cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uncinate processes and Luschka joints influence the biomechanics of the cervical spine: Quantification using a finite element model of the C5‐C6 segment

A fully three-dimensional finite element model of a C5-C6 motion segment of the human spine was developed and validated for the purpose of investigating the biomechanical significance of uncinate processes and Luschka joints. The original intact cervical model was modified to create two additional models. The first simulated the absence of Luschka joints by replacing the fissures with continuous annulus fibrosus and leaving the uncinate processes intact. The second model simulated a surgical resection of the uncinate processes, while leaving the Luschka joints intact. The results of these two models were compared with the intact model, which served as a baseline; thus, the relative contributions of these two structures to cervical motion were established. With use of our model, it was possible, for the first time, to provide quantitative data concerning the source of coupled motions in the lower cervical spine. In principle, the results from this model support the hypothesis of Penning and Wilmink. Our results indicate that the facet joints and Luschka joints are the major contributors to coupled motion in the lower cervical spine and that the uncinate processes effectively reduce motion coupling and primary cervical motion (motion in the same direction as load application), especially in response to axial rotation and lateral bending loads. Luschka joints appear to increase primary cervical motion, showing an effect on cervical motion opposite to that of the uncinate processes. Surgeons should be aware of the increase in motion accompanied by resection of the uncinate processes.
Shared storybook reading with a student who uses alternative and augmentative communication: A description of scaffolding practices

This study reports descriptive findings regarding the scaffolding strategies used by an experienced practitioner during a shared book reading session with a student who uses augmentative and altern...
Can Japan disengage? Winners and losers in Japan's political economy, and the ties that bind them

The Japanese economy has long been divided between world-class manufacturers, on the one hand, and uncompetitive small enterprises, inefficient service industries, and staunchly protected farmers, on the other Recent economic troubles have made the system's inefficiencies less tolerable, exacerbating the conflict of interest between the two. In political terms, however, the two Japans have not parted ways. Japan's post-war system bound the competitive and protected sectors to each other through political bargains and economic relationships. And despite enormous pressures for reform, this legacy continues to slow the pace and shape the content of Japan's economic liberalization today. Those groups with the greatest stake in liberalization, such as consumers and exporters, have not always defined their policy preferences in terms of their economic interests narrowly conceived, and have not always demanded liberalization even when they favored it. And when they have advocated it, they have not achieved clear-cut victories but only complex compromises, with considerable compensation for the potential losers from liberalization.
Fzf1p of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a positive regulator of SSU1 transcription and its first zinc finger region is required for DNA binding.

The FZF1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a five-zinc-finger transcription factor involved in sulphite tolerance. Previous work based on multicopy suppression analysis placed FZF1 upstream of SSU1, which encodes a plasma membrane protein and putative transporter also implicated in sulphite detoxification. Consistent with this analysis, Fzf1p was found to be a positive regulator of SSU1 transcription. The SSU1 promoter region involved in activation by FZF1 was defined, and the Fzf1 protein was shown to bind to it directly in vitro. Deletion of a single, amino-terminal zinc finger of Fzf1p resulted in loss of DNA binding, while the fourth and fifth zinc fingers were found to be dispensable. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hemodextrin: a self-assembled cyclodextrin–porphyrin construct that binds dioxygen

Synthetic hemoprotein model compounds are of great interest due to the vital roles and complexities of hemoproteins. This study reports a novel, self-assembled hemoprotein model, hemodextrin. The synthesis and characterization of py-PPCD (2(A)-monopyridylmethyl-perPEGylated-beta-cyclodextrin) (2) is described. The molecular design is based on a pegylated cyclodextrin scaffold that bears both a heme-binding pocket and an axial ligand that binds an iron porphyrin. The binding constant for Fe(III)TPPS [iron(III) meso-tetra(4-sulphonatophenyl)porphyrin] by py-PPCD (2) was determined to be 2 x 10(6) M(-1) at pH 6.0 by observing characteristic changes in the UV-Vis spectrum of the porphyrin. The pyridyl nitrogen of py-PPCD (2) was shown to ligate to the iron center by observing signal changes in the Fe(II)-porphyrin 1H-NMR spectrum. This hemodextrin ensemble was shown to bind dioxygen reversibly and to form a stable ferryl species.
PDZ domains: More than just a glue.

PDZ domains are part of a molecular scaffold that holds multiprotein signaling complexes together. It is generally believed that the role of PDZ domains is to position target ion channels, receptors, or other signaling molecules in correct spatial arrangement in relation to each other and to specialized regions of the cell (1–4). Two recent reports, one published in Cell (5) and another in this issue of PNAS (6) challenge this paradigm. These reports are focused on biochemical and functional analysis of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel interactions with multi-PDZ domain adaptor proteins CAP70 (CFTR-associated protein 70 kDa) (5) and NHERF (Na+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor) (6). CFTR contains a classical type I PDZ-domain binding carboxyl-terminal consensus −T-K/R-L, conserved from Xenopus to humans (5). Biochemical association of CFTR with the NHERF PDZ1 domain has previously been reported by several groups (7–9), and the importance of this interaction for apical sorting of CFTR in polarized epithelia has been demonstrated (10, 11). The previous findings fit with the general paradigm regarding the role of the PDZ domain containing proteins in membrane protein targeting in polarized cells.
c-Cbl and Cbl-b Act Redundantly to Protect Osteoclasts from Apoptosis and to Displace HDAC6 from β-Tubulin, Stabilizing Microtubules and Podosomes

c-Cbl and Cbl-b are highly conserved adaptor proteins that participate in integrin signaling, regulating cytoskeletal organization, motility, and bone resorption. Deletion of both c-Cbl and Cbl-b in mice leads to embryonic lethality, indicating that the two proteins perform essential redundant functions. To examine the redundant actions of c-Cbl and Cbl-b in osteoclasts, we depleted c-Cbl in Cbl-b(-/-) osteoclasts by using a short hairpin RNA. Depleting both Cbl proteins disrupted both the podosome belt and the microtubule network and decreased bone-resorbing activity. Stabilizing the microtubules with paclitaxel or inhibiting histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), which destabilizes microtubules by deacetylating beta-tubulin, protected both the microtubule network and the podosome belt. Examination of the mechanism involved demonstrated that the conserved four-helix bundle of c-Cbl's tyrosine kinase binding domain bound to beta-tubulin, and both c-Cbl and Cbl-b displaced HDAC6. In addition to the effects on microtubules and the podosome belt, depleting both Cbls significantly increased the levels of the proapoptotic protein Bim and apoptosis relative to the levels induced by eliminating either protein alone. Thus, both c-Cbl and Cbl-b promote bone resorption via the stabilization of microtubules, allowing the formation of the podosome belt in osteoclasts, and by promoting osteoclast survival.
Glutathione S-transferase M1 and T1 polymorphisms may predict adverse effects after therapy in children with medulloblastoma

Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) are polymorphic enzymes that catalyze the glutathione conjugation of alkylating agents, platinum compounds, and free radicals formed by radiation used to treat medulloblastoma. We hypothesized that GST polymorphisms may be responsible, in part, for individual differences in toxicity and responses in pediatric medulloblastoma. We investigated the relationship between GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms and survival and toxicity in 42 children with medulloblastoma diagnosed and treated at the Texas Children’s Cancer Center. We conducted Kaplan-Meier analyses to determine if the GST polymorphisms were related to progression-free survival (PFS) and performed logistic regression to explore associations between GST polymorphisms and occurrence of grade 3 or greater (≥Gr 3) myelosuppression, ototoxicity, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and intellectual impairment. Patients with at least one null genotype had a 4.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.1–16.8), 3.7 (1–13.6), and 6.4 (1.2–34) times increased risk for any ≥Gr 3 toxicity, any ≥Gr 3 toxicity excluding peripheral neuropathy, and any ≥Gr 3 toxicity requiring omission or cessation of chemotherapy, respectively. Compared with all others, patients with at least one null genotype had, on average, 27.2 (p = 0.0002), 29 (p = 0.0004), and 21.7 (p = 0.002) lower full-scale, performance, and verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, respectively. GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms may predict adverse events, including cognitive impairment after therapy, in patients with medulloblastoma. A larger study to validate these findings is under way.
Predictions from a Preclinical Model: Studies of Aromatase Inhibitors and Antiestrogens

We have developed a tumor model for studying the effects of aromatase inhibitors and antiestrogens in vivo. The model simulates postmenopausal breast cancer patients with estrogen-dependent tumors. This model utilizes human estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells transfected with the aromatase gene (MCF-7(CA)), which are inoculated in Matrigel s.c. into ovariectomized nude mice. The estrogen receptor-positive cells produce sufficient estrogen by aromatization to stimulate their proliferation and the formation of tumors in the mice. Using several different strategies, we have compared the aromatase inhibitors (letrozole and anastrozole) with antiestrogens (tamoxifen and fulvestrant). Aromatase inhibitors were more effective than tamoxifen and were more effective alone than when combined with antiestrogens. In addition, letrozole had a longer duration of effect than tamoxifen. The possibility of delaying the development of resistance to antiestrogens and aromatase inhibitors was investigated by alternating letrozole with tamoxifen every 4 weeks. However, although alternating treatment proved more effective than tamoxifen alone (tumors doubled in 16 weeks), tumors doubled in volume at about 18 weeks when treatment began with tamoxifen. When treatment started with letrozole and alternated with tamoxifen, tumors doubled in volume in about 22 weeks. However, tumors of mice treated with letrozole alone did not double in size until 35 weeks. These results demonstrate that this aromatase inhibitor is more effective and has a longer duration of response as a single agent than tamoxifen or in combination with tamoxifen.
Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery for synchronous versus metachronous solitary brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer.

Abstract A retrospective study was conducted analyzing the clinical outcome and various prognostic factors in patients treated with gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GK-SRS) for solitary brain metastasis from non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). A total of 72 patients from June of 1992 to January of 1999 were treated. All patients received GK-SRS to a median dose of 18 Gy, with 45 patients receiving additional whole-brain radiation therapy. No one had evidence of extra-cranial metastasis at the time of diagnosis of brain metastases. The median follow-up was 15.7 months for the entire population and 99.5 months for those who were alive at the last follow-up. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to test the impact of various prognostic factors on survival. The median and 5-year actuarial survivals for the entire cohort were 15.7 months and 10.4%, respectively. The presence of a metachronous versus a synchronous brain metastasis was the only factor significant in the univariate (P=0.045) and multivariate (P=0.002) analyses. Patients with metachronous solitary brain metastases had a significant median survival advantage compared to those with synchronous metastases (33.3 months versus 8.6 months, P=0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference in median survival from the time of metastasis when treated with GK-SRS in these groups (12.5 months versus 8.4 months, P=0.50). The addition of WBRT did not improve overall survival (12.0 months versus 7.7 months, P=0.73). The 5-year actuarial survival for the metachronous and synchronous groups were 13.2 and 8.1%, respectively. In conclusion, patients presenting with a solitary metachronous brain metastasis from NSCLC achieved longer survivals than those with a synchronous metastasis. The tail in the survival curves demonstrates that a prolonged survival may be attained in patients with solitary metastases from NSCLC. This study adds to the growing body of literature that supports the use of SRS in the management of this patient population.
To Simulate or NOMINATE

Carroll et al. (2009) summarize the similarities and differences between the NOMINATE and IDEAL methods of fitting spatial voting models to binary roll-call data. As those authors note, for the class of problems with which either NOMINATE and the Bayesian quadratic-normal model can be used, the ideal point estimates almost always coincide, and when they do not, the discrepancy is due to the somewhat arbitrary identification and computational constraints imposed by each method. There are, however, many problems for which the Bayesian quadratic-normal model can be easily generalized, so as to address a broad array of questions and take advantage of additional data. Given the nature and source of the differences between NOMINATE and the Bayesian approach—as well as the fact that both approaches are approximations of the decision-making processes being modeled—we believe that it is preferable to choose the more flexible Bayesian approach.
Development and Regenerative Ability of Bladder in the Transgenic Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Knockout Mouse

AbstractPurpose: During embryogenesis we have previously shown that urothelium is essential for normal bladder growth and development. Urothelial growth may be mediated by peptides of the epidermal growth factor family, since the epidermal growth factor receptor is expressed in bladder urothelium and epidermal growth factor has been shown to induce deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and migration of urothelial cells in vitro. Bladders from transgenic mice in which the epidermal growth factor receptor gene has been knocked out were used to examine the possible role of epidermal growth factor in bladder growth and development, detrusor neoformation and bladder regeneration.Materials and Methods: Whole bladders from transgenic knockout mice 0 to 10 days old were surgically implanted into the “subdetrusor” space of adult athymic nude rat hosts. After 10 days the dome of the host rat bladder was resected with the distal half of the transplanted knockout mouse bladder. Augmentation cystoplasty was then performed o...
Vibration energy absorption (VEA) in human fingers-hand-arm system

A methodology for measuring the vibration energy absorbed into the fingers and the palm exposed to vibration is proposed to study the distribution of the vibration energy absorption (VEA) in the fingers-hand-arm system and to explore its potential association with vibration-induced white finger (VWF). The study involved 12 adult male subjects, constant-velocity sinusoidal excitations at 10 different discrete frequencies in the range of 16–1000 Hz, and four different hand-handle coupling conditions (finger pull-only, hand grip-only, palm push-only, and combined grip and push). The results of the study suggest that the VEA into the fingers is considerably less than that into the palm at low frequencies (� 25 Hz). They are, however, comparable under the excitations in the 250–1000 Hz frequency range. The finger VEA at high frequencies (� 100 Hz) is practically independent of the hand-handle coupling condition. The coupling conditions affect the VEA into the fingers and the palm very differently. The finger VEA results suggest that the ISO standardized frequency weighting (ISO 5349-1, 2001) may underestimate the effect of high frequency vibration on vibration-induced finger disorders. The proposed method may provide new opportunities to examine VEA and its association with VWF and other types of vibration-induced disorders in the hand-arm system. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IPEM.
Guidelines for Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Stroke: A Supplement to the Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From a Special Writing Group of the Stroke Council, American Heart Association

In 1994 a panel of the American Heart Association Stroke Council wrote guidelines on the management of patients with acute ischemic stroke.1 The panel predicted that its recommendations would change as the results of ongoing clinical trials became available. At that time the panel recommended that thrombolytic drugs should not be given to persons with acute ischemic stroke outside the clinical trial setting. Since publication of the guidelines, the results of five clinical trials of intravenously administered thrombolytic drugs have been reported.2 3 4 5 6 The use of intra-arterial thrombolytic drugs continues to be reported. In light of these data, the Stroke Council reviewed the status of thrombolytic therapy and prepared this supplement, which includes recommendations for the use of thrombolytic drugs in clinical practice. In preparing this report, panel members used the rules of evidence for treatments used during the writing of the previous report1 7 (Table 1⇓). The target audience for this statement includes neurologists, emergency physicians, primary care physicians, neurosurgeons, and vascular surgeons who care for persons seen within the first few hours after stroke. View this table: Table 1. Levels of Evidence and Grading of Recommendations for Treatment of Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke* Measures to expedite clot lysis and restore circulation may limit the extent of brain injury and improve outcome after stroke. Unfortunately, intracranial bleeding was frequent among persons enrolled in studies performed in the late 1960s and 1970s, and the therapy was abandoned8 9 10 (Level of Evidence II). More recently, interest in thrombolytic therapy revived because of development of new drugs and their successful use in the care of persons with myocardial ischemia.11 In addition, a meta-analysis combining data from several pilot studies in stroke suggested that thrombolytic therapy might be useful.12 Available thrombolytic drugs are recombinant tissue plasminogen …
Pattern recognition and categorization

Four experiments are reported which attempt to determine how people make classifications when categories are defined by sets of exemplars and not by logical rules. College students classified schematic faces into one of two categories each composed of five faces. One probability model and three distance models were tested. The predominant strategy, as revealed by successful models, was to abstract a prototype representing each category and to compare the distance of novel patterns to each prototype, emphasizing those features which best discriminated the two categories.
Longitudinal tune-up of the SSC drift-tube and coupled cavity linac sections

The drift-tube and coupled cavity sections of the SSC (Superconducting Super Collider) linac will accelerate H/sup -/ beam from 2.5 MeV to 70 MeV, and from 70 MeV to 600 MeV, respectively. Two different procedures, namely the phase-scan method and the Delta -t method, have been in use for setting RF phase and amplitude in existing linac structures. Applicability of these two techniques for longitudinal commissioning and subsequent tuning are examined in context to the SSC linac sections. >
W- and Z-boson production with a massive bottom-quark pair at the Large Hadron Collider

We present total and differential cross sections for $Wb\overline{b}$ and $Zb\overline{b}$ production at the CERN Large Hadron Collider with a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=14\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$, including next-to-leading order (NLO) QCD corrections and full bottom-quark mass effects. We also provide numerical results obtained with a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$. We study the scale uncertainty of the total cross sections due to the residual renormalization- and factorization-scale dependence of the truncated perturbative series. While in the case of $Zb\overline{b}$ production the scale uncertainty of the total cross section is reduced by NLO QCD corrections, the $Wb\overline{b}$ production process at NLO in QCD still suffers from large scale uncertainties, in particular, in the inclusive case. We also perform a detailed comparison with a calculation that considers massless bottom quarks, as implemented in the Monte Carlo program MCFM. The effects of a nonzero bottom-quark mass (${m}_{b}$) cannot be neglected in phase-space regions where the relevant kinematic observable, such as the transverse-momentum of the bottom quarks or the invariant-mass of the bottom-quark pair, are of the order of ${m}_{b}$. The effects on the total production cross sections are usually smaller than the residual scale uncertainty at NLO in QCD.
Parallel texture caching

The creation of high-quality images requires new functionality and higher performance in real-time graphics architectures. In terms of functionality, texture mapping has become an integral component of graphics systems, and in terms of performance, parallel techniques are used at all stages of the graphics pipeline. In rasterization, texture caching has become prevalent for reducing texture bandwidth requirements. However, parallel rasterization architectures divide work across multiple functional units, thus potentially decreasing the locality of texture references. For such architectures to scale well, it is necessary to develop efficient parallel texture caching subsystems. We quantify the effects of parallel rasterization on texture locality for a number of rasterization architectures, representing both current commercial products and proposed future architectures. A cycle-accurate simulation of the rasterization system demonstrates the parallel speedup obtained by these systems and quantities inefficiencies due to redundant work, inherent parallel load imbalance, insufftcient memory bandwidth, and resource contention. We find that parallel texture caching works well, and is general enough to work with a wide variety of rasterization architectures.
Albion's "Chaste Lucrece": Chastity, Resistance, and the Glorious Revolution in the Career of Anne Bracegirdle

By all indications, the public persona of the late Restoration actress Anne Bracegirdle was built on the speculative foundation of maidenhead. A leading ingenue of multiple talents, Bracegirdle played significant roles in comedy, tragedy, and music-drama from her debut in 1688 to her retirement in 1707. In comedy, Bracegirdle specialized in marriageable young women of rank, wit, and fortune. In serious drama, Bracegirdle often played the pathetic heroine, a virtuous woman stalked by a predatory man. Though primarily an actress, Bracegirdle also called upon her impressive soprano voice in many entr'actes and the occasional musical part. A first-rank player and hardworking company member from very early in her career, Bracegirdle played some eighty roles over a nineteen-year span that kept her consistently before the public eye. Despite Bracegirdle's constant appearances on the stages of Drury Lane, Dorset Garden, Lincoln's Inn Fields, and the Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, few extant sources identify the qualities that typified her playing; commentators rarely discuss her acting as a discrete set of practices, aptitudes, or characterizations. Rather, prodigious evidence attests to the public's obsession with Bracegirdle's reputation for virginity. Called the “Romantick Virgin,” the actress was thought to be chaste, and many writers focused attention on her sexual virtue. Indeed, Bracegirdle's chastity seems to have been the cornerstone of her fame. As Colley Cibber wrote, her star status rose in conjunction with her reputation for purity:
Perceived Understanding and Interpersonal Relationships

This research program overview focuses on the role of perceived understanding in interpersonal relationships. This overview (1) explains the theoretical rationale for the program; (2) details the progress to date; and (3) describes ongoing research efforts.
How Social Context Cues in Online Support-Seeking Influence Self-Disclosure in Support Provision

Research on online support has largely overlooked the role of self-disclosure in support provision. By manipulating the level of social context cues in a support-seeker’s online profile, this study examined how social context cues affected a support-provider’s self-disclosure in an online support forum. Results of the experiment supported the “social context cues—perceived social presence—trust—self-disclosure” model with regard to descriptive self-disclosure but not with regard to evaluative self-disclosure.
Protection by vitamin C of oxidant-induced loss of vitamin E in rat hepatocytes

Abstract Studies with liposome model membranes demonstrate that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can regenerate vitamin E (α-tocopherol) but in vivo experiments have yielded equivocal results concerning this recycling pathway. In vitro evaluation of vitamin C–vitamin E recycling in cell systems is lacking. We investigated the capacity of vitamin C to spare or regenerate vitamin E from loss during oxidative stress in primary rat hepatocytes. Livers from 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused with collagenase and the hepatocytes incubated for 180 min in pH 7.4 Hank’s balanced salt solution with 0.1% bovine serum albumin and the free radical generator 2,2′-azo-bis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH; 10–100 mM), a water soluble compound, or 2,2′-azo-bis-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile (AMVN; 250–900 μmoles/L cell suspension), a lipid soluble compound, or a vehicle control. Hepatocyte α-tocopherol decreased by 75% in a dose-dependent fashion following AAPH treatment and was completely consumed following AMVN exposure. Loss of vitamin E was more rapid after treatment with AMVN than with AAPH (50% loss by 30 and 180 min with 900 μM AMVN and 10 mM AAPH, respectively) while declines were 30% or less under control conditions after 180 min. The addition of 2 to 6 mM vitamin C to the media after 15, 30, or 60 min prevented further loss of cellular vitamin E after AAPH or AMVN treatment. Vitamin C decreased the accumulation of α-tocopherolquinone by 35% following AMVN treatment, suggesting a recycling rather than an exclusive sparing action of vitamin C on vitamin E. Regardless of its specific mechanism of action, vitamin C can protect against the oxidant-induced loss of vitamin E in vitro.
Interdisciplinary approaches to therapy and education for the developmentally disabled and the psychiatrically handicapped

This conference attempts to focus on the central idea of the need for interdisciplinary practices in providing services to persons with developmental disabilities and psychiatric handicaps. This focus brings to our discussion the need for more sharing of efforts. It also evokes the need for us to be aware of the level of comfort among professions in asking for assistance and giving help to others who seek to provide services to handicapped persons. Perhaps this may be illustrated by using an analogy. For instance, consider:
Automatic contour segmentation for object analysis

The problem of distinguishing shapes from a compound contour, which is formed by overlapping more than one distinct object, is considered. The algorithm exploits the fact that planar shapes can be completely described by contour segments, and that they can be decomposed at their maximum concavity into simpler objects. To reduce spurious decomposition, the decomposed segments are merged hypotheses. The algorithm calculates the linking possibility by weighting the angular differentiation which measures against k-curvature consistency. The techniques were implemented and applied to other partial shape matching problems for clustering purposes. >
What is War?: Reflections on Free Speech in 'Wartime'

Written as the lead article for a Symposium issue commemorating the Free Speech in Wartime Conference held in January of 2005 at Rutgers Law School - Camden, this piece analyzes the following questions: What qualifies as war in the 21st Century? Who determines when the country is at war? And what effect, if any, should the existence of a war have on judicial review of First Amendment challenges?
Review of Adis Duderija, Constructing a Religiously Ideal “Believer” and “Woman” in Islam: Neo-traditional Salafi and Progressive Muslims’ Methods of Interpretation

Adis Duderija provides a great service to Islamic studies scholars in his painstaking analysis of the interpretive approaches (manahij) of contemporary ‘neo-traditional’ Salafis and ‘progressive’ Muslims vis-a-vis the Qur’an and Sunna. First tracing the historical lineage of each group’s interpretive frameworks, Duderija outlines the details of their respective methods with particular attention to their stances on: the nature of the Qur’an’s language and revelation; the relationship between the Qur’an’s meaning and its historical context; the place of reason and ethical valuation in Qur’anic interpretation; the suitability of thematic approaches to Qur’anic interpretation; and the definition and scope of the Sunna. He then goes on to examine how each group’s interpretive stances translate specifically into their different conceptualizations of ideal Muslim womanhood and definitions of a ‘Believer’ (as opposed to the religious ‘Other’). In the first half of his book, Duderija argues that neo-traditional Salafi (NTS) thought is the contemporary incarnation of the pre-modern ahl-hadith school of thought, as the former draws heavily upon the works of a select group of premodern scholars deemed to be strict followers of ahl-hadith methods. NTS thinkers tend to equate the Sunna with the written text of the sahih hadith (to the exclusion of orally transmitted knowledge and practices), and they insist that all legitimate religious knowledge is taken only from the text of Qur’an and sahih hadith. They advocate total adherence to the word of the Qur’an and sahih hadith alone, and as such, the only legitimate interpretation of the Qur’an is exclusively hadith-based and free of the intervention of human reason; thus any other interpretational methodologies applied to the Qur’an are by definition illegitimate. For NTS thinkers, the Cont Islam (2014) 8:75–78 DOI 10.1007/s11562-012-0213-z
Patient-Reported Metal Allergy: A Risk Factor for Poor Outcomes After Total Joint Arthroplasty?

Abstract Background Metal sensitivity after total joint arthroplasty has been of increased concern, but the impact of a patient-reported metal allergy on clinical outcomes has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to report the incidence and impact of patient-reported metal allergy after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods This was a retrospective, institutional review board–approved investigation of patients undergoing a primary, elective total joint arthroplasty between 2009 and 2011. All patients completed a preoperative questionnaire asking about drug and environmental allergies. In January 2010, a specific question was added regarding the presence of a metal allergy. University of California at Los Angeles Activity, Short Form 12 (SF-12), Modified Harris Hip, and Knee Society scores were collected preoperatively and at most recent follow-up. Overall cohorts of metal allergy and nonmetal allergy patients were compared, and a 1:2 matching analysis was also performed. Results Nine hundred six primary THAs and 589 primary TKAs were included. The incidence of patient-reported metal allergy was 1.7% before January 2010 and 4.0% after (overall 2.3% of THAs and 4.1% of TKAs); 97.8% of metal allergy patients were female. After TKA, postoperative Knee Society Function, Symptoms, Satisfaction, and Expectation scores were all decreased in the metal allergy cohort ( P P P = .001, respectively). Conclusion Patient-reported metal allergy is associated with decreased functional outcomes after TKA and decreased mental health scores after THA.
Enzyme Architecture: Deconstruction of the Enzyme-Activating Phosphodianion Interactions of Orotidine 5′-Monophosphate Decarboxylase

The mechanism for activation of orotidine 5′-monophosphate decarboxylase (OMPDC) by interactions of side chains from Gln215 and Try217 at a gripper loop and R235, adjacent to this loop, with the phosphodianion of OMP was probed by determining the kinetic parameters kcat and Km for all combinations of single, double, and triple Q215A, Y217F, and R235A mutations. The 12 kcal/mol intrinsic binding energy of the phosphodianion is shown to be equal to the sum of the binding energies of the side chains of R235 (6 kcal/mol), Q215 (2 kcal/mol), Y217 (2 kcal/mol), and hydrogen bonds to the G234 and R235 backbone amides (2 kcal/mol). Analysis of a triple mutant cube shows small (ca. 1 kcal/mol) interactions between phosphodianion gripper side chains, which are consistent with steric crowding of the side chains around the phosphodianion at wild-type OMPDC. These mutations result in the same change in the activation barrier to the OMPDC-catalyzed reactions of the whole substrate OMP and the substrate pieces (1-β-d-er...
Theories of Increased Rainfall and the Timber Culture Act of 1873

The remarkable thing about the Timber Culture Act was the theory which prompted its passage, a theory which gave expression to both the optimism and the desperation which accompanied the Americans in the settlement of their last frontier. The frontier in question was not of the conventional kind. By the 1870s Americans were confronting the Great Plains. Accustomed to providential favor in the matter of land, they were now forced to occupy a region best known as a place of unbroken sterility and desolation. Explorers from Zebulon Pike to Stephen Long and Gouveneur Warren had commented on the aridity of the plains and its irreclaimability for agricultural purposes. The region, in fact, was condemned by Pike as a great and uninhabitable desert, doomed to remain forever the home of the "wandering and uncivilized aborigines of the country."1 Even boosters, men like William Gilpin, confessed that the plains were of negligible value for agriculture and that the best
Is half of a lens gap junction channel better than none? Focus on “Properties of two cataract-associated mutations located in the NH2 terminus of connexin 46”

gap junctions are clusters of intercellular channels that allow the exchange of ions and small metabolites between adjacent cells ([1][1]). Intercellular channels form when two hemichannels, one contributed by each of the opposed cells, align in the extracellular space. Hemichannels are oligomers of
Shape-controlled colloidal synthesis of rock-salt lead selenide nanocrystals.

Developing simple synthetic methods to control the size and morphology of nanocrystals is an active area of research as these parameters control the material’s electronic and optical properties. For a semiconductor with a symmetrical crystal structure such as lead selenide, anisotropic colloidal growth has been previously accomplished via the use of templates, seeds, or by block assembly of smaller, symmetrical subunits. Here, we present a simple method to create monodisperse lead selenide nanorods and multipods at low temperatures. The size distribution and the observed morphologies are consistent with a continuous, anisotropic growth of material. The syntheses of these anisotropic shapes are due to the nature of the nuclei that form upon injection of precursors into partially oxidized alkene solvents that may contain lactone and carbonate-functional derivatives.
Precipitation kinetics during aging of an alumina-forming austenitic stainless steel

Abstract The microstructural evolution of DAFA26, an alumina-forming austenitic (AFA) stainless steel, was investigated during aging. The effect of aging at 750 °C and 800 °C on the growth of spherical γ’-Ni3(Al, Ti) particles present in the as-processed state was studied extensively using X-ray diffraction, microhardness testing, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. The γ’ particles had a cube-on-cube orientation relationship with the matrix (i.e. ( ( 010 ) m// ( 010 ) p, [ 100 ] m// [ 10 0 ] p)). The coarsening kinetics of γ’-Ni3Al particles were in agreement with the Lifshitz, Slyozof-Wagner theory. Coarse Laves phase particles were also present in the as-processed state, and during the aging process both smaller Laves phase precipitates and B2-NiAl precipitates formed on both the grain boundaries and in the matrix. The γ’ precipitates were determined to have the most impact on the room temperature hardness.
Question order sensitivity of subjective well-being measures: focus on life satisfaction, self-rated health, and subjective life expectancy in survey instruments.

Purpose This study examines the effect of question context created by order in questionnaires on three subjective well-being measures: life satisfaction, self-rated health, and subjective life expectancy.
Hospital-Based Hepatitis C Screening of Baby Boomers in a Majority Hispanic South Texas Cohort: Successes and Barriers to Implementation:

Objective.To comply with the 2012 CDC recommendations for hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening, we implemented a new HCV screening program for patients born between 1945 and 1965 at a South Texas safe...
Overview of aortic aneurysm management in the endovascular era

Management of aortic aneurysm disease has changed in the endovascular era, with the majority of patients opting for stent-graft repair of abdominal and thoracic aneurysms. An understanding of this vascular condition is important for primary care, emergency medicine, medicine specialists, and vascular surgeons alike. Awareness of the patient risk factors for aneurysmal degeneration, sac rupture, and medical management allows physicians to screen appropriate patient populations, which decreases aneurysm-related mortality due to rupture. The evolving endovascular techniques available today have made more patients eligible for this less-invasive repair, which has lower mortality and morbidity compared with open surgery with aorta replacement. This review provides contemporary information on the etiology, natural history, evaluation, and management of aortic aneurysm disease. The complications of prior aortic repair, whether performed via endovascular or open surgery intervention, are equally important to understanding not only for vascular surgeons performing these procedures, but also for primary care, emergency department, and medicine specialists who are evaluating these patients in an office or hospital setting.
Distal Radius Fractures Do Not Displace following Splint or Cast Removal in the Acute, Postreduction Period: A Prospective, Observational Study

Background Displacement of distal radius fractures has been previously described in the literature; however, little is known about fracture displacement following splint or cast removal at the initial clinic visit following reduction and immobilization. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate risk factors for fracture displacement following splint or cast removal and physical examination in the acute postinjury period. Methods All patients with a closed distal radius fracture who presented to our orthopedic hand clinic within 3 weeks of injury were prospectively enrolled in our study. Standard wrist radiographs were obtained prior to splint or cast removal. A second wrist series was obtained following physical exam and application of immobilization at the end of the clinic visit. Radiographic parameters for displacement were measured by two independent reviewers and included dorsal angulation, radial inclination, articular step-off, radial height, and ulnar variance. Displacement was assessed using predefined, radiographic criteria for displacement. Results A total of 64 consecutive patients were enrolled over a period of 12 weeks. Of these, 37.5% were classified as operative according to American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons guidelines and 37.5% met LaFontaine instability criteria. For each fracture, none of the five measurements exceeded the predefined clinically or statistically significant criteria for displacement. Conclusion Splint removal in the acute postinjury period did not result in distal radius fracture displacement. Clinicians should feel comfortable removing splints and examining underlying soft tissue in the acute setting for patients with distal radius fractures after closed reduction. Level of Evidence Level II, prospective comparative study.
Glycomics profile analysis by MALDI TOF/MS in human CSF

P glycosylation is important for human brain development and function. The majority of the >100 known subtypes presents with intellectual disability. To explore possible defects in protein glycosylation in the brain, we developed comprehensive glycomics analysis of N-glycome, O-glycome and free glycome by MALDI TOF/MS in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). 0.4 ml CSF was filtered to separate free oligosaccharides from glycoprotein. N-glycans were released via PNGase F digestion and O-glycans were released separately by reductive beta-elimination reaction. After purified, glycans were permethylated and analyzed by MALDI TOF/MS. Thirty eight different N-glycan species, 85 free oligosaccharide and 25 O-glycan species were identified in 10 control CSF samples. Compared with plasma glycomics data, CSF has much more O-glycan species including O-mannosylated glycans and polysialylated O-glycans. Comparing 166 CSF samples from patients with undiagnosed neurological disease from the NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP) with 10 control CSF samples, about 20 UDP patients have CSF glycomics profiles significantly deviated from the profiles of control CSF samples. Four of the UDP patients have known genetic disorders that alter protein glycosylation in human brain, including one patient with putative CAD deficiency, a defect in uridine biosynthesis. Interestingly, one of the known patients has a completely normal plasma glycomics profile and urine oligosaccharide profile, while both his CSF N and O-glycomics profiles are abnormal. Our results suggest that CSF glycomics analysis could be a useful tool to discover new diseases or disease mechanism.
Left Behind: George Herbert, Eschatology, and the Stuart Atlantic, 1606–1634

The poet and divine George Herbert wrote this letter to his mother, thanking her for a previous communication that brought him ‘earthly preferment’. Though it is unclear what favour Herbert is referring to (there are a number of possibilities, including his selection as Cambridge University Orator in 1620), the letter has a tone of twinned disappointment and gratitude, as the writer expresses his desire to ‘change’ whatever favour he has received for the opportunity to engage in actual ‘work in the New Jerusalem’. Though it would be easy to read this passage as simply a metaphoric elevation of heavenly concerns over earthly ones, this chapter will suggest instead that Herbert’s desire to work in ‘New Jerusalem’ was anything but figurative. New Jerusalem—the city in which the godly would reign on earth for a thousand years—was a practical goal for many of Herbert’s Protestant contemporaries in Caroline England, a literal interpretation of scripture that was fuelled by the widespread suggestion that the New World of the English colonies might eventually be the site of the new world of the godly.
A Probabilistic Approach to Automated Construction of Topological Maps Using a Stochastic Robotic Swarm

In this paper, we present a novel procedure for constructing a topological map of an unknown environment from data collected by a swarm of robots with limited sensing capabilities and no communication or global localization. Topological maps are sparse roadmap representations of environments that can be used to identify collision-free trajectories for robots to navigate through a domain. Our method uses uncertain position data obtained by robots during the course of random exploration to construct a probability function over the explored region that indicates the presence of obstacles. Techniques from topological data analysis, in particular the concept of persistent homology, are applied to the probability map to segment the obstacle regions. Finally, a graph-based wave propagation algorithm is applied to the obstacle-free region to construct the topological map of the domain in the form of an approximate generalized Voronoi diagram. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in a variety of simulated domains and in multirobot experiments on a domain with two obstacles.
Acute Management of Symptomatic Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma With Everolimus.

Abstract Background Subependymal giant cell astrocytomas (SEGA) are slow-growing tumors, which can cause obstructive hydrocephalus in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). These tumors require routine surveillance with magnetic resonance imaging. Current consensus guidelines recommend treatment of asymptomatic SEGAs with an mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor because these medications have demonstrated efficacy and safety in multiple prospective clinical trials. For symptomatic SEGAs, standard therapy typically involves surgical resection of the tumor to relieve mass effect and resolve hydrocephalus. However, resection can be associated with significant perioperative morbidity and complications. There are anecdotal reports of using mTOR inhibitors to reduce tumor size in preparation for surgery, but prospective studies comparing sole mTOR inhibitor therapy with surgical management have not been completed. Methods Here, we present a seven-year-old boy with a large, symptomatic SEGA which was treated acutely with everolimus. Results Everolimus treatment resulted in rapid reduction in tumor size, symptomatic improvement, and decrease in cerebrospinal fluid protein. Conclusions Everolimus can effectively reduce tumor size, decrease cerebrospinal fluid protein, and allow successful ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement without the need for surgical resection of a symptomatic SEGA.
The making of Samuel Beckett’s ‘L’Innommable’/‘The Unnamable’

Dirk Van Hulle and Shane Weller’s The Making of Samuel Beckett’s “L’Innommable”/“The Unnamable” provides a detailed examination through genetic studies of Beckett’s “unword”, discussed on the “Germ...
Teaching the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test to Schizophrenic Patients-Reply

In Reply.— Green et al present a useful extension and refinement of our study. They showed that a subgroup of patients with schizophrenia could benefit from instruction and maintain improvment on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test through the use of reward. We noted in our own study that "If teaching were more intensive, included more significant rewards, and was very frequent, it is possible that some patients could eventually master the task." The findings of Green et al support this view. It is interesting to note that despite the instruction and reward, half of the patients still could not improve their performance! While we recognize that the study by Green et al is in a preliminary stage, it might gain more power if a number of issues were addressed. First, it appears to us that the initial performance of the group that benefited from reinforcement was considerably better than that