cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Comparison of Robotically Applied Pure Moment, Ideal Follower Load, and Novel Trunk Weight Loading Protocols on L4-L5 Cadaveric Segments during Flexion-Extension.

BACKGROUND: Extremely few in-vitro biomechanical studies have incorporated shear loads leaving a gap for investigation, especially when applied in combination with compression and bending under dynamic conditions. The objective of this study was to biomechanically compare sagittal plane application of two standard protocols, pure moment (PM) and follower load (FL), with a novel trunk weight (TW) loading protocol designed to induce shear in combination with compression and dynamic bending in a neutrally potted human cadaveric L4-L5 motion segment unit (MSU) model. A secondary objective and novelty of the current study was the application of all three protocols within the same testing system serving to reduce artifacts due to testing system variability. METHODS: Six L4-L5 segments were tested in a Cartesian load controlled system in flexion-extension to 8Nm under PM, simulated ideal 400N FL, and vertically oriented 400N TW loading protocols. Comparison metrics used were rotational range of motion (RROM), flexibility, neutral zone (NZ) range of motion, and L4 vertebral body displacements. RESULTS: Significant differences in vertebral body translations were observed with different initial force applications but not with subsequent bending moment application. Significant reductions were observed in combined flexion-extension RROM, in flexibility during extension, and in NZ region flexibility with the TW loading protocol as compared to PM loading. Neutral zone ranges of motion were not different between all protocols. CONCLUSIONS: The combined compression and shear forces applied across the spinal joint in the trunk weight protocol may have a small but significantly increased stabilizing effect on segment flexibility and kinematics during sagittal plane flexion and extension.
Fine mapping of the stem rust resistance gene SrTA10187

SrTA10187 was fine-mapped to a 1.1 cM interval, candidate genes were identified in the region of interest, and molecular markers were developed for marker-assisted selection and Sr gene pyramiding. Stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, Pgt) races belonging to the Ug99 (TTKSK) race group pose a serious threat to global wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production. To improve Pgt host resistance, the Ug99-effective resistance gene SrTA10187 previously identified in Aegilops tauschii Coss. was introgressed into wheat, and mapped to the short arm of wheat chromosome 6D. In this study, high-resolution mapping of SrTA10187 was done using a population of 1,060 plants. Pgt resistance was screened using race QFCSC. PCR-based SNP and STS markers were developed from genotyping-by-sequencing tags and SNP sequences available in online databases. SrTA10187 segregated as expected in a 3:1 ratio of resistant to susceptible individuals in three out of six BC3F2 families, and was fine-mapped to a 1.1 cM region on wheat chromosome 6DS. Marker context sequence was aligned to the reference Ae. tauschii genome to identify the physical region encompassing SrTA10187. Due to the size of the corresponding region, candidate disease resistance genes could not be identified with confidence. Comparisons with the Ae. tauschii genetic map developed by Luo et al. (PNAS 110(19):7940–7945, 2013) enabled identification of a discrete genetic locus and a BAC minimum tiling path of the region spanning SrTA10187. Annotation of pooled BAC library sequences led to the identification of candidate genes in the region of interest—including a single NB-ARC-LRR gene. The shorter genetic interval and flanking KASP™ and STS markers developed in this study will facilitate marker-assisted selection, gene pyramiding, and positional cloning of SrTA10187.
Core Actuation Promotes Self-manipulability on a Direct-Drive Quadrupedal Robot

For direct-drive legged robots operating in unstructured environments, workspace volume and force generation are competing, scarce resources. In this paper we demonstrate that introducing geared core actuation (i.e., proximal to rather than distal from the mass center) increases workspace volume and can provide a disproportionate amount of work-producing-force to the mass center without affecting leg linkage transparency. These effects are analytically quantifiable up to modest assumptions, and are demonstrated empirically on a spined quadruped performing a leap both on level ground and from an isolated foothold (an archetypal feature of unstructured terrain).
Glass Trade Beads from the Goose Lake Outlet #3 Site (20MQ140), Marquette County, Michigan

ABSTRACTThis article describes analyses of the glass trade-bead assemblage of the Goose Lake Outlet #3 (GLO#3) site (20MQ140), a probable short-term winter campsite located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Based on typological and attribute analysis of the beads, which employed the Kidd and Kidd classification system and comparison with published “glass bead periods” or GBPs developed for assemblages in Ontario, the GLO#3 bead assemblage is assigned a date within the 1630s. Comparison with other midwestern protohistoric assemblages further supports this interpretation. Situated within a protohistoric period of intercultural interaction and exchange, the material culture from the site provides archaeological evidence for some of the earliest arrivals of European-made trade items in the Midwest.
Causal inference in marketing applications: Methods and Applications in Marketing Management, Public Policy, and Litigation Support

Marketing applications offer many difficult and unique challenges in causal inference. In particular, targeted marketing activities, the arch-typical example of is search ads, can be difficult to evaluate using purely observational data. I review causal methods proposed in the recent econometrics literature and consider their suitability for various problems in marketing. In particular, I call attention to problems of how to evaluate various estimation procedures in the marketing context.
Xenopus Brn-3.0, a POU-domain gene expressed in the developing retina and tectum. Not regulated by innervation.

Purpose. To study the effect of denervation on the expression of the POU-domain gene Brn-3.0 in the Xenopus visual system. Methods. An oligonucleotide probe was used to identify homologs of the murine gene Brn-3.0 in the retina. In situ hybridization was used to determine the spatial distributiton of the mRNA within the developing embryo. To study the effects of denervation on Brn-3.0 expression and cell fate, embryonic eyes were transplanted to an ectopic location on the animal (the flank) before the onset of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axonogenesis. Gene expression in ectopic eyes and denervated tecta was analyzed over time using in situ hybridization. Results. The deduced, partial amino acid sequence for Xenopus Brn-3.0 shows 100% idenuty with the mouse Brn-3.0 and the human Brn-3a gene products. It is expressed during early embryonic development in distinct populations of the neural crest and later in specific cranial ganglia. It also is expressed in RGCs and in the optic tectum, beginning before the first RGC axons have reached the tectum and continuing without interruption throughout the period when retino-tectal connections are established and refined. If the retino-tectal projection is kept from forming by transplanting one eye to an ectopic location, Brn-3.0 expression is unaffected in both the ectopic eye and the denervated side of the tectum. Conclusions. Coordinated expression of Brn-3.0 in afferent and efferent pathways suggests mutual regulation. However, the authors' evidence shows that expression in the retina is not regulated by target-derived factors nor is expression in the tectum regulated by retinal innervation.
CHAPTER 5 – DESIGN IMPLICATIONS

Publisher Summary The features of decision table programming systems cannot be evaluated outside a system context. The contribution of a particular feature toward the goals and purposes of the entire system is conditioned by its operation in conjunction with the other features comprising the programming system. The situation, termed as the system designer's dilemma, leads to an iterative procedure in which a starting point is chosen, and components are then added, deleted, and exchanged until no improvement can be obtained. The starting system is a minimal set of essential components. Because only limited backtracking is performed, the remaining components are examined in order of decreasing anticipated value to the system. The selection of essential features and the ordering of the remainder are subjective even though conditioned by the goals and constraints of the entire system. This chapter presents a relative evaluation of the features of decision table programming by estimating the point at which they would enter the iterative design process.
Intra- and interatrial conduction abnormalities: hemodynamic and arrhythmic significance

Alterations of normal intra- and interatrial conduction are a common outcome of multiple cardiovascular conditions. They arise most commonly in the context of advanced age, cardiovascular risk factors, organic heart disease, atrial fibrosis, and left atrial enlargement. Interatrial block (IAB), the most frequent and extensively studied atrial conduction disorder, affects up to 20% of the general primary care population. IAB can be partial (P wave duration ≥ 120 ms on any of the 12 ECG leads) or advanced (P wave ≥ 120 ms and biphasic morphology (positive-negative) in inferior leads). Advanced IAB is an independent risk factor for supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and embolic stroke in a variety of clinical settings. Advanced IAB is a cause of left atrial electromechanical dysfunction and left atrioventricular dyssynchrony and has been associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. P wave duration is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality in the general population. Atrial conduction abnormalities should be identified as markers of atrial remodeling, prognostic indicators, and, in the case of advanced IAB, a true arrhythmologic syndrome. IAB and other P wave abnormalities should prompt the search for associated conditions, the treatment of which may partially reverse atrial remodeling or prevent it if administered upstream. Future studies will help define the role of preventive therapeutic interventions in high-risk patients, including antiarrhythmic drug therapy and oral anticoagulation. Implications for the treatment of heart failure and for pacing should also be further investigated.
What's in a Name? Role Clarity Goes Well Beyond a Simple Title.

Background:Role clarity is important for patient care but challenging in graduate medical education (GME).Methods:Badge buddies were integrated for all GME trainees at a single institution, and sur...
Modeling of surface reactions

The two-dimensional monomer-monomer (AB) surface reaction model without diffusion is considered for infinitesimal, finite and infinite reaction rates k. For equal reactant adsorption rates, in all cases, simulations reveal the same form of slow poisoning, associated with clustering of reactants. This behavior is also the same as that found in simulations of the two-dimensional voter model studied in Interacting Particle Systems theory. The voter model can also be obtained from the dimer-dimer or monomer-dimer surface reaction model with infinitesimal reaction rate. We provide a detailed elucidation of the slow poisoning kinetics via an analytic treatment for the k=0+ AB reaction and the voter model. This analysis is extended to incorporate the effects of place-exchange diffusion which slows, but does not prevent poisoning. We also show that the k=0+ AB reaction with no diffusion is equivalent to the voter model with diffusion at rate 1/2. Identical behavior of the monomer-monomer reaction and the voter model is also found in an "epidemic" analysis, where one considers the evolution of a surface poisoned by one species, except for a small patch. Finally we apply our findings to elucidate the behavior of the monomer-dimer surface reaction model for small reaction rates.
Saints, Centaurs, and Satyrs: Going Wild in the Desert

This chapter describes Jerome’s hagiography—in which Athanasius’s Antony is the main character—as a text intended on surpassing the well-known, highly-celebrated, Life of Antony. Jerome therefore begins by describing a saint older, wiser, holier, and deeper in the desert than Antony ever traveled. As Antony learns of Paul and sets off to find him, he is greeted by the other denizens of the desert: a centaur; a satyr; and wolf—all non-human creatures. Anzaldua’s language helps me to articulate how the human–animal divide is rendered unstable along with other dichotomies in the borderlands. Language becomes the key to understanding the falseness of distinguishing between human and animal (in this case, between ascetics and animals).
Status epilepticus - time is brain and treatment considerations.

Purpose of reviewStatus epilepticus is a neurological emergency associated with high morbidity and mortality. There is a lack of robust data to guide the management of this neurological emergency beyond the initial treatment. This review examines recent literature on treatment considerations includi
The Effect of Horizontal Rectus Muscle Surgery on Distance-Near Incomitance.

Purpose To determine the effect of horizontal rectus muscle surgery on distance-near incomitance. Design Prospective, comparative, interventional case series. Methods Prospective evaluation of patients >7 years old who had medial or lateral rectus muscle surgery at the University of Arkansas Medical Center or Arkansas Children's Hospital between December 2009 and January 2012. Prism and alternate cover testing was performed at distance (6 m) and near (0.3 m) fixation after >1 hour of monocular occlusion at preoperative and postoperative examinations within 1 week, and closest to 1 year after surgery. The change in distance-near incomitance was calculated. Patients with extraocular muscle fibrosis or paralysis were excluded. Results Forty-five patients met inclusion criteria. Twenty-five patients had medial rectus muscle surgery, and 20 patients had lateral rectus muscle surgery. Postoperative examinations showed a change in distance-near incomitance ≤10 prism diopters (PD) in 42 of 44 patients evaluated within 1 week after surgery and in all 28 patients evaluated 6-24 months after surgery. Horizontal rectus muscle surgery did not induce a clinically significant change in distance-near incomitance (±2 PD equivalence, TOST confidence interval, −1.8 +1.6 PD, P value = 0.014). Contrary to traditional teaching, medial rectus muscle surgery was not more likely to induce a greater effect at near fixation (P = 0.80) and lateral rectus muscle surgery was not more likely to induce a greater effect at distance fixation (P > 0.99). Conclusion Horizontal rectus muscle surgery does not induce a clinically significant effect on distance-near incomitance. Contrary to traditional teaching, medial rectus muscle surgery does not induce a greater effect on ocular alignment at near fixation and lateral rectus muscle surgery does not induce a greater effect on ocular alignment at distance fixation. It is not necessary to consider distance-near incomitance when choosing between medial rectus and lateral rectus muscle surgery.
Lessons Learned and Brighter Opportunities for Pharmacy Education Amid COVID-19.

For pharmacy administrators, educators, staff members, and students, the pandemic caused by the coronavirus identified in 2019 (COVID-19) has been like no other time in our academic careers. In the course of several weeks in spring 2020, pharmacy education underwent more significant changes than it
The Utility of Clinical Notes for Sexual Minority Health Research.

Introduction Despite improvements in electronic medical record capability to collect data on sexual orientation, not all healthcare systems have adopted this practice. This can limit the usability of systemwide electronic medical record data for sexual minority research. One viable resource might be the documentation of sexual orientation within clinical notes. The authors developed an approach to identify sexual orientation documentation and subsequently derived a cohort of sexual minority patients using clinical notes from the Veterans Health Administration electronic medical record. Methods A hybrid natural language processing approach was developed and used to identify and categorize instances of terms and phrases related to sexual orientation in Veterans Health Administration clinical notes from 2000 to 2019. System performance was assessed with positive predictive value and sensitivity. Data were analyzed in 2019. Results A total of 2,413,584 sexual minority terms/phrases were found within clinical notes, of which 439,039 (18%) were found to be related to patient sexual orientation with a positive predictive value of 85.9%. Documentation of sexual orientation was found for 115,312 patients. When compared with 2,262 patients with a record of administrative coding for homosexuality, the system found mentions of sexual orientation for 1,808 patients (79.9% sensitivity). Conclusions When systemwide structured data are unavailable or inconsistent, deriving a cohort of sexual minority patients in electronic medical records for research is possible and permits longitudinal analysis across multiple clinical domains. Although limitations and challenges to the approach were identified, this study makes an important step forward for the Veterans Health Administration sexual minority research, and the methodology can be applied in other healthcare organizations.
Evaluation and Management of Patients With Stable Angina: Beyond the Ischemia Paradigm: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

Coronary heart disease is a chronic, systemic disease with a wide range of associated symptoms, clinical outcomes, and health care expenditure. Adverse events from coronary heart disease can be mitigated or avoided with lifestyle and risk factor modifications, and medical therapy. These measures are effective in slowing the progression of atherosclerotic disease and in reducing the risk of thrombosis in the setting of plaque disruptions. With increasing effectiveness of prevention and medical therapy, the role of coronary artery revascularization has decreased and is largely confined to subgroups of patients with unacceptable angina, severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, or high-risk coronary anatomy. There is a compelling need to allocate resources appropriately to improve prevention. Herein, we review the scientific evidence in support of medical therapy and revascularization for the management of patients with stable coronary heart disease and discuss implications for the evaluation of patients with stable angina and public policy.
Public Virtue and the Ethical Dimensions of Leading

This chapter presents a normative account of ethical leading as an agent centered form of public virtue. Public virtue involves an individual using focused reflection and judgment that emerge from a disciplined pattern of self-awareness. Self-aware leaders concentrate intentional thought through four dimensions of public action. These four dimensions grow from the personal responsibility entailed by the ethical consequences of leading. Individual leaders structure their reflection in a way that creates mental frames models that shape intentional cognitive, emotional and perceptual actions and judgment. The paper integrates traditional understandings of virtue and action with modern cognitive understandings of how the mind and mental frames work and this integration provides a cognitive process that helps individuals practice virtue in judgment and action. The paper will examine the four dimensions that shape virtuous reflection and examine their understanding by looking at two masked but real-life case studies. Individuals can lead from anywhere at any time. The paper uses a simple and expansive definition of leading. Leading occurs when individuals seek to help others achieve a common purpose. Leading happens when a person’s intentional presence changes the conditions of life or human behavior from what would have occurred had the person not been present. In simple terms, individuals make a difference. Leading with public virtue depends upon a mental frame to judge. This framework should consist of an integrated cognitive model that individuals can adopt, practice and integrate into a habituated and intentional frame of judgment. The frame works as practiced cognitive activity where individuals recall information from memory, apply models, rules or analogies to make sense of information, deploy reasons and develop actions to fit the situation. The ethical worth resides in the ability of the cognitive frame to scan and identify ethically relevant aspects of a challenge and call up relevant and fitting ethical actions to address the issue based upon past practice and present learning. The paper lays out the frame and discusses each dimension in some detail to point to the wide range of aspects that take on ethical importance for public leading.
Graphene-Supported Fe/Ni, β-Mo2C Nanoparticles: Experimental and DFT Integrated Approach to Catalyst Development for Synergistic Hydrogen Production through Lignin-Rich Biomass Reforming and Reduced Shale Gas Flaring

Biomass—flare gas synergistic coprocessing is a novel energy conversion technology that aims at harnessing an abundant renewable energy source: biomass and mitigate shale gas flaring. p-Cresol is u...
Few Notes on Inequality in Israel: The Causes Behind Inequality

Real Justice has nothing in common with redistribution and disgraceful ‘equity’, so we are discussing inequality as a purely economic problem. There are two sources of inequality in focus in this short paper. The first one is rooted in the level of risks accepted by business: if a significant part of entrepreneurs is ‘risk loving’ innovators who could both to lose big or, or to win big it inevitably results in relatively high inequality (as it is observable in the US economy – Acemoglu et al, 2012; Adam Smith). The second source of inequality is high barriers for entering markets protecting crony – capitalists. The latter is quite typical for some autocratic governments as well as for every economy plagued by socialist-like institutions (as a majority of Latin American countries and Israel with 'socially oriented' patron-client pyramids in broad use - De Soto, 2002).
Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Professional Ethics

Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) professionals have complex and sometimes conflicting responsibilities by serving as expert, decision- maker, risk and business case analysis communicator, advisor, and leader (Iavicoli, Valenti, Gagliardi, & Rantanen, 2018). These responsibilities become more complex considering the variety of stakeholders to include workers, union representatives, management/employers, health care providers, professional associations, and the public. Ethical decision- making has become more challenging in recent years with changing organizational models focusing on use of OEHS generalists rather than specialists, extended work hours, teleworking options, and use of contractors and temporary staff. Advances in data collection and analysis such as use of big data systems and wearable measurement technology has advanced both an OEHS professional’s ability to conduct exposure assessment and improved worker’s knowledge of their own exposures. However, these advances present ethical dilemmas concerning respect for confidentiality, consent, workers’ right to know, autonomy of workers’ decisions, data ownership, and data accuracy (Westerholm, 2007). The purpose of this article is to describe common ethical philosophies, ABIH and BCSP code of ethics, and example case studies involving OEHS dilemmas.
More Value, Less Profit: The Value and Organization of an Internally Financed Firm

Problem definition: Profit maximization is the default criterion in operations management and much of economics, but its pursuit achieves a firm's financial value only under stringent conditions. Otherwise: (A) Profit optimization is sub-optimal, but the proper operational criterion to maximize value can be determined clearly for a firm that is financed internally. (B) Identification of the organizational structure to coordinate decisions regarding working capital and operations properly is a by-product of the answer to (A). Methodology/results: The results emerge from the analysis of a Markov decision process model of a firm that makes periodic decisions regarding operations and working capital. The value of the firm is the maximal expected present value of the time stream of net payouts (cash dividends, stock dividends, and stock buybacks). That is one end of an axis on which the other end is profit. (a) Simple formulas connect the two criteria on the axis. The value corresponds to a perturbed profit criterion in which revenue is deflated. (b) Thus, the use of a straightforward profit criterion compromises value. (c) The analysis depends on whether a bankruptcy risk is present or not and, if present, how it is modeled. The paper analyzes two cases: no risk of bankruptcy, and risk of bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. (d) If there is no risk of bankruptcy, profit-optimal and value-optimal decision rules have the same qualitative features, and the management of working capital should be subordinated to operations management. (e) These results are applied to models of inventory, a vertically integrated supply chain, a fishery and capacity management. Managerial implications: CFOs should mandate lower inventories than operations managers deem profit-optimal. CEOs should not subordinate operations management to working capital management.
Diagnostic Laparoscopy in Patients With Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Is Safe and Does Not Delay Cytoreductive Surgery With Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND Outcomes of cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC) among patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) depend largely on the extent of peritoneal disease. Since PC is not reliably evaluated with cross-sectional imaging, tumor burden is often evaluated with diagnostic laparoscopy (DLS). The aims of this study are to evaluate the safety of DLS in patients with peritoneal disease and determine if DLS delays time to CRS-HIPEC. METHODS We performed an institutional retrospective review of 145 patients who underwent CRS-HIPEC between 2013 and 2020. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those who underwent an electively scheduled DLS prior to CRS-HIPEC and those who did not. Intraoperative and postoperative complications associated with DLS were determined from the surgeon's operative report. Time from diagnosis of PC to CRS-HIPEC was compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS Of the 145 patients available for analysis, 47% (68) underwent DLS and 44% (64) did not. Of all the diagnostic laparoscopies performed, there was 1 (1.5%) intraoperative complication. The duration between diagnosis of peritoneal carcinomatosis and surgery was 4.9 months among patients who underwent DLS prior to CRS-HIPEC and 4.3 months among patients who did not (P = .79). CONCLUSION In this retrospective analysis, diagnostic laparoscopy prior to CRS-HIPEC demonstrated a comparable rate of DLS-associated complications compared to other gastrointestinal malignancies and does not prolong time from diagnosis to CRS-HIPEC. Thus, in patients undergoing evaluation for CRS-HIPEC, diagnostic laparoscopy provides significant value in patient selection without incurring perioperative risk or delay in CRS-HIPEC.
Medical care for the child at risk: on state supervention of parental autonomy.

To be a child is to be at risk, dependent, and without capacity or authority to decide what is "best" for oneself. To be an adult is to be a risktaker, independent, and with capacity and authority to decide and to do what is "best" for oneself. To be an adult who is a parent is to be presumed in law to have the capacity, authority, and responsibility to determine and to do what is good for one's children. The law is designed to assure for each child an opportunity to meet and master the developmental crises on the way to adulthood-to that critical age when he or she is presumed by the state to be qualified to determine what is "best" for oneself.2 As Jeremy Bentham observed not so long ago in 1840:
Nutrient and productivity relations of the dune grasses Ammophila arenaria and Elymus mollis

A comparative study of blade photosynthesis and nitrogen use efficiency was made on the dune grasses Ammophila arenaria and Elymus mollis. In the laboratory, an open system gas analysis apparatus was used to examine the gas exchange characteristics of blades as influenced by nitrogen supply. Plants were grown under near-ambient coastal conditions in a greenhouse near Bodega Bay, California, and given either high or low supplies of nitrogen in an otherwise complete nutrient solution. In the field, 14CO2 uptake techniques were employed to measure the seasonal patterns of blade photosynthesis of plants growing in situ at Point Reyes National Seashore. Blades used in the lab and field studies were analyzed for total nitrogen content, thus allowing for calculations of photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (CO2 fixed/unit of blade N.).
Intensive investigation of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks: proposed guidelines and tools for the collection of dose-response data by local health departments.

Local health departments that investigate foodborne disease outbreaks do not have adequate guidelines for collecting data that could be used to estimate dose-response relationships, a key component of hazard characterization in quantitative microbial risk assessment. To meet this need, criteria and a questionnaire template for the collection of appropriate dose-response data in the context of outbreaks were developed and applied in the investigation of a point-source outbreak linked to Salmonella serotype Enteritidis in a salmon entree in February 2000. In this outbreak, the attack rate and risk of hospitalization increased with the amount of salmon entree consumed, and detailed data were obtained on illness severity measures and host susceptibility factors. Local health departments might consider broadening investigations to include the collection of additional data when investigating outbreaks that have met a specific set of conditions. These data could provide information needed by federal regulatory agencies and other organizations for quantitative microbial risk assessment. Intensive investigations of outbreaks could prevent future illnesses by providing information needed to develop approaches to minimizing risk.
Correlation of morphometry and stereology with biochemical analysis of cell fractions.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the correlation of morphometry and stereology with biochemical analysis of cell fractions. The mathematical proofs from which stereological equations are derived demonstrate that measurements taken from representative two-dimensional samples can be used to estimate quantitatively the internal structure of a three-dimensional object. The solutions to many of these equations are given in terms of morphological densities or concentrations, which relate the aggregate volume, surface area, and length, or the number of individual structural units of a specific internal structure to a standard unit of the object's volume. Stereological data are relatively easy to collect, and descriptions of practical procedures abound. To a very large extent, however, data are collected from electron micrographs of anisotropic biological material using sections that are compressed and have finite thickness-sample characteristics that violate the assumptions of many stereological proofs. Although the presence of these errors is widely recognized, the extent to which they influence stereological estimates continues to be one of the least well-defined areas of the technique.
Reappraising An Innovation in Rural Nursing Education 1984-Present

Presented at the 2014 International Rural Health & Rural Nursing Research Conference Co-Sponsored by the Montana State University College of Nursing and the Rural Nurse Organization (RN0). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v15i1.376
An Active Network Architecture for ATM WANS

This paper explores achieving “application/network adaptation” in wide-area networks supporting mobile users through the use of an active network technology. Network flexibility is achieved through the introduction of SmartPackets which carry address information, user data, and user-specified methods that act on the SmartPacket as it traverses the network. Thus, SmartPackets allow the application to customize the network and adapt the network to the application’s immediate requirements. Applications respond to a dynamic network environment as well as tailor the network to its needs through these techniques. We argue that such an architecture is viable and extremely important in supporting mobile hosts.
The pionic atom in the theory of the generalized gravitational potential

In this paper a general-relativistic scalar field theory in the complex Weyl space is applied to the pionic atom. In particular the wave equation of the pion for stationary states is derived and from this equation the radial equation for these states is obtained. The radial equation is then used in an approximation method for Open image in new window to obtain the difference in energy between that predicted by the present theory and that predicted by Klein-Gordon theory for the π-mesonic X-rays. This energy difference is then compared to the energy difference obtained between experiment and Klein-Gordon theory and the nucleon core radius as predicted by this theory is thus obtained. The theory is found to predict a repulsive nuclear force, a nucleon core radius of (0.76÷0.78) fm and to correlate well with experiment for the low-Z isotopes considered.
Acceptance of conditional suicide and euthanasia among adult Americans

Analysis of the attitudes of a 1977 cross-sectional sample of 1,530 American adults concerning euthanasia and suicide indicates that sex, age, and education are significant variables. Males, those who are younger and those who are better educated, are more likely to approve of euthanasia and suicide when a person has an incurable disease. Religious affiliation was not an important variable, although those who were frequent church-service attenders or who were high on religiosity were highly likely to reject euthanasia and suicide.
Multiple Nature of Chick Growth Responses to Fractions of Dried Egg Yolk

ABSTRACT IN A previous report, Arscott (1956), evidence was obtained showing a growth response to a dried egg yolk preparation that appeared greater than that obtained when supplements of either animal fat or fish solubles were added to the diet of rapidly growing chicks. On the basis of plateaued growth responses for animal fat, as well as fish solubles, an additional response to dried egg yolk was observed in the presence of either supplement or a combination of both; thus indicating the response to egg yolk was due to more than a single factor. The present paper involves an attempt to further substantiate this view by preparing fractions from dried egg yolk and feeding such combinations at sufficient levels to effect plateaued responses. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Preparation of fractions: Since dried egg yolk is reported to contain approximately 62% fat (Romanoff and Romanoff, 1949) a logical procedure would involve the removal of . . .
An analysis of the larval instars of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), in northern California black walnut, Juglans hindsii, and a new host record for Hylocurus hirtellus

Abstract By measuring and analyzing larval head capsule widths, we determined that a northern California population of the walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), has three larval instars. We also developed rules to classify P. juglandis larval instars. Overlap in the ranges of widths among consecutive instars was addressed by fitting a distribution model to the data and determining limits for head capsule width classes and probabilities of instar misclassification. Growth ratios for laboratory and field samples of P. juglandis were consistent with the Brooks-Dyar rule and with results in the literature for other bark and ambrosia beetle species. As a consequence of branch dissection to retrieve larvae of P. juglandis, we established that northern California black walnut, Juglans hindsii (Jeps.) Jeps. ex R.E. Sm., is a host for the xylophagous “California hardwood bark beetle,” Hylocurus hirtellus (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), and that H. hirtellus is associate...
Comparison of two objective monitors for assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviors in bariatric surgery patients.

Background Objective quantification of physical activity (PA) is needed to understand PA and sedentary behaviors in bariatric surgery patients, yet it is unclear whether PA estimates produced by different monitors are comparable and can be interpreted similarly across studies.
DriftWeed: a visual metaphor for interactive analysis of multivariate data

We present a visualization technique that allows a user to identify and detect patterns and structures within a multivariate data set. Our research builds on previous efforts to represent multivariate data in a 2D information display through the use of icon plots. Although the icon plot work done by Pickett and Brinstein is similar to our approach, we improve on their efforts in several ways. Our technique allows analysis of a time series without using animation; promotes visual differentiation of information clusters based on measures of variance; and facilitates exploration through direct manipulation of geometry based on scales of variance. Our goal is to provide a visualization that implicitly conveys the degree to which an elements ordered collection of attributes varies from the prevailing pattern of attributes for other elements in the collection. We apply this technique to multivariate abstract data nd use it to locate exceptional elements in a data set and divisions among clusters.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
HMGA2 : A biomarker significantly overexpressed in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma

Ovarian carcinoma consists of a group of histologically heterogeneous diseases involving distinct tumorigenic pathways. High-grade papillary serous carcinoma of the ovary is commonly associated with p53 mutations. HMGA2, an oncofetal protein, is found to be overexpressed in ovarian cancer. To study the function of HMGA2 in ovarian cancer, it is important to know which subtypes of ovarian cancer are associated with HMGA2 overexpression. In this study, we collected six different types of ovarian cancer and examined HMGA2 expression by immunohistochemistry, along with HMGA1, p53 and Ki-67. We found that HMGA2 overexpression was significantly higher in high-grade papillary serous carcinoma (64%) and carcinosarcoma (60%) than in other types of ovarian cancers (7-23%). HMGA2 overexpression was moderately associated with dominant p53 mutations (R=0.51). In addition, the microRNA in situ analysis revealed that let-7b, the HMGA2-negative regulators, were significantly lost in high-grade serous carcinoma. Our findings suggest that HMGA2 is an important molecular change significantly related to high-grade papillary serous carcinoma and is less common in other histological types of ovarian cancer.
Single site radiofrequency catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation: studies guided by simultaneous multisite mapping in the canine sterile pericarditis model

Abstract OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that when activation of Bachmann’s bundle (BB) is critical to the unstable reentrant circuits that maintain atrial fibrillation (AF) in the sterile pericarditis canine model, a lesion in BB would prevent induction of stable AF. BACKGROUND One mechanism of induced AF in this model is multiple unstable reentrant circuits, which frequently include BB as part of the reentrant pathway. METHODS Simultaneous multisite mapping studies during AF and after ablation of BB were performed by recording (384 to 396 electrodes) from both atria and the atrial septum during six induced AF episodes in six dogs with sterile pericarditis. Activation maps of AF (mean duration, 24 ± 28 min) during 12 consecutive 100-ms windows were analyzed. RESULTS During AF, multiple unstable reentrant circuits (mean, 1.2 ± 0.2 per window; range, 1 to 4) were observed, 68% involving BB. Nonactivation zones (mean duration, 57 ± 16 ms in the right atrium and 53 ± 23 ms in the left atrium) observed during AF were reactivated by a wave front most often coming from the atrial septum via BB (right atrium, 62%; left atrium, 67%). After successful radiofrequency catheter ablation of the midportion of BB, AF >5 s was not induced in all dogs. Mapping studies of transient AF (≤5 s) induced after ablation showed neither reentrant circuits nor wave fronts activating the right atrium via BB. CONCLUSIONS In this AF model, catheter ablation of BB terminates and prevents the induction of AF by preventing 1) formation of unstable reentrant circuits that involve BB, and 2) activation of the atrial-free walls after a nonactivation period.
Establishing a Role for Research Libraries in Learning Outcomes Assessment Programs

Avec son programme New Measure Inititative, l'ARL (Association of Research Libraries) met l'accent sur le role que les bibliotheques de recherche peuvent jouer dans le processus d'apprentissage et sur leur implication dans les activite d'evaluation des resultats sur le campus.
Cholesterol signaling at the endoplasmic reticulum occurs in npc1(-/-) but not in npc1(-/-), LDLR(-/-) mice.

It remains controversial whether deficiency of the Niemann-Pick C1 (npc1) protein results in altered cholesterol signaling at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In this report, we have measured the processed, nuclear form of sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP)-1 in livers of npc1 wild-type, heterozygous, and homozygous deficient mice, alone, and in combination with deficiencies of the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) or the multiple drug resistant (mdr)1a, P-glycoprotein. Cleavage of SREBPs to activated forms normally occurs when the ER is deficient in cholesterol. A large decrease in processed SREBP-1 was evident in fasted npc1(-/-) mice and npc1(-/-), mdr1a(-/-) mice, with no decrease evident in npc1(-/-), LDLR(-/-) mice. These results suggest that the increase in cellular cholesterol which occurs in npc1(-/-) and in npc1(-/-), mdr1a(-/-) mice includes the sites responsible for cholesterol signaling, while the similar increase in cholesterol found in npc1(-/-), LDLR(-/-) mice does not.
ALKALINE PH AND INTERNAL CALCIUM INCREASE NA+ AND K+ EFFLUXES IN LK SHEEP RED BLOOD CELLS IN CL--FREE SOLUTIONS

We examined the effects of pH, internal ionized Ca (Ca2+i), cellular ATP, external divalent cations and quinine on Cl-independent ouabain-resistant K+ efflux in volume-clamped sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) of normal high (HK) and low (LK) intracellular K+ phenotypes. In LK SRBCs the K+ efflux was higher at pH 9.0 (350%) than at pHs 7.4 and 6.5, and was inhibited by external divalent cations, quinine, and cellular ATP depletion. The above findings suggest that the increased K+ efflux at alkaline pH is due to the opening of ion channels or specific transporters in the cell membrane. In addition, K+ efflux was activated (100%) when Ca2+i was increased (+A23187, +Ca2+o) into the μm range. However, in comparison to human red blood cells, the Ca2+i-induced increase in K+ efflux in LK SRBCs was fourfold smaller and insensitive to quinine and charybdotoxin. The Na+ efflux was also higher at pH 9.0 than at pH 7.4, and activated (about 40%) by increasing Ca2+i. In contrast, in HK SRBCs the K+ efflux at pH 9.0 was neither inhibited by quinine nor activated by Ca2+i. These studies suggest the presence in LK SRBCs, of at least two pathways for Cl−-independent K+ and Na+ transport, of which one is unmasked by alkalinization, and the other by a rise in Ca2+i.
Modeling the proteome of a Marek's disease transformed cell line: a natural animal model for CD30 overexpressing lymphomas

Marek's disease (MD) in the chicken, caused by the highly infectious MD alpha-herpesvirus (MDV), is both commercially important and a unique, naturally occurring model for human T-cell lymphomas overexpressing the Hodgkin's disease antigen, CD30. Here, we used proteomics as a basis for modeling the molecular functions and biological processes involved in MDV-induced lymphomagenesis. Proteins were extracted from an MDV-transformed cell line and were then identified using 2-D LC-ESI-MS/MS. From the resulting 3870 cellular and 21 MDV proteins we confirm the existence of 3150 "predicted" and 12 "hypothetical" chicken proteins. The UA-01 proteome is proliferative, differentiated, angiogenic, pro-metastatic and pro-immune-escape but anti-programmed cell death, -anergy, -quiescence and -senescence and is consistent with a cancer phenotype. In particular, the pro-metastatic integrin signaling pathway and the ERK/MAPK signaling pathways were the two predominant signaling pathways represented. The cytokines, cytokine receptors, and their related proteins suggest that UA-01 has a regulatory T-cell phenotype.
Parvalbumin Cell Ablation of NMDA-R1 Causes Increased Resting Network Excitability with Associated Social and Self-Care Deficits

NMDA-receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Several convergent lines of evidence suggest that net excitation propagated by impaired NMDAR signaling on GABAergic interneurons may be of particular interest in mediating several aspects of schizophrenia. However, it is unclear which behavioral domains are governed by a net increase of excitation and whether modulating downstream GABAergic signaling can reverse neural and thus behavioral deficits. The current study determines the selective contributions of NMDAR dysfunction on PV-containing interneurons to electrophysiological, cognitive, and negative-symptom-related behavioral phenotypes of schizophrenia using mice with a PVcre-NR1flox-driven ablation of NR1 on PV-containing interneurons. In addition, we assessed the efficacy of one agent that directly modulates GABAergic signaling (baclofen) and one agent that indirectly modifies NMDAR-mediated signaling through antagonism of mGluR5 receptors (2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl) pyridine (MPEP)). The data indicate that loss of NMDAR function on PV interneurons impairs self-care and sociability while increasing N1 latency and baseline gamma power, and reducing induction and maintenance of long-term potentiation. Baclofen normalized baseline gamma power without corresponding effects on behavior. MPEP further increased N1 latency and reduced social behavior in PVcre/NR1+/+ mice. These two indices were negatively correlated before and following MPEP such that as N1 latency increases, sociability decreases. This finding suggests a predictive role for N1 latency with respect to social function. Although previous data suggest that MPEP may be beneficial for core features of autism spectrum disorders, current data suggest that such effects require intact function of NMDAR on PV interneurons.