cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histological Findings in Six Failed Metal-on-Metal Implants

Although joint replacement surgery to relieve pain due to osteoarthritis is generally a successful operation, adverse local tissue reactions can occur in hip arthroplasty in patients who receive metal-on-metal (MoM) implants and lead to early failure. This has led to revisions, lawsuits, and manufacturing recalls. An understanding of the pathological process initiated by metal wear debris is essential in clinical surveillance of cases. We retrospectively reviewed six cases of patients who underwent MoM hip arthroplasties and required early revision. Tissue removed at revision surgery was analyzed histologically by two independent reviewers. All six patients (four males, two females) underwent revision hip arthroplasty after early failure. Revision occurred between 18 and 56 months after the index procedure. Four patients received MoM implants from Depuy, one from Stryker, and one from Wright Medical. A consistent array of pathological findings was associated with these failed MoM implants. Beginning with the development of metal debris, a histiocytic response and proliferation occurred with subsequent corrosion product formation. Membranes were formed, many with cellular infiltrates and pseudosynovial linings and often with ulceration and bleeding. The tissue also demonstrated lymphocytosis and perivascular infiltrates with atypical changes of the endothelial lining cells. Our findings document a predictable cascade of harmful local tissue changes initiated by metal debris in failed MoM hip arthroplasties.
Religious Beliefs, Religious Contexts, and Perceived Interactions with Ex-Offenders

Religious institutions can provide a means of support and resources for many people, particularly, individuals who have criminal histories, specifically parolees, sex offenders, and insanity acquittees. When these individuals are released into the community, they often face difficulties in acquiring shelter, work, and social support. Out of their own volition or as a result of faith-based prison programs, they might turn to religious institutions for help reintegrating into the community. However, whether congregation members are more or less accepting of these individuals is unaddressed in the current literature. Two studies assess the relationship between religious beliefs, religious contexts, legal attitudes, and perceived social interactions with parolees, sex offenders, and insanity acquittees. Results suggest that religious beliefs, legal attitudes, and religious contexts play an important role in individuals’ perceived interactions with these individuals. Religious contexts, specifically, might facilitate more positive social interactions with parolees. Implications are discussed.
Diagnosis and Management of Upper Urinary Tract Recurrences After Radical Cystectomy

Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UUT-UC) can be a deadly disease in patients who present with an otherwise normal genitourinary system. For patients who have undergone radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, however, the diagnosis and management of UUT-UC may be complex and elusive. Advances in non-contrast-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cytology and FISH analysis, and molecular studies such as the identification of mismatch repair (MMR) mutations may help predict the risk of UUT-UC in cystectomy patients. We review the epidemiology of UUT-UC occurring de novo and in patients with a prior history of bladder UC, advances in imaging sciences that are relevant to the diagnosis of UUT-UC, and novel biomarkers that are in use and under consideration in the detection and prognosis of UUT-UC. We will review endoscopic techniques unique to those patients who have undergone urinary diversion. Surgical options for UUT-UC will be discussed which may include conservative approaches for elderly bladder cancer patients after urinary diversion and renal insufficiency who may tolerate neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radical nephroureterectomy.
Senescence and Vascular Disease

It is with considerable humility that I approach my task of discussing some aspects of cell senescence as it pertains to vascular disease. First of all, the literature of arteriosclerosis and related subjects, if comprehensively and critically analyzed, would surely saturate my aging nervous system. I therefore apologize to all those scholars — living or dead — whom I offend by my restricted knowledge and special viewpoints. Secondly, I must emphasize that our own experimental work in this area is still quite preliminary. Our message is primarily to indicate some relatively simple approaches to the assessment of the replicative potentials of various cell types within and around blood vessels, how these may change as a function of age and what significance such changes may have for the pathogenesis of certain types of vascular disease.
Adaptive Regulation of Membrane Lipid Biosynthesis in Bacilli by Environmental Temperature

Some years ago, when we decided to study lipid metabolism in bacilli, we did so with several objectives in mind. One goal was to determine the mechanisms by which bacilli adaptively adjust the composition of their membrane lipids in response to changes in environmental temperature. We found that temperature-mediated variations in bacilli membrane lipids could be conveniently divided into slow, long-term alterations that required growth and net lipid synthesis, and short-term alterations that were rapidly implemented in response to temperature changes and did not necessarily involve new lipid synthesis. Slow alterations included shifts in fatty acid chain length and branching, increases in saturated to unsaturated fatty acids ratios, and changes in phospholipids head-group distribution. Fast alterations included changes in the asymmetrical distribution of phospholipid types on the two sides of the membrane bilayer and decreases in the ratios of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in these lipids.
Evaluation of the beta lactam disk for rapid detection of penicillinase producing bacteria: Comparison with three other methods

One thousand and four strains of gram positive and gram negative bacteria were tested for the production of beta lactamase by Beta Lactam reagent disks and the results were compared with acidometric microtiter, disk diffusion and antibiotic dilution procedures. Three hundred and sixty-three clinical isolates had a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of greater than or equal to 2.0 micrograms/ml for penicillins. All the resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae and Haemophilus tested gave positive beta lactamase reactions with both methods within 30 min. Four hundred and thirty-seven members of these two genera and all other bacteria with MIC values of less than or equal to 2.0 micrograms/ml remained negative for the beta lactamase test by both procedures in 4 h. The Beta Lactam reagent disk as well as the micro-method are simple, rapid and reliable. Cost analysis of the two procedures demonstrated the micro-method to be more economical.
Knowledge and Skepticism

New essays by leading philosophers explore topics in epistemology, offering both contemporary philosophical analysis and historical perspectives. There are two main questions in epistemology: What is knowledge? And: Do we have any of it? The first question asks after the nature of a concept; the second involves grappling with the skeptic, who believes that no one knows anything. This collection of original essays addresses the themes of knowledge and skepticism, offering both contemporary epistemological analysis and historical perspectives from leading philosophers and rising scholars. Contributors first consider knowledge: the intrinsic nature of knowledge-in particular, aspects of what distinguishes knowledge from true belief; the extrinsic examination of knowledge, focusing on contextualist accounts; and types of knowledge, specifically perceptual, introspective, and rational knowledge. The final chapters offer various perspectives on skepticism. Knowledge and Skepticism provides an eclectic yet coherent set of essays by distinguished scholars and important new voices. The cutting-edge nature of its contributions and its interdisciplinary character make it a valuable resource for a wide audience-for philosophers of language as well as for epistemologists, and for psychologists, decision theorists, historians, and students at both the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels. Contributors Kent Bach, Joseph Keim Campbell, Joseph Cruz, Fred Dretske, Catherine Z. Elgin, Peter S. Fosl, Peter J. Graham, David Hemp, Michael O'Rourke, George Pappas, John L. Pollock, Duncan Pritchard, Joseph Salerno, Robert J. Stainton, Harry S. Silverstein, Joseph Thomas Tolliver, Leora Weitzman
Social Science and Near-Earth Objects: an Inventory of Issues

It would have been ridiculous, not too long ago, to admit openly that you were thinking about asteroids and comets slamming into the Earth. Such events could mean the end of the world as we know it — TEOTWAWKI as millenialists call it — and that kind of talk is often ridiculed. Then again, it would have been ridiculous, not too long ago, to think that two hijacked 767s would slam into the World Trade Center and make both towers fall. Thinking about NEOs is becoming more commonplace, although not entirely normal.
Christianity and Human Sexual Polymorphism: Are They Compatible?

Most contemporary religious understandings of human sexuality are organized by a dimorphic paradigm, through which people are seen to be naturally (in a normative sense) unequivocally and exclusively male or unequivocally and exclusively female. Until the modern era, sexual dimorphism seemed to account for most of our data about human sexuality and it was, at least in its original form, remarkably elegant. But many newly discovered facets of human sexuality do not appear to fit well within this dichotomous framework. Today, many biological studies of human sexual variation are yielding results that challenge the adequacy of this organizing binary metaphor. Similarly, on the basis of insights gained from their own experience, many “intersexed” persons–that is, persons who for a variety of reasons and in a variety of combinations have both male and female biological sex characteristics–are questioning the ability of this paradigm to illumine the very “fact” of their existence. Indeed, some are asserting that this paradigm “distorts” their experience of sexuality. These are certainly not the first challenges faced by this paradigmatic concept. In her essay, “The Erosion of Sexual Dimorphism: Challenges to Religion and Religious Ethics,” Christine E. Gudorf notes that in many respects, the notion of human sexual dimorphism has been under siege for a long time. She notes, for example, that late in the nineteenth century, when wide-ranging anthropological studies revealed gender to vary far more than the binary paradigm for sex seemed to have suggested, modifications to the theory were made. It was at this time that sex was distinguished from gender. Gender (unlike sex) was no longer presumed determined solely by biological factors.
The social contract revised: obligation and responsibility in the information society

This chapter introduces the social contract as a basis for personal and corporate responsibility and obligation. I briefly discuss three perspectives on the nature of the social contract: the Hobbesean, the Lockean, and the Rousseauean. I discuss the idea that information technology and the information society are in the process of revising the social contract. It sees the Internet as a key transformer of the sense of the social contract. It ends with a discussion of three revisionary frames: virtual communitarianism, radical individualism, and social capitalism.
Abnormal tibial alignment is a risk factor for lateral meniscus posterior root tears in patients with anterior cruciate ligament ruptures.

The purpose of this study was to identify if abnormal tibial alignment was a risk factor for lateral meniscus posterior root tears (LMPRT) in patients with acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures. The medical charts of 200 patients treated for ACL ruptures between 2013 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and evaluated. MRI images and reports were assessed for concurrent meniscal tears. Radiographs were reviewed for tibia vara and tibial slope angles and MRI reports identifying lateral root tears were compared to intraoperative reports to determine accuracy. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed to identify potential risk factors for LMPRTs. Of the 200 patients reviewed, a total of 97 individuals with concurrent meniscal injuries were identified. In patients sustaining a concurrent meniscal injury, there was a 4% incidence of medial meniscus posterior root tears and a 10.3% incidence of LMPRTs. Patients sustaining an ACL injury with an LMPRT were found to have greater tibia vara angles (4.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.9 ± 1.7; p = 0.024), increased tibial slopes (12.6 ± 1.5 vs. 10.7 ± 2.9; p = 0.034), and higher BMIs (27.3 ± 2.9 vs. 25.3 ± 5.9; p = 0.034) when compared to patients without meniscus tears. There was low agreement between MRI and arthroscopic findings (kappa rate = 0.54). Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that a tibia vara angle > 3 was associated with a 5.2-fold increase (95% CI 0.99–27.01; p = 0.050), and a tibial slope > 12 with a 5.4-fold increase (95% CI 1.03–28.19; p = 0.046) in LMPRTs. Patients with greater tibia varus angles, increased tibial slopes, and higher BMIs were found to have an increased risk of LMPRTs when sustaining an ACL rupture. There was a low rate of agreement between MRI and arthroscopy in identifying LMPRTs. In patients with ACL ruptures who have abnormal tibial alignment or increased BMI, physicians should be watchful for lateral meniscus posterior root tears. 3.
How do Latino Immigrants Perceive the Current Sociopolitical Context? Identifying Opportunities to Improve Immigrant Health in the United States

Migration is an important social determinant of health for immigrants in the United States. Increased attention on Latino immigrants in recent years has sparked interest in policies that affect this population. While prior research has assessed the potential health impact of specific immigration policies, there is limited understanding of how the overall sociopolitical context shapes the health of Latino immigrants. This study examines the potential mechanisms that link the sociopolitical context and health among Latino immigrants. Specifically, we explore how perceptions of the sociopolitical context are implicated in this relationship. Qualitative interviews with community gatekeepers (n=13) and Latino immigrants (n=34) in New York City revealed general perceptions about the overall sociopolitical context, which were characterized by discrimination towards immigrants, unpredictable and mercurial circumstances, and confusion and lack of information. These perceptions influenced participants’ psycho-emotional health and health-related behaviors. Findings suggest the importance of integrating immigrants’ perceptions of the sociopolitical context into health promotion efforts. Furthermore, findings demonstrate the need for paradigm shifts in developing policy-related actions to integrate immigrants’ perspectives. We propose an integrated, multi-level framework to guide future research and practice regarding social determinants of immigrant health.
Maternal Confidence for Physiologic Birth: Instrument Development and Testing

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. 2018. Major: Nursing. Advisor: Melissa Avery. 1 computer file (PDF); 169 pages.
Non-invasive genotyping of metastatic colorectal cancer using circulating cell free DNA

Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) in plasma provides an easily accessible source of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for detecting actionable genomic alterations that can be used to guide colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment and surveillance. The goal of this study was to test the feasibility of using a traditional amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) on Ion Torrent platform to detect low-frequency alleles in ctDNA and compare it with a digital NGS assay specifically designed to detect low-frequency variants (as low as 0.1%) to provide evidence for the standard care of CRC. The study cohort consisted of 48 CRC patients for whom matched samples of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissue, plasma, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were available. DNA samples from different sources were sequenced on different platforms using commercial protocols. Our results demonstrate that the ccfDNA sequencing with the traditional NGS can be reliably used in an integrated workflow to detect low-frequency somatic variants in CRC. We found a high degree of concordance between traditional NGS and digital NGS in profiling mutant alleles in ccfDNA. These findings suggest that the traditional NGS is a viable alternative to digital sequencing of ccfDNA at allele frequency above 1%. ccfDNA sequencing can not only provide real-time monitoring of CRC, but also lay the basis for its application as a clinical diagnostic test to guide personalized therapy.
CRISPR knockout screen implicates three genes in lysosome function.

Defective biosynthesis of the phospholipid PI(3,5)P2 underlies neurological disorders characterized by cytoplasmic accumulation of large lysosome-derived vacuoles. To identify novel genetic causes of lysosomal vacuolization, we developed an assay for enlargement of the lysosome compartment that is amenable to cell sorting and pooled screens. We first demonstrated that the enlarged vacuoles that accumulate in fibroblasts lacking FIG4, a PI(3,5)P2 biosynthetic factor, have a hyperacidic pH compared to normal cells'. We then carried out a genome-wide knockout screen in human HAP1 cells for accumulation of acidic vesicles by FACS sorting. A pilot screen captured fifteen genes, including VAC14, a previously identified cause of endolysosomal vacuolization. Three genes not previously associated with lysosome dysfunction were selected to validate the screen: C10orf35, LRRC8A, and MARCH7. We analyzed two clonal knockout cell lines for each gene. All of the knockout lines contained enlarged acidic vesicles that were positive for LAMP2, confirming their endolysosomal origin. This assay will be useful in the future for functional evaluation of patient variants in these genes, and for a more extensive genome-wide screen for genes required for endolysosome function. This approach may also be adapted for drug screens to identify small molecules that rescue endolysosomal vacuolization.
Molecular-Scale Description of SPAN80 Desorption from a Squalane–Water Interface

Extensive all-atom molecular dynamics calculations on the water-squalane interface for nine different loadings with sorbitan monooleate (SPAN80), at T = 300 K, are analyzed for the surface tension equation of state, desorption free-energy profiles as they depend on loading, and to evaluate escape times for adsorbed SPAN80 into the bulk phases. These results suggest that loading only weakly affects accommodation of a SPAN80 molecule by this squalane-water interface. Specifically, the surface tension equation of state is simple through the range of high tension to high loading studied, and the desorption free-energy profiles are weakly dependent on loading here. The perpendicular motion of the centroid of the SPAN80 headgroup ring is well-described by a diffusional model near the minimum of the desorption free-energy profile. Lateral diffusional motion is weakly dependent on loading. Escape times evaluated on the basis of a diffusional model and the desorption free energies are 7 × 10-2 s (into the squalane) and 3 × 102 h (into the water). The latter value is consistent with desorption times of related lab-scale experimental work.
A new large Late Cretaceous lamniform shark from North America, with comments on the taxonomy, paleoecology, and evolution of the genus Cretodus

We describe a partial skeleton of the Late Cretaceous shark, Cretodus, collected from the Blue Hill Shale (middle Turonian) in north-central Kansas, U.S.A. It consists of 134 disarticulated teeth, ...
Development of the Bereavement and Interpersonal Domains codebook

We describe the development of an empirically-derived codebook for qualitative data concerning the impact of grief on the interpersonal relationships of bereaved individuals. Relatives (N = 39) of ...
Sampling-Based Nonlinear Stochastic Optimal Control for Neuromechanical Systems

Determining how the nervous system controls tendon-driven bodies remains an open question. Stochastic optimal control (SOC) has been proposed as a plausible analogy in the neuroscience community. SOC relies on solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, which seeks to minimize a desired cost function for a given task with noisy controls. We evaluate and compare three SOC methodologies to produce tapping by a simulated planar 3-joint human index finger: iterative Linear Quadratic Gaussian (iLQG), Model-Predictive Path Integral Control (MPPI), and Deep Forward-Backward Stochastic Differential Equations (FBSDE). We show that averaged over 128 repeats these methodologies can place the fingertip at the desired final joint angles but–because of kinematic redundancy and the presence of noise–they each have joint trajectories and final postures with different means and variances. iLQG in particular, had the largest kinematic variance and departure from the final desired joint angles. We demonstrate that MPPI and FBSDE have superior performance for such nonlinear, tendon-driven systems with noisy controls.Clinical relevance— The mathematical framework provided by MPPI and FBSDE may be best suited for tendon-driven anthropomorphic robots, exoskeletons, and prostheses for amputees.
The association between secondary health conditions and indirect costs after spinal cord injury

Study design Cross-sectional. Objective Identify the association between secondary health conditions (SHC) and the indirect costs of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) based on the pre-injury and post-injury changes in employment and earnings. Setting Medical university in the southeastern United States (US). Methods A population-based cohort of 304 participants met the following eligibility criteria: received treatment for acute SCI within the state, residual effects resulting from traumatic SCI, at least 1-year post injury, age between 23 and 64 years at the time of injury onset, and younger than 65 years at the time of study measurement. The indirect costs estimate was measured by the annual forgone earnings and fringe benefits calculated as the difference in the sum of earnings and benefits between before injury and after injury adjusting for inflation in 2019 US dollars. We considered seven SHC in this study: bowel accidents, urine accidents, urinary tract infections, pressure sores, unintentional injury, severe pain, and depressive disorder. We used multivariate ordinary least squares regression models to examine their relationship controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, years of education, injury level, and ambulatory status. Results The indirect costs were significantly associated with the total number of SHC and with the individual conditions of bowel accidents, urine accidents, pressure sores, and depressive disorder after controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, years of education, injury level, and ambulatory status. Conclusions Preventing SHC relates to better economic consequences for individuals, their families, and society, even after accounting for differences in severity of SCI.
Evidence supporting moving more and sitting less

Abstract High levels of sedentary time and physical inactivity independently contribute to the development of noncommunicable diseases and premature mortality. Engaging in at least 150 min of moderate or 75 min of vigorous physical activity (PA) is globally recognized as conferring substantial health benefits. However, setting these distinct thresholds and promoting them may have inadvertently created perceptions among the general public that an all or nothing phenomenon exists. Yet, the PA guidelines and a growing body of evidence highlights the robust health benefits associated with becoming more active from a previously sedentary lifestyle, even if the volume of PA performed is below current ideal recommendations. Practitioners providing PA recommendations are encouraged to initially highlight the benefits of moving more and sitting less rather than initially setting lofty, perhaps unachievable, PA goals for inactive individuals. Taking this approach may increase the likelihood of adopting a more physically active lifestyle and ultimately progressing to meet the PA guidelines.
Automated Screening of Parkinson's Disease Using Deep Learning Based Electroencephalography

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer disease in the United States. It is characterized by motor symptoms such as slowness of movement, and tremor, and non-motor symptoms such as cognitive changes, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Diagnosis, and evaluation of the disease are based on clinical examination, making the diagnosis challenging, and subjective. In this paper a deep learning based framework was introduced that utilizes Artificial Neural Networks applied on three spatial channels of a resting state Electroencephalography (EEG) dataset. Using the proposed framework, it was feasible to successfully screen, and classify subjects into controls, and PD with an accuracy of 98%, a sensitivity of 97%, and specificity of 100%. The proposed framework is considered as a precise, and reliable computer aided diagnostic tool that supports clinicians' diagnosis, and therapeutic treatment recommendations.
Bayesian identification of candidate transcription factors for the regulation of Aqp2 gene expression.

Abetted by the advent of systems biology-based (“-omics”) techniques in the 21st century, there has been a massive expansion of published data relevant to virtually every physiological question. Th...
Acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis

Background Acanthamoeba scleritis is an uncommon but severe complication of acanthamoeba keratitis. We report the clinical and histopathologic features of a patient with acanthamoeba sclerokeratitis.
Individual-Based, Cross-Border Litigation: A National Security Practitioner’s Perspective

Even a cursory review of the past four years reveals seemingly limitless potential challenges facing national security practitioners, including violent extremists, transnational criminals, hackers, rogue states, pandemics, earthquakes, tsunamis, super storms, and economic and financial meltdowns. Less visible, but no less real, is another group that regularly affects the national security policy process: individual litigants. Although by no means a new phenomenon,1 individual-based, cross-border litigation—be it inside or outside U.S. courts—is a fact of life that affects the national security policy process. For example, during my more than three years leading the Western Hemisphere policy process on the National Security Staff at the White House, cases—or potential cases—affected the policy making context touching on U.S. relations with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico, to name only a small sample.
NMR studies of the trp repressor from Escherichia coli. Characterisation and assignments of residue types.

High-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the trp repressor of Escherichia coli under various conditions are reported and analysed. The spectrum of the denatured state agrees with that predicted from the amino acid composition, with the exception of the two histidine residues, which have different chemical shifts although they titrate normally. The spectrum of the native protein shows the presence of extensive secondary and tertiary structure. Using information from chemical shifts, number of protons, titration behaviour, homonuclear chemical-shift-correlated spectroscopy and nuclear Overhauser enhancement correlated spectroscopy, most of the aromatic protons have been assigned to residue type. Further, about 30% of the aliphatic protons have been assigned to residue type two-dimensional spectroscopy. Nuclear Overhauser enhancements establish that high-field methyl groups belonging to a valine residue lie directly over an aromatic ring.
Safety education in a pediatric primary care setting.

Parents of 171 children coming to the Yale-New Haven Hospital Primary Care Center for their 6-month checkup were randomized into an intervention group (n = 85) and a control group (n = 86). Parents in the intervention group received a three-part individualized course in child safety that required active parental participation. Parts 1, 2, and 3 were given at the 6-month, 9-month, and 12-month well-child visits, respectively. Parents in the control group received routine safety education as provided at well-child visits. The educational phase of the study was completed by 129 families, 65 in the intervention group and 64 in the control group. Safety knowledge, number of hazards in the home, and reported accidents were assessed by a "blinded" community health worker approximately 1 month after the 12-month well-child visit. A total of 109 home visits were made, 55 for the intervention group and 54 for the control group. Parental safety knowledge was assessed based upon pictorial hazard recognition. Of 13 possible hazards, the mean number of hazards recognized by the intervention group parents was 9.4 (n = 55) v 8.4 (n = 50) by the control group parents (t = 2.1, P less than .05, two-tailed). A hazard score was determined for each family based on nine possible hazards observed at the home visit. The mean hazard score for the intervention group was 2.4 (n = 55 v 3.0 (n = 54) for the control group (t = 2.4, P less than .02, two-tailed). Parentally reported accidents and accidents reported in hospital records were similar for both groups. Results of this study suggest that age-appropriate safety education that is repetitive and individualized and that requires active parental participation results in an increase in parental knowledge and an improvement in certain safety practices. Language: en
A multicenter, randomized study comparing the efficacy and safety of intravenous and/or oral levofloxacin versus ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil in treatment of adults with community-acquired pneumonia.

Five hundred ninety patients were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial comparing the efficacy and safety of 7 to 14 days of levofloxacin treatment with that of ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil in the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Patients received either intravenous and/or oral levofloxacin (500 mg once daily) or the comparative agents, parenteral ceftriaxone (1 to 2 g once to twice daily) and/or oral cefuroxime axetil (500 mg twice daily). Erythromycin or doxycycline could be added to the comparator arm at the investigator9s discretion. The decision to use an intravenous or oral antimicrobial agent for initial therapy was made by the investigator. Clinical and microbiological evaluations were completed at the baseline, during treatment, 5 to 7 days posttherapy, and 3 to 4 weeks posttherapy. Four hundred fifty-six patients (226 given levofloxacin and 230 administered ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil) were evaluable for clinical efficacy. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were isolated in 15 and 12%, respectively, of clinically evaluable patients. One hundred fifty atypical pathogens were identified: 101 were Chlamydia pneumoniae, 41 were Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and 8 were Legionella pneumophila. Clinical success at 5 to 7 days posttherapy was superior for the levofloxacin group (96%) compared with the ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil group (90%) (95% confidence interval [CI] of -10.7 to -1.3). Among patients with typical respiratory pathogens who were evaluable for microbiological efficacy, the overall bacteriologic eradication rates were superior for levofloxacin (98%) compared with the ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil group (85%) (95% CI of -21.6 to -4.8). Levofloxacin eradicated 100% of the most frequently reported respiratory pathogens (i.e., H. influenzae and S. pneumoniae) and provided a >98% clinical success rate in patients with atypical pathogens. Both levofloxacin and ceftriaxone-cefuroxime axetil eradicated 100% of the S. pneumoniae cells detected in blood culture. Drug-related adverse events were reported in 5.8% of patients receiving levofloxacin and in 8.5% of patients administered ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil. Gastrointestinal and central and peripheral nervous system adverse events were the most common events reported in each treatment group. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that treatment with levofloxacin is superior to ceftriaxone and/or cefuroxime axetil therapy in the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults.
Sources of business-cycle volatility: An exploratory study on a sample of OECD countries

Abstract This paper investigates the sources of output volatility in twenty-four OECD economies using annual data from the 1960 to 1990 period. The paper finds that output volatility is positively related to the volatility of the money supply and the variance of the Solow residual, but negatively related to government size. The degree of openness of the economy and the exchange rate flexibility are also positively related to the size of business fluctuations, while price flexibility and industrial structure have no effect on output volatility. These results shed some light on the issue of the sources of business cycles.
Vibrational exitation of diatomic molecules in high energy ion-molecule collisions

Abstract The vibrational transition probability of diatomic molecules in high energy ion-molecule collisions is derived analytically. The interaction energy is formulated as the sum of the Morse function and the polarization energy. Both the linear and quadratic approximations of the interaction energy are employed in the derivation. The O2 + AR+ system is considered for numerical illustration.
Interlaboratory test discordance in screening adolescents for Chlamydia with direct immunofluorescence.

Abstract Chlamydia testing using direct fluorescent antibodies (DFA) is widely employed for screening and in clinical practice. We submitted duplicate DFA specimens to two pairs of laboratories during two study periods separated by a year. We found discordance between reports (one positive, one negative on the same individual) in 75% of chlamydia-positive cases when one pair of laboratories was compared and in 50% of cases when a second pair was compared. Calculations show that with optimum published test performance; a discordance rate of 40% might be anticipated. Our observed discordance of 75% suggests inaccurate test performance by one laboratory with regard to sensitivity and specificity, albeit not to levels differing from those reported by others for in-the-field test performance. The implications of suboptimal test sensitivity and specificity for epidemiologic study and clinical practice are discussed. Because a diagnosis of sexually transmitted disease may be disruptive for adolescent relationships, maximum laboratory accuracy is needed.
Regioselective Reduction of NAD+ Models with [Cp*Rh(bpy)H]+ : Structure-Activity Relationships and Mechanistic Aspects in the Formation of the 1,4-NADH Derivatives.

The hydride transfer mechanism of the NAD+ model compound 1 to its 1,4-NADH derivative 3 [Eq. (1)] is proposed to be a consequence of the critical role of the carbonyl group of the amide to coordinate to the ring-slipped η5 - to η3 -Cp*Rh metal center of the catalyst [Cp*Rh(bpy)H]+ , prepared in situ from 2, while a steric effect of a substituent in the 3 position, for example, C(O)NEt2 , was found to totally inhibit this regioselective reduction. bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, Cp*=C5 Me5 , OTf=trifluoromethanesulfanate.
Controversies in therapeutic touch

Abstract One of the most puzzling areas covered under the umbrella of integrative medicine is the field of energy healing. Based on the notion of a subtle vital force which is presumed to be the source of health, many ancient healing techniques have been evolved within this paradigm, including the modern American variant called Therapeutic Touch (TT). This article reviews the history and underlying theory behind TT, and examines some of the recently developed and recently researched clinical applications. Particular emphasis is given to several important aspects of research into TT research that highlight the methodological challenges of research into energy healing, as well as the politicized atmosphere within which CAM is being assessed today. Directions for future research are suggested, and a selected bibliography of relevant research is included.
African American ethos and hermeneutical rhetoric: An exploration of Alain Locke's The New Negro

This essay explores the ways through which Alain Locke's anthology of African American art and criticism, The New Negro: An Interpretation, constituted an African American ethos during the Harlem Renaissance. Loche enacted a hermeneutical rhetoric that reinterpreted black folk tradition, African artistry, and modem pragmatism as topoi for rhetorical practice, and his discursive strategies appropriated and modified divergent cultural traditions to invent a “New Negro. “Locke's hermeneutical rhetoric exhibits an aesthetic praxis that is sensitive to the ways in which the emotions habituate rhetorical and cultural practices, which inform the achievement of propriety.
Conflicts Between Activist Research and Academic Success: Participatory Research and Alternative Strategies

The article compares participatory research and alternative activist approaches, based on the literature on participatory research and interviews with nine successful sociologists who use alternative approaches. Participatory research, distinguished by high control over research by community members, equalizes power within the research process, but often retards academic publication and career advancement. The interviews show that successful academics retain control over their research, experience mild to severe conflicts with departments, and develop various strategies for combining activism and career success. All types of activist research are more effective in challenging inequality if they involve activist community organizations.
Measurement and Modeling of the Water−R143A Partition Coefficients of Organic Solutes Using a Linear Solvation Energy Relationship

The water−R143a partition coefficients for a set of thirteen organic solutes have been measured using high-pressure spectroscopy. Water partition coefficients of the organic solutes were measured in the gas and supercritical phases of 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (R143a). A linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) was developed to predict the measured water−R143a partition coefficients using the Abraham descriptors of the solute and an additional solvent descriptor as independent variables. Considering the entire water−R143a partition coefficient data, the LSER model has an average absolute relative deviation of 49.5%. Considering only the data above the critical density of R143a, the LSER has an average absolute relative deviation of 40.7%.
Delta-Like 1 Homolog (DLK1) Inhibits Proliferation and Myotube Formation of Avian QM7 Myoblasts

Delta-like 1 homolog (DLK1) has been implicated as an important regulator in mammalian muscle development. Our previous studies showed that different alternative splicing isoforms have distinct functions in the regulation of myogenesis in mice. Unlike most mammals, including mice, pigs, cattle, and sheep, DLK1 mRNA for avian species has a single form without alternative splicing. In the current study, we have used QM7 cells, a quail myoblast, to study the role of DLK1 in the regulation of avian myogenesis. Overexpression of DLK1 inhibited myogenesis with a lower fusion rate and thinner myotube compared to the control QM7 cells. Comparison of relative levels of protein and mRNA showed down-regulation of PAX7, MYOG, and MHC, and up-regulation of MYOD by DLK1, suggesting that quail DLK1 inhibits myogenesis at later stages of myogenic differentiation and myotube formation. DLK1 reduced the QM7 cell growth rate which is accompanied by a lower percentage of bromodeoxyuridine positive cells, indicating an inhibitory role of DLK1 in proliferation. During the early post-hatch ages, the relatively slower increase in the amount of total DNA mass in breast muscle of the heavy weight quail line, that has been selected for over 40 generations, could be partially explained by the higher expression of DLK1 compared to the control quail. Taken together, DLK1 inhibits myogenic differentiation and proliferation by regulating the expression levels of myogenic factors in quail. In addition, the regulation of expression level and cleavage of full-length DLK1 may be important factors for regulating myogenesis in quail having no splicing variants of DLK1.
Voice and Vision in Oshii Mamoru’s Ghost in the Shell: Beyond Cartesian Optics

This article investigates Oshii Mamoru’s experiments with voice and vision in his film Ghost in the Shell (1995). The audio-visual inversion articulated by the disembodied voice in the film dissolv...
Erosional scarps on Io

Irregular or fretted scarps on Io are similar to those found on Earth and Mars. A sapping mechanism involving liquid SO2 is proposed to explain these complexly eroded terrains on Io.
Generalization of the optical theorem for light scattering from a particle at a planar interface

The optical theorem provides a powerful tool for calculating the extinction cross section of a particle from a solution to Maxwell’s equations, relating the cross section to the scattering amplitude in the forward direction. The theorem has been generalized by a number of other workers to consider a particle near an interface between media with different refractive indices. Here we present a derivation of the generalized optical theorem that is valid for a particle embedded in the interface, as well as an incident beam undergoing total internal reflection. We also obtain an additional useful physical result: we show that the far-field scattered field must be zero in the direction parallel to the interface. Our results enable the verification of computations of scattering by particles embedded in interfaces and may be relevant to experiments on colloidal particles at fluid interfaces.
Competence and Retention in Performance of the Lumbar Puncture Procedure in a Task Trainer Model

Introduction Our objective was to establish competency and ensure retention in the steps of the lumbar puncture procedure. Methods This was a prospective cohort study of first- and second-year emergency medicine residents. Residents completed a survey and then viewed a 5-minute PowerPoint slide presentation and a 15-minute video on performing the procedure. They completed a baseline assessment of competency using a lumbar puncture simulator, received feedback on their performance, and practiced the procedure. They self-recorded the number of practice attempts and performed a second procedure for assessment. Within 3 to 6 months, they performed the procedure for a third observation. The assessments were performed with the same simulator and directly observed by two raters. A previously validated critical actions checklist consisting of 23 critical actions was used. Competency was defined as > or =19 critical actions correct (>80%). Inter-rater reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC(2,k)]. Results Seventeen first-year residents and nine second-year residents completed the initial training. Sixteen first-year residents and eight second-year residents completed the retention assessment. An additional four second-year residents were trained several months into their second year. Twelve of 17 first-year residents and 10 of 13 second-year residents demonstrated competence on the baseline evaluation. All residents demonstrated competence after practice (N = 30) and at the retention check (N = 24). The mean (SD) number of practice attempts before the postpractice assessment was 3.6 (1.1) for first years and 2.4 (2.3) for second years. Conclusions This study demonstrated the achievement and retention of competency in the steps of the lumbar puncture procedure in a task trainer model.
An informatics framework for public health information systems: a case study on how an informatics structure for integrated information systems provides benefit in supporting a statewide response to a public health emergency

This chapter illustrates how a well-established public health informatics framework provides an integrated information system infrastructure that assures and enhances the efficacy of public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) actions throughout the phases of the health emergency event life cycle. Key PHEP activities involved in supporting this cycle include planning; surveillance; alerting; resource assessment and management; data-driven decision support; and intervention for prevention and control of disease or injury in populations. Information systems supporting these activities are most effective in assuring optimal response to an emergent health event when they are integrated within an informatics framework that supports routine (day to day) information exchange within the health information exchange community. In late April 2009, New York State (NYS) initiated a statewide PHEP response to the emergence of Novel Influenza A (H1N1), culminating in a statewide vaccination campaign during the last quarter of 2009. The established informatics framework of integrated information systems within NYS conveyed significant advantages and flexibility in supporting the range of PHEP activities required for an effective response to this health event. This chapter describes, and provides, performance metrics to illustrate how a public health informatics framework can enhance the efficacy of all phases of a public health emergency response. It also provides informatics lessons learned from the event.
Respiratory Medicine of Reptiles

Noninfectious and infectious causes have been implicated in the development of respiratory tract disease in reptiles. Treatment modalities in reptiles have to account for species differences in response to therapeutic agents as well as interpretation of diagnostic findings. Data on effective drugs and dosages for the treatment of respiratory diseases are often lacking in reptiles. Recently, advances have been made on the application of advanced imaging modalities, especially computed tomography for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of reptiles. This article describes common infectious and noninfectious causes of respiratory disease in reptiles, including diagnostic and therapeutic regimen.