cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative effectiveness of one versus two‐stage sacral neurostimulation device placement

Objective Sacral neurostimulation (SNS) is an effective third-line treatment for overactive bladder. We sought to compare the cost of standard two-stage SNS device placement to that of a combined one-stage placement using a Markov chain model. Methods Costs were defined using Medicare outpatient reimbursement rates. The model was developed as follows: With the two-stage approach, patients underwent initial lead placement with fluoroscopy and those who converted to stage two underwent permanent generator placement week later. Patients who did not convert underwent lead removal. Patients undergoing a one-stage procedure had initial lead and generator placement at the same time. Patients with success underwent no further procedure. Patients without success could opt for generator and lead removal. Cost effectiveness of one versus two-stage placement depended on successful conversion rate. Results Reimbursement included physician, anesthesia, facility and device fees. In a two-stage procedure, initial cost of lead placement was $6170. With successful conversion, cost of a second procedure with permanent lead and generator placement was $18,474. Patients who failed test phase underwent lead removal for a cost of $2879. In a one-stage procedure approach, initial cost of permanent lead and generator placement was $18,474. Patients with a successful outcome had no additional costs. Patients with an unsuccessful outcome could have the lead and generator removal for a cost of $5758. If the conversion rate from testing phase to permanent placement was greater than 71%, a one-stage approach proved to be cost effective. Conclusions Identifying patients with favorable risk factors for success may predict those patients who warrant a one-stage approach.
6 Using mobile app to empower care and self-management in LVAD patients

Self-management (SM) of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a complex process and arduous to many patients. Thus, support from a family caregiver and a nurse is required to achieve the ultimate treatment goal for implanting an LVAD – to increase quantity and quality of life.1 A mobile phone application (VAD Care App version 1.0®) was invented to simplify the LVAD SM process and empower patient’s engagement in SM.2 The purposes of this presentation are the following: (1) illustrate the main components of the app; (2) describe the app-directed and nurse-supported LVAD SM intervention; and (3) present the results of the feasibility study as well as preliminary results of an ongoing pilot clinical trial. Future studies, app designs (versions 2.0 and 3.0), and implications for advancing the LVAD SM science will be discussed.3 Conference participants are encouraged to engage in a dialogue about the applicability of the app to other implantable devices (e.g. cardiac resynchronisation therapy) and complex conditions (e.g. pulmonary hypertension) within the context of healthcare delivery and culture in Asia. References Casida JM, Wu HS, Abshire M, Ghosh B, Yang JJ. Cognition and adherence are self-management factors predicting the quality of life of adults with a left ventricular assist device. J Heart Lung Transplant 2017;36:325–330. Casida JM, Aikens JE, Craddock H, Aldrich MW, Pagani FD. Development and feasibility of self-management application in left-ventricular assist devices. ASAIO J 2018;64:159–167. Casida J, Aikens J, Pagani F, et al. Advancing the science of self-management in adults with long-term left ventricular assist devices. Artif Organs 2018. doi:10.1111/aor.13113 [Epub ahead of print].
A note on incremental POD algorithms for continuous time data

Abstract In our earlier work Fareed et al. (2018) [18] , we developed an incremental approach to compute the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of PDE simulation data. Specifically, we developed an incremental algorithm for the SVD with respect to a weighted inner product for the discrete time POD computations. For continuous time data, we used an approximate approach to arrive at a discrete time POD problem and then applied the incremental SVD algorithm. In this note, we analyze the continuous time case with simulation data that is piecewise constant in time such that each data snapshot is expanded in a finite collection of basis elements of a Hilbert space. We first show that the POD is determined by the SVD of two different data matrices with respect to weighted inner products. Next, we develop incremental algorithms for approximating the two matrix SVDs with respect to the different weighted inner products. Finally, we show neither approximate SVD is more accurate than the other; specifically, we show the incremental algorithms return equivalent results.
FREQUENCY AND PATTERN OF DYSLIPIDEMIA IN CHILDREN WITH END STAGE RENAL DISEASE

Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of dyslipidemia in pediatric patients with end stage renal disease presenting in a tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Cross-sectional, observational study. Place and Duration of Study: The Children's hospital and the Institute of Child Health Lahore, from Sep 2016 to Nov 2017. Material and Methods: Children aged 5-15 years, of either gender and diagnosed with end stage renal disease were selected for the study. All the patients were undergoing renal replacement therapy in the form of hemodialysis and/or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. The serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein were measured. Results: There were 138 patients in the study with mean age 11.24 ± 2.37 years and male to female ratio 2.5:1. The mean ± SD values of total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low density lipoprotein were found to be 174.0 ± 54.1, 241.2 ± 142.4 and 95.2 ± 49.0 mg/dl respectively. The frequency of abnormally high levels of total serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and low density lipoprotein were found to be 21.7%, 84.8% and 19.6% respectively. The lipid profile of patients on peritoneal dialysis was markedly elevated as compared to that of patients on maintenance hemodialysis (p-value ≤0.05). Conclusion: Majority of pediatric patients with end stage renal disease had suffered from dyslipidemia especially raised serum triglycerides. Timely identification of abnormal lipid levels and appropriate management is expected to help reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with dyslipidemia in these pediatric patients. Moreover, lipid profile of patients on peritoneal dialysis was more deranged than those on hemodialysis.
Daniella Dos Santos, BVA president, responds.

I would like to thank Roger Mason for expressing his views; we do recognise that not all members will agree with this move, but want to reiterate that we followed a robust and democratic process to reach this important decision. Mason observes that the BVA’s role can necessitate making ‘political arguments’. While we are not party political, we are of course involved in political engagement …
Uso de corticoides sistémicos no tratamento da artrite gotosa aguda: qual a evidência?

Objetivo: Avaliar a eficacia dos corticoides sistemicos (CS) no tratamento da artrite gotosa aguda (AGA) e os seus beneficios face as terapeuticas classicas nomeadamente a colchicina e os anti-inflamatorios nao esteroides (AINEs). Fontes de dados: MEDLINE e sitios de medicina baseada na evidencia. Metodos de revisao: Pesquisa de normas de orientacao clinica (NOC), revisoes sistematicas (RS), ensaios clinicos aleatorizados e controlados (ECAC) e meta-analises (MA), publicados entre junho/2007 e junho/2017, utilizando os termos MeSH glucocorticoids , gout suppressants , adrenal cortex hormones , acute disease , gout e hyperuricemia . Para avaliar o nivel de evidencia, foi aplicada a escala Strenght of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT), da American Family Physician. Resultados: Foram obtidos 731 artigos, selecionando-se oito NOC, quatro RS e tres ECAC. As NOC referem melhoria da sintomatologia da AGA com o uso de CS, AINEs ou colchicina, divergindo nas recomendacoes relativamente a terapeutica de primeira linha mais adequada. Se por um lado alguns estudos mencionam uma melhoria mais significativa da sintomatologia com o uso de CS, principalmente nos primeiros dias de tratamento, por outro lado citam-nos como tao efetivos quanto o tratamento classico. De uma forma geral, todos referem mais efeitos secundarios nos doentes tratados com AINEs em comparacao com os CS. Conclusoes: Os CS, os AINEs e a colchicina sao todos efetivos na gestao terapeutica da AGA. No entanto, os CS apresentam superioridade relativamente aos AINES no que respeita a seguranca. Desta forma, a escolha do agente para o tratamento da AGA deve ser determinada com base no perfil do doente.
Locus coeruleus-norepinephrine: basic functions and insights into Parkinson’s disease

The locus coeruleus is a pontine nucleus that produces much of the brain’s norepinephrine. Despite its small size, the locus coeruleus is critical for a myriad of functions and is involved in many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we discuss the physiology and anatomy of the locus coeruleus system and focus on norepinephrine’s role in synaptic plasticity. We highlight Parkinson’s disease as a disorder with motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms that may be understood as aberrations in the normal functions of locus coeruleus.
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND SEASONAL VARIATION OF HEXALECTRIS (ORCHIDACEAE) IN TEXAS: IMPLICATIONS FOR RARITY AND CONSERVATION

Hexalectris is a genus of mycoheterotrophic orchids found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, and some species in the genus are considered of conservation concern. Details on the evolutionary relationships between Hexalectris and symbiotic fungi are known, but relatively little is understood about the ecological factors that affect geographical distribution and seasonal variation in populations. Over a 12-year period, I (with volunteers and student assistants) studied the relationship between Hexalectris numbers and annual rainfall, and between documented orchid locations and soil–geological characteristics in Dallas County, Texas. We found a strong relationship between Hexalectris census numbers and the previous year's total rainfall. Targeted searches informed by knowledge of soil type helped to identify nine Hexalectris populations in Dallas County and a range expansion in H. grandiflora, a species previously unknown outside of western Texas. Hexalectris diversity correlates with preserve area, demonstrating that a larger preserve could help conserve more Hexalectris species. Overlapping soil surveys, geological data, and known Hexalectris locations in Texas helped to identify 64 counties with soil and geological conditions associated with Hexalectris. Many of the counties have no records of Hexalectris, showing the potential need for and value of targeted searches during wetter years to aid in identifying new populations to help fill in Hexalectris distributions and direct future conservation efforts.
A comparison of cancer stage at diagnosis and treatment initiation between enrollees in an urban HIV clinic and SEER

A comparison of stage at cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment rates between people with HIV (PWH) and the general US population is needed to identify any disparities by HIV status. We compared 236 PWH in clinical care diagnosed with cancer from 1997 to 2014 to a sample from NCI’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, presumed to be HIV negative. We performed G-computation using random forest methods to estimate stage and treatment percent differences (PD) by HIV. We conducted sensitivity analyses among non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADC), by sex and by CD4 ≤ 200 or > 200 cells/mm3. PWH were less likely to be diagnosed at localized stage (PD = − 16%; 95% CI − 21, − 11) and more likely to be diagnosed at regional stage (PD = 14%; 95% CI 8, 19) than those in SEER. Cancer treatment rates were 13% lower among PWH as compared to SEER (95% CI − 18, − 8). The difference in percent receiving cancer treatment was more pronounced for those with lower CD4 at cancer diagnosis (PD -15%; 95% CI − 27, − 6). Lower treatment rates were observed among NADC, males, and women with CD4 ≤ 200. Cancer care for PWH could be improved by diagnosis at earlier stages and increasing rates of cancer treatment.
Initial Experience of a Primary Urgent Care Clinic Curriculum and Subspecialty Lectureship Series Implementation in a Los Angeles County Hospital.

OBJECTIVES Urgent care clinics are extremely busy in the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) County hospital system. We determined that residents and medical students in the internal medicine residency program who are rotating through these clinics did not receive enough teaching during their rotation. We decided to create and implement an urgent care curriculum and lectures to help achieve structure for the rotation. The goal of this series was to educate and assist residents in the primary care setting to comfortably manage subspecialty conditions, help reduce the already-overwhelmed county subspecialty referral system, and promote learning. METHODS The Olive View-UCLA Medical Center internal medicine residency program has a total of 74 residents, which includes postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) to PGY-4, with PGY-4 being combined internal medicine-pediatrics or emergency medicine-internal medicine residents. We used core curriculum topics as provided by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to design the curriculum. We sent e-mails to the stakeholders whom we identified as the residents and the attending physicians working in urgent care, inquiring after topics they wanted to discuss during the rotation. Using these responses we compiled a list of all of the topics that could be discussed and reviewed during the rotation. These topics were broken down into short 10- to 15-minute-long lectures. During the lectures, we provided a retrospective post- then prequestionnaire to the residents for evaluation of the program and the lectures. A benefit of the post-then-pre design is that participants answer the postquestions and the prequestions together after the lecture, thereby reducing the possibility of response shift bias. RESULTS Of the 74 residents in the program, 25 responded; the response rate was approximately 33%. Regarding content, 92% (23) said it was appropriate, 4% (1) said it was too low a level, and 4% (1) did not respond. Overall, 36% (9) said the lecture was excellent, 52% (13) said it was very good, 8% (2) said it was good, and 4% (1) did not respond. We also looked at the number of referrals made pre- and postcurriculum implementation and found that the overall referral percentage was down, from 34% to 31%. CONCLUSIONS We designed an urgent care curriculum and lecture series for the primary urgent care clinics to promote learning and education in a structured, succinct, and systematic manner. This will help triage and manage subspecialty conditions in the scope of primary care settings and thus initiate appropriate and timely referrals to subspecialists.
La buena lectura. Operaciones didácticas en Ficciones

Jorge Luis Borges uses the laws of detective novels to design complex works that need to an active reader. The analysis of the reading methodologies outlined in Ficciones allows us to think the volume as a reading book, in the didactical sense of the term. As a reader, the book presents a theory and a practice on suspicious reading strategies that place the reader at the core of literature.
Pre-treatment twice with liposomal clodronate protects against acetaminophen hepatotoxicity through a pre-conditioning effect.

Abstract Background and aim Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is a major cause of acute liver injury, but the role of macrophages in the propagation of the hepatotoxicity is controversial. Early research revealed that macrophage inhibitors protect against APAP injury. However, later work demonstrated that macrophage ablation by acute pre-treatment with liposomal clodronate (LC) exacerbates the toxicity. To our surprise, during other studies, we observed that pre-treatment twice with LC seemed to protect against APAP hepatotoxicity, in contrast to acute pre-treatment. The aim of this study was to confirm that observation and to explore the mechanisms. Methods We treated mice with empty liposomes (LE) or LC twice per week for 1 week before APAP overdose and collected blood and liver tissue at 0, 2, and 6 h post-APAP. We then measured liver injury (serum alanine aminotransferase activity, histology), APAP bioactivation (total glutathione, APAP-protein adducts), oxidative stress (oxidized glutathione (GSSG)), glutamate-cysteine ligase subunit c (Gclc) mRNA, and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) immunofluorescence. We also confirmed the ablation of macrophages by F4/80 immunohistochemistry. Results Pre-treatment twice with LC dramatically reduced F4/80 staining, protected against liver injury, and reduced oxidative stress at 6 h post-APAP, without affecting APAP bioactivation. Importantly, Gclc mRNA was higher in the LC group at 0 h and total glutathione was higher at 2 h, indicating accelerated glutathione re-synthesis after APAP overdose due to greater basal glutamate-cysteine ligase. Oxidative stress was lower in the LC groups at both time points. Finally, total Nrf2 immunofluorescence was higher in the LC group. Conclusions We conclude that multiple pre-treatments with LC protect against APAP by accelerating glutathione re-synthesis through glutamate-cysteine ligase. Investigators using twice or possibly more LC pre-treatments to deplete macrophages, including peritoneal macrophages, should be aware of this possible confounder.
Imaging review of sickle cell disease for the emergency radiologist

Sickle cell disease (SCD), one of the most common inherited genetic syndromes in the USA, is characterized by recurring episodes of acute illness and progressive multisystem organ injury. Individuals with SCD frequently present to the emergency department for a spectrum of complications, such as vaso-occlusive crises, infection, cholecystitis, and stroke. Imaging correlates for most of these presentations exist, positioning the emergency radiologist to play a pivotal role in facilitating patient care. Using a systems-based approach, we describe the acute and chronic imaging manifestations of SCD that an emergency radiologist can expect to encounter in most practice settings, highlighting the unique pathophysiology of this disorder that typically underlies the imaging findings.
Life history trade-offs of thrips reared on fertilized and unfertilized Brazilian peppertree with respect to changes in plant terpenoid profiles

Abstract Mass rearing is a critical component of a successful biological control program and is strongly dependent on the diet agents consume. We investigated the impact of fertilizing the target Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia, on plant terpenoids and the phenology, fecundity, and morphometrics of the thrips agent, Pseudophilothrips ichini. Plants in 3.8 L pots were fertilized (24N-8P-16K) at one of three concentrations every two weeks: Low (0 g/L), Medium (1.8 g/L), or High (3.6 g/L). To examine fertilizer impacts on life history, cohorts of 20 thrips eggs were reared in containers on stem cuttings from the potted plants. Terpenoid profiles were characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry from potted plants grown at each fertilizer level, half of which experienced 72 h of thrips feeding. The fewest thrips reached the pre-pupa on Low fertilizer plants, but those thrips developed the fastest, lived longer as adults, and laid more eggs. Thrips on plants at either Medium or High fertilizer levels took longer to develop, had shorter adult lifespans, laid fewer eggs, but adults were larger, and they produced potentially higher quality eggs. Differences in terpenoid profiles between damaged and undamaged Low fertilizer plants and life history trade-offs suggest fertilizing may have minimal impacts on thrips; however, fertilized plants grow faster and larger, thereby ensuring a reliable supply of host material for mass rearing. Moreover, these results suggest that although thrips may have reduced survival, they will perform well following field releases when fed wild, unfertilized Brazilian peppertrees.
Pop Music and Hip Ennui: A Sonic Fiction of Capitalist Realism: by Macon Holt, New York, Bloomsbury Academic, 2021, 224 pp., $39.95 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1501383212

Are we in the midst of a pop music revolution? The outpouring of pieces reflecting on the Scottish avant-garde pop legend and openly transgender woman SOPHIE and her artistic influence after her un...
Multitask Learning Based Three-Dimensional Striatal Segmentation of MRI: fMRI and PET Objective Assessments.

Background Recent studies have established a clear topographical and functional organization of projections to and from complex subdivisions of the striatum. Manual segmentation of these functional subdivisions is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and automated methods are not as reliable as manual segmentation. Purpose To utilize multitask learning (MTL) as a method to segment subregions of the striatum consisting of pre-commissural putamen (prePU), pre-commissural caudate (preCA), post-commissural putamen (postPU), post-commissural caudate (postCA), and ventral striatum (VST). Study type Retrospective. Population Eighty-seven total data sets from patients with schizophrenia and matched controls. Field strength/sequence 1.5 T and 3.0 T, T1 -weighted (SPGR SENSE, 3D BRAVO). Assessment MTL-generated segmentations were compared to the Imperial College London Clinical Imaging Center (CIC) atlas. Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) was used to compare the automated methods to manual segmentations. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging: 60 minutes of emission data were acquired using [11 C]raclopride. Data were reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP) with computed tomography (CT) used for attenuation correction. Binding potential values, BPND , and region of interest (ROI) time series and whole-brain connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) images were compared between manual and both automated segmentations. Statistical tests Pearson correlation and paired t-test. Results MTL-generated segmentations showed excellent spatial agreement with manual (DSC ≥0.72 across all striatal subregions). BPND values from MTL-generated segmentations were shown to correlate well with manual segmentations with R2 ≥ 0.91 in all caudate and putamen subregions, and R2 = 0.69 in VST. Mean Pearson correlation coefficients of the fMRI data between MTL-generated and manual segmentations were also high in time series (≥0.86) and whole-brain connectivity (≥0.89) across all subregions. Data conclusion Across both PET and fMRI task-based assessments, results from MTL-generated segmentations more closely corresponded to results from manually drawn ROIs than CIC-generated segmentations did. Therefore, the proposed MTL approach is a fast and reliable method for three-dimensional striatal subregion segmentation with results comparable to manually segmented ROIs. Level of evidence 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 1.
How Meat Science Academic Programming Can Facilitate Undergraduate and Graduate Student International Exposure

As the world population increases and the trajectory of meat trade continues to expand across the borders of sovereign nations, it is important for university educators to increase the opportunities that undergraduate and graduate students have for engaging with other cultures. In the future, it is unlikely that students can be successful in a meat-based career without knowledge of the global markets. The Meat Science Group at Colorado State University have tried to offer such opportunities to students by engaging them in research; providing forums for exchange, internships, capacity building, and participating in international scientific meetings; and offering courses that assist students in their understanding of the global marketplace. As the world becomes a smaller place, all such student international activities are becoming a compulsory need to accommodate the Land Grant Mission.
Office of Management and Budget Racial/Ethnic Categories in Mortality Research: A Framework for Including the Voices of Racialized Communities

Since its founding, the US government has sorted people into racial/ethnic categories for the purpose of allowing or disallowing their access to social services and protections. The current Office ...
Interpreting Invisibility: In Defense of Regan

vi Chapter 1 Who is Regan? 1 2 Breaking the Binaries 9 3 Regan in Art 19 4 Regan on Film 30 5 Regan in Graphic Novels 43 6 Regan on the Contemporary Stage 53 7 Conclusions 63 References 66
39 Inhibition of CFTR slows forskolin-stimulated mucociliary clearance in ferret trachea

Objective Mucus clearance is a primary defense mechanism of the airways. Mucus secretion and clearance are abnormal in diverse organs in humans with CF and in all CF animal models. To better understand the contribution of CFTR to mucociliary clearance (MCC), we asked if CFTR plays a role in ferret tracheal MCC by directly inhibiting CFTR with a selective CFTR inhibitor, CFTRinh172. Methods We measured MCC velocities in ex vivo adult ferret tracheas by following particle movements with time-lapse digital imaging (Jeong et al . 2014 AJP-lung, L83) in the presence or absence of CFTRinh172. Tracheas were mounted side-by side in a chamber that was sealed, 37°C-maintained, and continuously supplied with warmed, humidified 95% O 2 -5% CO 2 gas. Particle movements (MCC) were measured at 20 sec intervals for 30 min: 10 mM forskolin or 0.3 mM carbachol +/– CFTRinh172. Tissue viability was assessed by then stimulating MCC for 30 min with 0.3 mM carbachol plus 10 mM forskolin in the absence of CFTRinh172. Results CFTRinh172 significantly reduced forskolin-induced MCC but did not significantly decrease MCC-stimulated by 0.3 mM carbachol. The MCC increase to carbachol + forskolin given after either agonist alone was not inhibited by prior CFTRinh172 treatment. Conclusion The present study demonstrated an important contribution of CFTR activity to forskolin-stimulated increases in MCC. In the ex vivo ferret trachea, ∼66% inhibition was produced with CFTRinh172 pretreatment. Cholinergically stimulated MCC was reduced only ∼18% by CFTRinh172 (n.s.). MCC was synergistically increased by forskolin + carbachol. Supported by CFF and CFFT.
TPZS Applications: Blotto Games

Blotto games are a class of two-person zero–sum game where each player must allocate a budget of some kind among several independent areas. In each area, the payoff depends only on the two allocations to that area, and the total payoff is the sum of the individual area payoffs. The class has properties that permit the solution of large games and includes numerous military applications. This article discusses applications and solution methods. Keywords: blotto; game
Genetic variation in the carbonic anhydrase isozymes of macaque monkeys : III. Biosynthesis of carbonic anhydrases in bone marrow erythroid cells and peripheral blood reticulocytes of Macaco nemestrina

Abstract The carbonic anhydrase isozymes (CA I and CA II) of the pig-tailed macaque, Macaca nemestrina , have been chosen to study the regulation of enzyme levels in red blood cells. Two quantitative variants of CA I that are ideal for studies of enzyme regulation exist in this species. One variant is one of four known electrophoretic types of CA I, designated CA Ia, which is present at levels about 30% of those of the other electrophoretic types. The other is a deficiency variant of CA I which, in homozygotes, reduces the product of the CA I locus about 5000-fold and reduces the product of the CA II locus by about 60%. l -[ 14 C]Serine was used to study the biosynthesis of CA I and CA II isozymes in the reticulocytes of animals carrying these CA I variants. Specific radioactivity and total incorporation data from bone marrow erythroid cells, and peripheral blood reticulocytes indicate that the reduced CA Ia concentration is probably the result of degradation. This degradation appears to occur for only a short time before the reticulocytes enter the peripheral blood. It was not possible to determine whether the 5000-fold reduction of CA I in the CA I-deficient animals is due to reduced transcription, reduced translation, or degradation. The effect of the CA I-deficiency mutation on the synthesis of CA II was also studied. For each dose of CA I-deficiency gene, there appears to be a 30% reduction in the rate of l -[ 14 C]serine incorporation into CA II, thereby accounting for the reduced CA II concentration in CA I-deficient animals.
Necropsy findings in patients with carcinoma of the cervix; implications for treatment.

Abstract In a review of 65 necropsies of patients who had carcinoma of the cervix, the following salient features appear deserving of emphasis: 1. 1. Cancer of the cervix tends to spread primarily via the lymphatics, the periaortic nodes being first involved outside the pelvis in most instances. 2. 2. Half of the patients died from various causes other than wide dissemination of the disease since necropsy revealed no gross evidence of neoplasm outside the pelvis in this group. 3. 3. Uremia was the immediate cause of death in 27.7 per cent of the series, and ureteral obstruction of varying degrees was present in 63 per cent of the cases. 4. 4. Infection, principally as peritonitis, pelvic abscess, and septicemia in varying combinations appeared to be the immediate cause of death in 38 per cent of the series. Thus uremia and infection together were the immediate causes of death in 66 per cent of the series, not widespread malignant disease. 5. 5. Aside from eradication or restraint of the neoplasm, preservation of urinary tract function and avoidance of infection appear to be the principal problems to be dealt with for the prolongation of life in patients with cancer of the cervix.
Equational reasoning using AC constraints

Unfailing completion is a commonly used technique for equational reasoning. For equational problems with associative and commutative functions, unfailing completion often generates a large number of rewrite rules. By comparing it with a ground completion procedure, we show that many of the rewrite rules generated are redundant. A set of consistency constraints is formulated to detect redundant rewrite rules. We propose a new completion algorithm, consistent unfailing completion, in which only consistent rewrite rules are used for critical pair generation and rewriting. Our approach does not need to use flattened terms. Thus it avoids the double exponential worst case complexity of AC unification. It also allows the use of more flexible termination orderings. We present some sufficient conditions for detecting inconsistent rewrite rules. The proposed algorithm is implemented in PROLOG.
Hemodialysis Properties of Clindamycin (7-Chloro-7-Deoxylincomycin)

The effect of hemodialysis (Kolff-type machine) on clindamycin blood levels in anuric patients was studied. At 1 hr after oral ingestion of drug, blood levels ranged from 1.23 to 5.17 μg/ml and fell thereafter. Half-times for peripheral removal were 3.36 μg/ml ± 0.22 when subjects were “off” dialysis and 3.14 μg/ml ± 0.09 during dialysis. Their difference was not statistically significant, indicating that hemodialysis does not affect the blood level of clindamycin. In all studies, significant levels of the antibiotic were present at 12 hr.
The Costs and Benefits of Half a Loaf: The Economic Effects of Recent Regulation of Debit Card Interchange Fees

This study examines one section of the Dodd-Frank “Wall Street Reform and Consumer Act” directing the Federal Reserve Board to develop new regulations for the “interchange fees” charged by banks that issue debit cards for debit card transactions. On June 29, 2011, the Board issued its final rule, “Regulation II: Debit Card Interchange Fees and Routing,” which became effective on October 1, 2011. The standards set out in Regulation II cap debit card interchange fees at $0.21 per transaction, plus 5 basis points (0.05 percent) of the transaction’s value, plus a $0.01 charge per transaction for debit card issuers that meet certain fraud prevention standards. These standards apply only to transactions with debit cards issued by financial institutions with assets of $10 billion or more, covering about two-thirds of all debit transactions. Our analysis found that the new cap on debit interchange fees reduced the fee on the debit transactions covered by the regulation from an average of $0.51 per transaction (with large variations) to $0.24 (with less variation). This overall reduction saved consumers and merchants an estimated $8.5 billion in 2012; we further estimate that $5.87 billion of those 2012 savings were passed along to consumers in lower prices, while merchants retained $2.64 billion. Moreover, we also estimate that the $8.5 billion in cost savings was sufficient to support 37,501 new jobs. However, the $0.21 fixed fee per transaction under Regulation II raised interchange fees on transactions of $15 or less; and on the average small transaction of $7.50, the fee as a share of the transaction exceeds the profit margins on such transactions for six industries that depend on small purchases (including supermarkets, groceries, convenience stores, gas stations and pharmacies). If Regulation II had not raised interchange fees on small debit transactions, consumers and merchants would have saved an additional $690 million in 2012, which could have supported 3,044 more jobs. The new standards do not affect credit card transactions. Our analysis found that if credit card interchange fees on the two dominant, four-party payment networks, Visa and MasterCard, were capped at the maximum $0.24 per-transaction rate set by Regulation II for covered debit transactions, consumers and merchants would have saved an additional $22.4 billion in 2012. Consumers would have captured $15.4 billion of those benefits, and their additional spending could support 56,733 jobs; while merchants could be expected to retain roughly $6.9 billion of those cost savings, and their additional spending and investments could support another 41,918 jobs.
Relevance of Health Behavior Research to Public Health Professionals

Public health has historically viewed health and disease as the product of three interacting factors: the host, the agent, and the environment. As classically captured in Hippocrates’ Airs, Waters, Places, the major emphasis of public health interventions until modern times was focused on changing the environment to prevent illness: building sewage systems, assuring clean water supplies, draining swamps. In one of the best-known legends of public health, a medical practitioner and anesthetist named John Snow plotted the locations of an outbreak of cholera cases in London in the year 1854 (Rosen, 1958). On the basis of his scatterplot, he deduced that one well, the Broad Street pump, was responsible for the outbreak. He then marched down and removed the handle from the pump, thus interrupting further spread of the epidemic—an effective environmental intervention enacted 30 years before the discovery of bacterial agents.
Renal Transplantation Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes in Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis is a debilitating disorder seen in chronic kidney disease patients and is characterized by stiffening of the joints and thickening of the skin. Treatment options are limited, but some patients have had an improvement of their clinical symptoms after renal transplantation and the use of immunosuppression. Although there is a variable response to renal transplantation, it is currently unknown what factors promote a favorable outcome. Our objective was to evaluate if the response to renal transplantation was superior to other treatment modalities and to determine which characteristics allowed for a positive response to occur. We retrieved the data from the literature of 298 reported patients, compared the response to renal transplantation and to other treatments, and analyzed their characteristics. We found that more patients had a higher response to renal transplantation, as determined by softening of the skin and improved joint mobility, and among those that did respond, they had a shorter dialysis vintage. We suggest that if renal transplantation is to be considered as a treatment modality, it should be initiated at the earliest possible in the course of the disease to achieve maximum clinical benefit.
The effect of linkage structure on retrieval performance in a hypertext-based bibliographic retrieval system

The authors investigated how linkage environments in a hypertext-based bibliographic retrieval system affect retrieval performance for novice and experienced searchers. Two systems, one with inter-record linkages to authors and descriptors and one that also included title and abstract keywords, were tested. No significant differences in retrieval performance and system usage were found for most search tests. However, the enhanced system did provide better performance where title and abstract keywords provided the most direct access to relevant records. The findings have implications for the design of bibliographic information retrieval systems using hypertext linkages.
Amnesia induced by hyperthermia: an unusually profound, yet reversible, memory loss.

The present series of investigations was designed to evaluate whether hyperthermia, produced by whole body immersion in warm (45°C) water, could serve as an amnestic agent. In Experiment 1, previously shocked and experimentally naive rats received one-trial passive avoidance training followed by hyperthermia treatment after delays of either 30 sec, 5, 30, or 60 min. Each of three dependent measures indicated the retention of the experimentally naive rats was susceptible to disruption through treatment delay intervals of 1 hr. In the previously shocked animals, retention was impaired only at the 30-sec interval. No evidence for spontaneous recovery was observed 48 hr after training. Experiment 2 investigated whether hyperthermia or hypothermia would impair memory over multiple training/amnesic treatment/test sequences. On the initial test trial both groups were amnestic. However, over four test sequences each separated by 24 hr the amnestic effects of body cooling, but not of warming, diminished significantly. Anterograde effects of hyperthermia did not appear responsible for the repeated memory loss as good retention was observed 24 hr after a fifth training trial. In Experiment 3, noncontingent footshock produced substantial memory recovery from both hyperthermia- and hypothermia-induced amnesia relative to sham-trained controls which also received the reminder treatment. Despite the unusual potency of hyperthermia as an amnestic agent, the attenuation of the amnesia by reminder treatment suggested an interpretation consistent with a general retrieval-oriented theory.
What is strategic management, really? Inductive derivation of a consensus definition of the field

It is commonly asserted that the field of strategic management is fragmented and lacks a coherent identity. This skepticism, however, is paradoxically at odds with the great success that strategic management has enjoyed. How might one explain this paradox? We seek answers to this question by relying first on a large-scale survey of strategic management scholars from which we derive an implicit consensual definition of the field—as tacitly held by its members. We then supplement this implicit definition with an examination of the espoused definitions of the field obtained from a group of boundary-spanning scholars. Our findings suggest that strategic management's success as a field emerges from an underlying consensus that enables it to attract multiple perspectives, while still maintaining its coherent distinctiveness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Theorizing Policing:: The Drama and Myth of Crime Control in the NYPD

The article uses articles from elite publications to shape a dramaturgically informed case study exploring the decline in the official crime rate in New York City in 1996, the roles of Commissioner...
Restraining Imperial Hubris: The Ethical Bases of Realist International Relations Theory

Students of American politics and society have long observed that America’s own distinctive adoption of Enlightenment thinking and related liberal universalism has led to the development of an unhealthy messianic streak in the country’s foreign policy. What American citizens want, it is often believed, others everywhere ought to naturally want as well. The next logical step is to assert that the United States has a “moral duty” to deploy its formidable power internationally as a means to ensure that individuals everywhere can benefit from the liberties that Americans enjoy at home. This leaves the temptation of crusading interventionism abroad constantly looming on the horizon, based on what Louis Hartz identified long ago as an absolutist American impulse to “impose Locke everywhere.”2 The phenomenon has been usually interpreted as the result of America’s peculiar historical experience: on the one hand, the absence of a powerful feudal class antagonistic to liberal ideas left the Lockean faith in universal natural rights virtually unchallenged; one the other hand, the success of early continental expansion combined with the lack of powerful and threatening neighbors led to a widespread belief among American citizens in their country’s international omnipotence that remained virtually unchallenged until the aftermath of World War I.3 Sometimes American statesmen merely deployed the rhetoric of a cosmopolitan “mission” instrumentally, while their true goal was to advance the nation’s interest and improve its security through expansion. That was, for instance, clearly the case of the late Thomas Jefferson and of John Quincy Adams. On other occasions, American presidents genuinely internalized the belief in a moral mission to change the world, such as in the case of Woodrow Wilson, and more recently, Ronald Reagan as well as George W. Bush. In all those instances, arguments about the “export” or promotion of cosmopolitan values abroad were regularly adduced as a justification for American military interventionism, which made it much easier for domestic public opinion to swallow the costs of similar projects.4 Leading post-World War II realist scholars of international relations, such as Hans Morgenthau, George Kennan, Arnold Wolfers, and Robert Tucker have always
Refinements in the helium line ratio technique for electron temperature measurement and its application to the precursor

Abstract A study of the use of spectral intensity ratios as electron temperature indicators has been made, identifying crucial factors for accurate use. In application to the photopreionization component of electric shock tube precursor luminosity, certain unexpected results are reported which show the effectiveness of this revised tool.
The Interpretation of "Spurious" Correlations in Coronary Flow Literature

Coefficients of correlation between coronary sinus blood flow and several cardiac variables have been analyzed from data obtained by the nitrous oxide desaturation method in dogs. The r value for flow and left ventricular oxygen consumption is an example of the correlation of two variables having a common element. The high values reported in the literature for this relationship may also be obtained with numbers drawn at random. Accordingly such values should not be accepted as valid evidence of a functional relationship between coronary blood flow and myocardial oxygen consumption. A high positive correlation, between flow and heart rate in the normal dogs and a significant inverse correlation between flow and arteriovenous oxygen difference in the chronic sympathectomized dogs, was observed.
The impact of bacterial infection on mast cell degranulation

In developed countries, the prevalence of allergy is on the rise. Although the causes are unknown, it seems that (1) the disappearance of microbiota may play a role in the increase of allergies and (2) exposure to bacterial infections during childhood decreases the incidence of allergies. Although several cell types are involved in the development of allergy, mast cells play a major role in orchestrating inflammation. Upon activation, mast cell secretory granules fuse with the plasma membrane, resulting in the release of a number of inflammatory mediators. In addition to allergy, mast cells contribute to the innate immune response against a variety of bacteria. This is accomplished through the secretion of cytokines and other soluble mediators. Interestingly, there is growing evidence that mast cells exposed to bacteria down-regulate degranulation in response to IgE/Allergen stimulation. This inhibitory effect seems to require direct contact between bacteria and mast cells, but the intracellular mechanism by which bacterial contact suppresses allergic responses is unknown. Here, we review different aspects of mast cell physiology and discuss hypotheses as to how bacteria may influence mast cell degranulation.
Macroenvironmental analysis for strategic management

Abstract Macroenvironmental analysis is an integral part of systematic strategic planning. Even though the literature on macroenvironmental analysis is fragmented, there are useful guidelines for making sense out of this complex and important aspect of strategic planning. This article highlights five important questions managers should ask about macroenvironmental analysis, develops a model for the process, and summarizes what research and experience tell us about each question.
Folding and unfolding of helix-turn-helix motifs in the gas phase

Ion mobility measurements and molecular dynamic simulations have been performed for a series of peptides designed to have helix-turn-helix motifs. For peptides with two helical sections linked by a short loop region: AcA14KG3A14K+2H+, AcA14KG5A14K+2H+, AcA14KG7A14K+2H+, and AcA14KSar3A14K+2H+ (Ac = acetyl, A = alanine, G = glycine, Sar = sarcosine and K = lysine); a coiled-coil geometry with two anti-parallel helices is the lowest energy conformation. The helices uncouple and the coiled-coil unfolds as the temperature is raised. Equilibrium constants determined as a function of temperature yield enthalpy and entropy changes for the unfolding of the coiled-coil. The enthalpy and entropy changes depend on the length and nature of the loop region. For a peptide with three helical sections: protonated AcA14KG3A14KG3A14K; a coiled-coil bundle with three helices side-by-side is substantially less stable than a geometry with two helices in an antiparallel coiled-coil and the third helix collinear with one of the other two.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Perspective: Lung Progenitor and Stem Cells—Gaps in Knowledge and Future Opportunities

Because the lung stem cell field is so new, there remain many unanswered questions that are being addressed regarding the identification, location, and role of exogenous and endogenous stem and progenitor cell populations in growth, regeneration, and repair of the lung. Advancing lung stem cell biology will require multidisciplinary teams and a long term effort to unravel the biologic processes of stem cells in the lung. While no clinical research in lung stem cell therapies are currently funded by NHLBI, the knowledge gained by understanding the basic biology of the lung stem cell populations will be needed to translate to diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in the future.