closed contour, knowing the condition for the N − 1 mechanism, is also given.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Ultrafast conductivity dynamics in pentacene probed using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We present measurements of the transient photoconductivity in pentacene single crystals using optical pump THz-probe spectroscopy. The temperature and fluence dependence of both photoinduced mobility and its dynamics are characterized.
Infectious Disease Hospitalizations Among American Indian and Alaska Native Infants

Objective. To describe the burden and trends in hospitalizations associated with infectious diseases among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) infants. Methods. First-listed infectious disease hospitalizations and hospitalization rates among AI/AN infants and infants in the general US population from 1988–1999 were analyzed by using Indian Health Service/tribal hospital discharge data and the National Hospital Discharge Survey data, respectively. Results. Infectious disease hospitalizations accounted for 53% of all AI/AN infant hospitalizations and approximately 43% of all US infant hospitalizations during 1988–1999. The annual hospitalization rate for infectious diseases among AI/AN infants declined from 27 486 per 100 000 infants in 1988 to 14 178 per 100 000 infants in 1999. However, the rates for AI/AN infants within the Alaska, Southwest, and Northern Plains regions remained higher than that for the general US infant population at the end of the study period. Lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations accounted for almost 75% of AI/AN infant infectious disease hospitalizations, and the lower respiratory tract infection hospitalization rate for AI/AN infants was twice that for US infants. Conclusions. Although infectious disease hospitalization rates for AI/AN infants have declined, AI/AN infants continue to have a higher infectious disease burden than the general US infant population.
Next-to-leading order corrections to single top quark production and decay at the Fermilab Tevatron. II. t-channel process

We present a study of the $t$-channel mode of single top-quark production at the upgraded Tevatron $p\overline{p}$ collider, including the next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics corrections to the production and the decay of a single top-quark. The narrow width approximation was adopted in order to preserve the spin of the top-quark in its production and decay. We discuss the effects of different $O({\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{s})$ contributions on the inclusive cross section as well as various kinematic distributions after imposing the relevant cuts to select $t$-channel single top signal events.
Change in Body Weight Does Not Mediate the Relationship Between Exercise and Smoking Cessation Among Weight-Concerned Women Smokers.

Introduction Exercise has received attention as a method to prevent or reduce postcessation weight gain. However, little is known about how weight changes following quit attempts contribute to the relationship between exercise and smoking cessation. The present study assessed how exercise relates to cessation and whether initial changes in exercise after quitting smoking promote cessation through attenuated weight gain. Methods Weight-concerned women smokers (N = 342) receiving cessation treatment provided biochemical validation of cessation, reported weekly exercise activities, and were weighed at 1, 3, and 6 months following treatment initiation. Survival analyses were used to determine time to and risk of relapse among women who reported engaging in varied levels of exercise at baseline. A mediation analysis was used to examine whether the effect of initial changes in exercise on longer-term cessation was driven by change in weight. All analyses were adjusted for relevant covariates. Results Women smokers who reported high levels of exercise at baseline were less likely to relapse and returned to smoking more gradually than did women who reported low levels of exercise. Change in weight did not mediate the relationship between exercise and cessation. Conclusions Cessation interventions utilizing an exercise component may have to develop exercise regimens of either higher duration or greater intensity to produce beneficial cessation outcomes, particularly when targeting sedentary smokers. Given that change in weight did not mediate the relationship between exercise and cessation, it is likely that other mediational processes are involved.
Overlapping sphincteroplasty: does preservation of the scar influence immediate outcome?

Background The importance of the overlapping scar in an anterior sphincteroplasty is often emphasized. The aim of this study was to identify the tissue type used in overlapping sphincter repair based upon ultrasound images, and to correlate these results with the immediate clinical outcome. Methods Data were collected prospectively on all patients with faecal incontinence who underwent anterior overlapping sphincteroplasty between June 1998 and May 1999. Continence was assessed by a standardized incontinence score ranging from 0 to 20. Pre-operative ultrasound images were compared to intraoperative ultrasound findings for each patient. In each case the surgeon performed an overlap of what was grossly felt to represent scar after which a single blinded observer performed intraoperative ultrasound. The degree of overlap was measured and classified as hyperechoic over hyperechoic (muscle over muscle; Type 1), hyperechoic over or under hypoechoic (muscle over or under scar; Type 2), hypoechoic over hypoechoic (scar over scar; Type 3). The patient follow-up included incontinence score that was obtained by telephone interview; suboptimal outcome was considered as an incontinence score ≥ 6. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann–Whitney test and Wilcoxon matched-pairs test. Results Fourteen female patients with a mean age of 51.6 (range 28–79) years were evaluated. The mean pre-operative incontinence score was 17.1 (range 7–20) and 13 of the 14 (93%) patients had an incontinence score ≥ 15. All pre-operative ultrasound images were hypoechoic which correlated with the surgeon's intraoperative findings of scar. The operative appearance included two Type 1, four Type 2, and eight Type 3 images. Larger pre-operative ultrasound image defects were statistically significantly related to intraoperative Type 3 ultrasound images. At a mean follow up of 7.5 (range 2–16) months the mean postoperative incontinence score was 4.5 (range 0–12). In patients with Type 1 and Type 2 images, the mean postoperative score was 8.6 (range 4–12) whereas in patients with Type 3 it was 1.3 (range 0–5) (P < 0.003); 7 of the 8 patients in Type 3 (87.5%) had an incontinence score ≤ 2. Conclusion These preliminary results show a significant immediate benefit to the overlap of scar over scar, however, such overlapping may not always be achieved despite the surgeon's intent. Furthermore, larger pre-operative defects may predispose to more extensive anterior scarring and thus a better chance of achieving this desired overlap.
A Novel Distributed Mobility Protocol for Dynamic Coverage in Sensor Networks

In this paper, we propose a novel mobility protocol for mobile node navigation in a hybrid sensor network consisting of both static and mobile nodes to improve the dynamic coverage. Use of mobile nodes in sensor networks for coverage improvement is suggested in recent research. However, most of the existing literature on hybrid sensor networks considered the use of node mobility at the deployment stage in which nodes do not move after the initial deployment. In this paper, our focus is on efficiently managing the node mobility to provide dynamic coverage in hybrid sensor networks compensating the lack of coverage provided by static nodes. The key feature of the proposed mobility protocol is that, mobile nodes are directed to move to maximize the coverage-time of the uncovered area by static nodes. The proposed mobility protocol can be implemented distributively by collaborating among mobile and static nodes locally. The effectiveness of the proposed mobility protocol is shown in terms of the presence probability matrix and coverage-time.
Global biodiversity decline of marine and freshwater fish: A cross-national analysis of economic, demographic, and ecological influences

Abstract We test competing hypotheses from political–economic and neo-liberal theories about the effects of economic growth and urbanization on a neglected, but important, indicator of environmental health: aquatic biodiversity. We analyze cross-national data on the number of threatened fish species within national territorial waters using negative binomial regression. We find that, counter to the expectations of neo-liberal theories, economic growth increases the likelihood of fish species becoming threatened within nations. Urbanization, however, appears to have no additional effect. The “environmental Kuznets curve” does not hold for aquatic biodiversity, suggesting that further economic growth in nations is likely to escalate the biodiversity crisis.
Rainfastness of a Microencapsulated Sex Pheromone Formulation for Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

The rainfastness of a microencapsulated sex pheromone formulation for codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), was evaluated in a series of laboratory experiments with detached apple, pear, and walnut leaves. Increasing the intensity and duration of simulated rainfall significantly increased the removal of microcapsules from both the top and bottom of apple leaves. The removal of microcapsules was significantly higher from the top versus the bottom of leaves at all rates tested. Leaf angle was a significant factor affecting the removal of microcapsules from the top surface of apple leaves with fewer microcapsules removed, because leaves were oriented with a steeper downward angle. Both leaf surfaces of apple and pear retained a higher proportion of microcapsules than walnut leaves, and the bottom surface of apple leaves retained significantly more than pear leaves. Three spray adjuvants were evaluated as stickers for microcapsules. No difference was found in the number of microcapsules deposited on apple leaves among three stickers tested at rates from 0.06 to 0.25%. However, in a second test a latex sticker significantly increased the deposition of microcapsules on apple leaves compared with a polyvinyl polymer and a pine resin sticker at a rate of 0.06%. Significantly more microcapsules were retained on the bottom versus the top of apple leaves with all stickers. The latex and polyvinyl stickers significantly increased the retention of microcapsules versus the pine resin sticker and the control on apple leaves. In another test, the addition of 0.06% latex sticker did not increase the deposition of microcapsules on any of the three leaf types. However, the addition of the latex sticker significantly increased the retention of microcapsules on the top of apple and pear leaves and the bottom of apple leaves. The addition of a latex sticker did not affect the retention of microcapsules on walnut leaves.
An underappreciated cause of intermittent chest pain, asthma, and iron deficiency anaemia.

A 74-year-old woman was admitted because of recurrent chest ain and acute asthma exacerbation. She had a history of chest pain hat required 3 Emergency Department visits in the previous 6 onths. Each time, the electrocardiogram and cardiac troponins ere normal. A cardiac work-up, including an angiogram, was lso normal. Laboratory values showed only a mild iron deficiency hypochromic microcytic) anaemia. A retrocardiac gas bubble on hest X-ray (Fig. 1) prompted a barium swallow, which confirmed large paraesophageal hernia (PEH) and intermittent gastric volvuus (Fig. 2). When a patient presents with chest pain, asthma, and iron defiiency anaemia, along with subtle gastrointestinal symptoms, it is ifficult to establish a diagnosis. A thorough clinical assessment is
Fear as a Barrier to Asymptomatic Colonoscopy Screening in an Urban Minority Population with Health Insurance

This study identified barriers to colonoscopy in a high-risk population and examined associations between barriers and both intention to comply with physician recommendation to receive colonoscopy and documented receipt of colonoscopy. Participants, enrollees in a randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of educational interventions to promote colorectal cancer screening, were all 50+ years old and out of compliance with recommended screening guidelines. Direct financial cost of the procedure was not a barrier. The most commonly cited barriers were being afraid of the colonoscopy procedure (43.1 %), embarrassment (42.3 %), having to take a powerful laxative (36.2 %), fear of cancer (31.2 %), and fear of sedation (30.3 %). There were dose-response relationships between barriers and both intention to comply with physician recommendation of colonoscopy: 0, 1, 2, 3 barriers, 88.9, 79.0, 69.2 and 60.0 % intending to comply, respectively (linear trend χ(2) = 27.9, p = .000) and documented receipt of a colonoscopy: 0, 1, 2, 3 barriers, 21.7, 21.6, 8.5, 12.0 %, respectively (linear trend χ(2) = 8.4, p = .004). Only 6.9 % of the 102 expressing both fear of procedure and concern about taking a powerful laxative had a colonoscopy. These findings highlight the need to address patients' fear and suggest the importance of offering alternative colorectal cancer screening tests. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02392143.
Topoi and the reconciliation of expertise: A model for the development of rhetorical commonplaces in public policy

In a society in which expertise becomes increasingly specialized, we need to understand how to manage gaps in knowledge between experts in various fields and between experts and the public in general. That need is especially great in the public sphere, where technical understanding and lived experience do not always align. This study attempts to model the process by which discipline-specific topoi filter into common knowledge and general topoi are acknowledged by experts. It first addresses the issue of expertise in complex rhetorical places, then employs Michel Meyer’s reinterpretation of ethos, pathos, and logos to show how experts and non-experts in such places negotiate rhetorical relationships. The study then explores the social and rhetorical mechanisms by which ideas become commonplaces, building on the established theory of symbolic convergence. Finally, the study demonstrates proof in principle with a brief analysis of one topos in the Reports of the Immigration Commission (1911).
Novel interferonopathies associated with mutations in RIG-I like receptors.

Type I interferonopathies are a relatively new class of inherited autoimmune disorders associated with an inborn elevated interferon response. Activation of cytosolic receptors which recognize viral double stranded RNA including the RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene I) like receptors RIG-I and MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5) has been shown to induce the transcription of type I interferon genes. Within recent years, with the help of next generation sequencing techniques in syndromic families, mutations in the genes encoding for RIG-I and MDA5 have been identified to cause rare diseases including Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in certain individuals as well as classic and atypical Singleton-Merten syndrome. Patients carrying mono-allelic mutations in MDA5 and RIG-I show constitutive activation of the RIG-I receptors and downstream signalling associated with increased type I interferon production. Although differing in the degree of phenotypic expression and severity, the phenotype of these "novel" diseases shows a considerable overlap reflecting their common pathogenetic pathway.
On the skew Laplace distribution

A random variable X is said to have the skew-Laplace distribution if its pdf is f(x) = 2g(x)G(λx), where g(·) and G(·), respectively, denote the pdf and the cdf of the Laplace distribution. This distribution – in spite of its simplicity – appears not to have been studied in detail. The only work that appears to give some details of this distribution is Gupta et. al [Random Operators and Stochastic Equations, Vol. 10 (2002), pp. 133–140], where expressions for the expectation, variance, skewness and the kurtosis of X are given. But these expressions appear to contain some errors. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive description of the mathematical properties of X. The properties derived include the k th moment, variance, skewness, kurtosis, moment generating function, characteristic function, cumulant generating function, the k th cumulant, hazard rate function, mean deviation about the mean, mean deviation about the median, Renyi entropy, Shannon's entropy, cumulative residual entropy and the asympto...
Atomic imaging of metal-semiconductor surfaces using UHV-HREM and diffraction

Recent results about the atomic scale structure of pristine and metal covered, clean semiconductor surfaces using high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and electron diffraction under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions are described.
Stopping rules for long-term clinical trials based on two consecutive rejections of the null hypothesis

ABSTRACTA strategy for stopping long-term randomized clinical trials with time-to-event as a primary outcome measure has been considered using the criteria requiring multiple consecutive (or non consecutive) rejections at a specified α-level that controls against elevation of type I error. The procedure using two consecutive rejections is presented in this work along with the corresponding α-levels for the interim tests. The boundary cutoff values for these interim levels were determined based on an overall prespecified test size and were calculated using multidimensional integration and/or simulations. The reduction in the interim α-level values that is required to maintain the experiment-wise error rate is found to be modest. The power of the test is evaluated under various alternative accrual and hazard patterns. This procedure provides a more realistic stopping rule in large multi-center trials where it may be undesirable to terminate a trial unless a sustained effect has been demonstrated.
Business and the Initiation of the Teapot Dome Investigation

One of the most neglected aspects of the celebrated Teapot Dome investigation is the reaction of businessmen in general to these events. This article analyzes the views of the business community to Teapot Dome and reveals how various business interests reacted to the episode.