cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ethanol stimulates the in vivo axonal movement of neuropeptide dense‐core vesicles in Drosophila motor neurons

Proper neuronal function requires essential biological cargoes to be packaged within membranous vesicles and transported, intracellularly, through the extensive outgrowth of axonal and dendritic fibers. The precise spatiotemporal movement of these cargoes is vital for neuronal survival and, thus, is highly regulated. In this study we test how the axonal movement of a neuropeptide-containing dense-core vesicle (DCV) responds to alcohol stressors. We found that ethanol induces a strong anterograde bias in vesicle movement. Low doses of ethanol stimulate the anterograde movement of neuropeptide-DCV while high doses inhibit bi-directional movement. This process required the presence of functional kinesin-1 motors as reduction in kinesin prevented the ethanol-induced stimulation of the anterograde movement of neuropeptide-DCV. Furthermore, expression of inactive glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3β) also prevented ethanol-induced stimulation of neuropeptide-DCV movement, similar to pharmacological inhibition of GSK-3β with lithium. Conversely, inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling with wortmannin led to a partial prevention of ethanol-stimulated transport of neuropeptide-DCV. Taken together, we conclude that GSK-3β signaling mediates the stimulatory effects of ethanol. Therefore, our study provides new insight into the physiological response of the axonal movement of neuropeptide-DCV to exogenous stressors. Cover Image for this Issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14165.
The Convergence of Two Epidemics: Vitamin D Deficiency in Obese School-aged Children

Abstract Problem Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and obesity are two interrelated global epidemics that affect school-aged children. This article will review the relationship between VDD and obesity in school-aged children and implications it has for the pediatric nurse (PN). Eligibility criteria Original articles of studies, review articles and meta-analyses were selected from the past 5 years and pooled for review. These included obese school-aged children who had vitamin D insufficiency. The latest guidelines concerning the issue were also included. Sample Children 6–12 years of age with obesity and vitamin D insufficiency. Results This review strongly implies obesity in children being a strong risk factor for VDD. Prevention of VDD starts with lifestyle changes and adequate dietary intake of fortified foods and current screening recommendations for VDD are inconsistent. Vitamin D supplementation is recommended with inadequate intake or deficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels or signs of hypocalcemia. Supplementation doses differ based on whether VDD is being prevented or being treated and in obese children, the Endocrine Society recommends a dose that is two to three times higher than for normal weight children. Subclinical signs and symptoms of VDD include musculoskeletal pain, fractures, reduced bone density and reduced immunity. Conclusions Whereas obesity is a strong risk factor for VDD, more research is needed to clarify the role of VDD as a risk factor for obesity. Implications The PN plays an essential role in preventing, screening for, assessing for, treating and counseling on VDD in obese school-aged children.
Perceptions of Campus Climate and Experiences of Racial Microaggressions for Latinos at Hispanic-Serving Institutions:

This article demonstrates how Latinos attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) of various compositional diversities continue to experience racial microaggressions on campus. Using qualitative...
Free seeds and food sovereignty: anthropology and grassroots agrobiodiversity conservation strategies in the US South

Neoliberal economic frameworks threaten the ability of marginalized people worldwide to grow, harvest, and access sufficient healthy food because they deny traditional collective seed ownership and preclude subsistence as a viable livelihood. Many internationally-oriented counter-responses work to reframe intellectual property law in favor of traditional farmers. In the United States, various grassroots agricultural biodiversity conservation projects designed to re-establish the control of open-pollinated seeds within communities have emerged with similar intent. This article situates and explores the role of open-pollinated seeds and agricultural biodiversity conservation strategies in local food sovereignty. The authors direct applied research projects that collaboratively document and disseminate open-pollinated seed varieties throughout the Southeastern United States with a specific focus on the Ozark Highlands and Appalachian Mountains. The research methods represent an activist anthropology—participant observation and ethnographic interviewing while collaboratively growing and sharing seed varieties with local farmers, gardeners, seed-savers, and activists—with the explicit purpose of forging more sustainable, integrated, and sovereign local food systems. Keywords: agricultural anthropology, agrobiodiversity, grassroots strategies, in situ conservation, seed saving
Racial and ethnic disparities over time in the treatment and mortality of women with gynecological malignancies

Abstract Objective To examine temporal trends in treatment and survival among black, Asian, Hispanic, and white women diagnosed with endometrial, ovarian, cervical, and vulvar cancer. Methods Using the National Cancer Database (2004–2014), we identified women diagnosed with endometrial, ovarian, cervical, and vulvar cancer. For each disease site, we analyzed race/ethnicity-specific trends in receipt of evidence-based practices. Professional societies' recommendations were used to define these practices. Using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (2000–2009) we analyzed trends in 5-year survival. Results Throughout the study period black (64.8%) and Hispanic (68.3%) women were less likely to undergo lymphadenectomy for stage I ovarian cancer compared to Asian (79.5%) and white patients (74.6%). Black women were the least likely group to undergo lymphadenectomy in all periods. Among patients with stage II-IV ovarian cancer, 76.6% of white and Asian women received both surgery and chemotherapy, compared to 70.8% of black and 73.9% Hispanic women. Hispanic women with deeply invasive or high-grade stage I endometrial cancer underwent lymphadenectomy less frequently (74.5%) than all other groups (80.7%). Black women were less likely to have chemo-radiotherapy for stage IIB–IVA cervical cancer (75.6% versus 80.4% of all others). Black women were also less likely to have a surgical lymph node evaluation for vulvar cancer (58.8% versus 63.5% of all others). Among women diagnosed with ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer, black women had lower five-year survival than other groups. Conclusion Significant racial disparities persist in the delivery of evidence-based care. Black women with ovarian, endometrial, and cervical cancer continue to experience higher cancer-specific mortality than other groups.
Interregional inventor collaboration and the commercial value of patented inventions: evidence from the US biotechnology industry

This paper analyzes the relative importance of the spatiality of inventor collaboration links for the quality of invention. It uses patent citation and renewal data to estimate (expected) economic values for a sample of US biotechnology patents, controlling for a set of inventor and owner characteristics. The investigation extends the research by differentiating the quality of knowledge flows while at the same time refining patents as a source of innovation information. The results of the clustered logistic regression and continuation ratio models provide some support for the hypothesis that interregional (non-local) collaboration results in commercially more valuable inventions relative to patents that are product of intraregional (local) collaboration. The same empirical results also indicate that (1) inter-industry (related) knowledge flows contribute to the patent value more than inter-industry (unrelated) or intra-industry knowledge flows and (2) general-purpose technologies/products as measured by citations of patented inventions received from diverse sets of industries are indicative not only of technological/scientific quality, but also of the economic value of patented inventions. These results are robust in different citation-window designations, exclusion of self-citations, different regional definitions and different patent classifications.
Media Marathoning and Health Coping

This study uses Grounded Theory to analyze interviews with a dozen individuals who media marathoned while going through a health struggle. The analysis addresses five major themes: engaging in esca...
Do Vaccines Cause Myocardial Infarction or Stroke

Myocardial infarction (MI) has been associated with natural influenza infection, and stroke has been associated with natural varicella infection, albeit both very rarely. Thus, influenza vaccine prevents MI and varicella vaccine prevents stroke by protecting against natural infection. Vaccines currently routinely recommended to the general population in the U.S. have not been shown to cause myocardial infarction or stroke.
Clinical significance and EZH2, ERG and SPINK1 protein expression in pure and mixed ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate.

Background: Although ERG and SPINK1 molecular alterations have been studied in acinar and ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate, EZH2 expression has not been previously evaluated in ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods: We collected cases of pure and mixed ductal adenocarcinoma of the prostate and evaluated clinical significance and EZH2, ERG, and SPINK1 protein expression. Results: We investigated 61 ductal adenocarcinomas, 22 pure and 39 mixed ductal/acinar. Except for tumor growth pattern, none of the clinical parameters studied significantly differed between pure and mixed tumors. Thirty-five percent of ductal adenocarcinomas were organ confined, 15% displayed seminal vesicle invasion. Lymph node and distal metastasis occurred in 13% and 24% of cases, respectively; 34% of patients experienced biochemical failure, 7% died of disease. Ninety-eight percent of tumors expressed EZH2; in 80% of cases >50% of tumor cells were positive. ERG and SPINK1 were expressed in 20% and 36% of cases, respectively. There was no difference in protein expression between pure and mixed ductal adenocarcinomas. ERG expression tended to be lower, and SPINK1 higher than reported for acinar tumors. Biochemical failure, metastasis and death did not differ between EZH2, ERG, and SPINK1 positive and negative patients, nor between 50% expression of SPINK1 and EZH2, respectively. Conclusions: Pure and mixed ductal adenocarcinomas have similar clinical behavior and molecular alterations. Higher EZH2 and SPINK1 protein expression, compared to acinar prostatic adenocarcinoma, might account for the more aggressive clinical course of ductal adenocarcinoma. Histol Histopathol 34, 381-390 (2019)
Increased utilization of constraint in total knee arthroplasty following anterior cruciate ligament and multiligament knee reconstruction

Aims Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and multiligament knee (MLK) injuries increase the risk of development of knee osteoarthritis and eventual need for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). There are li...
Depressive Symptoms in Lung Transplant Recipients: Trajectory and Association with Mortality

Purpose Prior studies suggest an association between elevated depressive symptoms following lung transplant (LT) and mortality. We sought to test this association using a longitudinal cohort with 3-years of follow up, and to determine the long-term impact of LT on depressive symptoms. Methods We performed a single-center prospective cohort study (2010-2017), assessing depressive symptoms before and at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36-months after LT. We quantified depressive symptoms with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS: Range 0-15; higher scores denote more symptoms; Minimally Clinically Important Difference [MCID]=1.65; moderate-severe symptoms=GDS ≥9). Changes in GDS were quantified using linear mixed effects models, with participant-specific intercepts. We compared demographics between participants who improved beyond the MCID at 1-year post-LT with participants who declined beyond the MCID using Student's t-test and the Chi-square test. Cox-proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between GDS and survival using two predictors (1) pre-LT GDS, and (2) post-LT GDS, which was used as a time-dependent predictor. We adjusted all models for age, gender, race, diagnosis, and pre-LT FEV1. Results Of 267 participants, moderate to severe depressive symptoms were present in 21% before LT, 6% at 1-year post LT, and 6% at 3-years post LT. Following LT, depressive symptoms improved by nearly twofold the MCID (-3.1, 95%CI -3.4 to -2.8). Improvement was not uniform; an increase in depressive symptoms beyond the MCID was present in 6% at 1-year post LT and 9% at 3-years post LT. There was no difference in age, gender, race, diagnosis, or pre-LT FEV1 between the participants that improved and the participants that declined (all p>0.11). There was no association between depressive symptoms before LT and mortality (HR 0.97, 95%CI 0.83 to 1.13). The presence of depressive symptoms after LT was associated with increased mortality, where each increase in depressive symptoms by the MCID (1.65 points) was associated with a 17% increase in risk of death (HR 1.17, 95%CI 1.001 to 1.36]). Conclusion Depression is an important co-morbidity in LT, and methods to improve screening and treatment should be explored. A better understanding of the mechanisms driving the association between depressive symptoms and death is necessary.
A phase II study of induction PD-1 blockade in subjects with locally advanced mismatch repair-deficient rectal adenocarcinoma.

TPS4123Background: The treatment of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer includes total neoadjuvant therapy with chemotherapy, chemoradiation followed by surgery. While most rectal cancers ...
On the Outsized Importance of Learning Rates in Local Update Methods

We study a family of algorithms, which we refer to as local update methods, that generalize many federated learning and meta-learning algorithms. We prove that for quadratic objectives, local update methods perform stochastic gradient descent on a surrogate loss function which we exactly characterize. We show that the choice of client learning rate controls the condition number of that surrogate loss, as well as the distance between the minimizers of the surrogate and true loss functions. We use this theory to derive novel convergence rates for federated averaging that showcase this trade-off between the condition number of the surrogate loss and its alignment with the true loss function. We validate our results empirically, showing that in communication-limited settings, proper learning rate tuning is often sufficient to reach near-optimal behavior. We also present a practical method for automatic learning rate decay in local update methods that helps reduce the need for learning rate tuning, and highlight its empirical performance on a variety of tasks and datasets.
Interest and Requirements for Sound-Awareness Technologies Among Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Users of Assistive Listening Devices

Environmental sounds can provide important information about surrounding activity, yet recognizing sounds can be challenging for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) individuals. Prior work has examined the preferences of DHH users for various sound-awareness methods. However, these preferences have been observed to vary along some demographic factors. Thus, in this study we investigate the preferences of a specific group of DHH users: current assistive listening devices users. Through a survey of 38 participants, we investigated their challenges and requirements for sound-awareness applications, as well as which type of sounds and what aspects of the sounds are of importance to them. We found that users of assistive listening devices still often miss sounds and rely on other people to obtain information about them. Participants indicated that the importance of awareness of different types of sounds varied according to the environment and the form factor of the sound-awareness technology. Congruent with prior work, participants reported that the location and urgency of the sound were of importance, as well as the confidence of the technology in its identification of that sound.
The Edge-to-Cloud Continuum

Computer hosts a virtual roundtable with three experts to discuss the opportunities and obstacles regarding edge-to-cloud technology.
Examining Parent Preferences for the Use of Behavioral Economic Strategies on Children's Menus in Restaurants.

Abstract Background A majority of children’s restaurant meals are nutritionally deficient; use of behavioral economics may improve healthful menu selections. Parents play a role in children’s restaurant meal selection, thus understanding parent preferences for potential behavioral economic strategies is warranted. Objective To examine parent-derived and -stated preferences for selected attributes of children’s restaurant menus, which included behavioral economic strategies (eg, optimal defaults and vice-virtue bundles). Design A descriptive, cross-sectional, within-subjects survey integrating a conjoint design was developed along with 8 children’s menus. Menus were manipulated by varying levels of attributes (meal price, healthful side dishes, number of side dish items, healthful entrees, and cost for sugar-sweetened beverages [SSB]). Parents rated menus and attributes using Likert scales. Participants/setting A national sample of US parents with children 4 to 10 years (n = 463) were recruited in August of 2019 via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Analysis A conjoint (regression) analysis was conducted to derive parent preference for each attribute and overall menu preference. Descriptive statistics (means) described overall stated parent menu preferences and ratings. Cluster analysis segmented parents into groups with similar preferences. Results Derived preferences showed parents had the strongest preference for choice of side dishes (β = .73) and low-priced menus (β = .51), and weak preferences for inclusion of healthful entrees (β = .04) and added cost for SSB (β = .18). Parents stated preference was for a menu that included healthful entrees, was low priced, and featured choices for side dishes. Cluster analysis revealed half of parents preferred the low-cost children’s menu with the other half of parents split evenly across preferences related to health, choice, and traditional menus. Conclusion Parents stated preference was for a socially desirable menu featuring healthful entree options and added cost for SSB, which was contrary to the conjoint derived menu preferences. Understanding parent preferences may help guide nutrition professionals working to build a more healthful food environment through the use of behavioral economic strategies.
WITHDRAWN: Psychosis in Older Adults During COVID-19 Pandemic: Patterns of Referral to a Geriatric Psychiatry Clinic

This abstract has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy ). This abstract has been withdrawn at the request of the editor and publisher. The publisher regrets that an error occurred which led to the premature publication of this abstract. This error bears no reflection on the abstract or its authors. The publisher apologizes to the authors and the readers for this unfortunate error.
Examining the relationship between weight controllability beliefs and eating behaviors: The role of internalized weight stigma and BMI.

Abstract Body weight is often viewed as personally controllable. This belief, however, ignores the complex etiology of body weight. While such attributions of personal willpower may help some individuals regulate their eating patterns, they have also been associated with increased internalized weight stigma which, itself, is associated with more disinhibited eating. The current investigation aimed to examine how internalized weight stigma, along with BMI, may explain the effect of weight controllability beliefs on disparate dietary behaviors. A community sample of 2702 U.S. adults completed an online survey about their weight controllability beliefs, eating behaviors, and internalized weight stigma, as well as demographic items and self-reported BMI. Results showed that greater weight controllability beliefs were positively related to both more restricted eating, β = 0.135, p
Associations Between Parenting Stress, Feeding Practices, and Child Eating Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives The pandemic provides an opportunity to explore how parenting stress during times of crisis may predict parent-child interactions, especially during mealtimes. The objective of the present study was to explore whether parents’ perceived increases in and overall levels of parenting stress during the pandemic were associated with feeding practices and perceptions of child eating behaviors.
Electrochemical Healing of Dendrites in Garnet-Based Solid Electrolytes

Garnet oxides are a promising material family for solid-state batteries (SSBs). Dendrite formation in solid electrolytes critically limits the applicability of SSBs because of limiting coulombic efficiency and power capability. Herein, the authors report in operando electrochemical healing of dendrites in a garnet-based solid electrolyte (SE). Dendrites are deliberately formed at high operational current density (2 mA cm−2) beyond the critical current density (0.55 mA cm−2) of the garnet SE. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to confirm dendrite growth in the SE. Dendrites were subsequently healed electrochemically via plating and stripping at 20 and 1 µA cm−2 current densities. Removal of dendrites was shown by an increase in bulk and interfacial resistance and a progressive increase in polarization during galvanostatic plating and stripping. High local current density at the dendrite tips was identified as the mechanism for preferentially removing dendrites electrochemically. Dendrite detection and healing methods discussed here are crucial for extending the life of SSBs.Figure 1
Air Pollution Control in West Germany

In 1972, the West German Constitution was amended to empower the federal parliament to enact general air pollution control legislation.1 Since 1974, the subject has been regulated principally by a federal statute known as the Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz.2 The goals of this article are to describe the main features of the West German law, to compare it with our own Clean Air Act,3 and to offer a few criticisms of both. The stated purpose of the Bundes-Immissionsschutzgesetz is "to protect people, animals, plants, and other things from harmful environmental effects" and "to take precautions against the occurrence of harmful environmental effects."4 This purpose is to be pursued by a variety of measures. Facilities of a type "especially apt to cause harmful environmental effects" require a permit,3
Recording system bias in direct observational methodology: A review and critical analysis of factors causing inaccurate coding behavior

Abstract Observational data may be recorded inaccurately due to several factors. They include expectation bias, effects of agreement checking, coding system complexity, behavior predictability, behavior valence, influence of extraneous cues, differential coder training, observer cheating, and differential observational media. The relevant work was reviewed and methods for minimizing each type of bias were discussed.
Organización y localización Industrial: División del trabajo, la firma y los procesos espaciales

Este ensayo trata de los aspectos de la organizacion funcional y espacial de la produccion, tema descrito en los terminos originalmente propuestos por Coase, es decir, como un problema en la eficiencia relativa de las firmas y los mercados como dominios de la actividad economica estructurada.
Successful pregnancy complicated by patent ductus arteriosus with reversal of flow

Abstract A case of pregnancy complicated by a patent ductus arteriosus with reversal of shunt is presented. A review of the literature failed to reveal such a report. The prognosis of such patients when pregnancy is added is unknown. Since more such patients will become pregnant and go to term with the present-day therapeutic tools which are available, this complication of pregnancy may present itself with increasing frequency.
Quartz Microbalance Microcalorimetry: A new method for studying polymer-solvent thermodynamics

We have developed a sensitive method of determining enthalpy changes for gas-surface interactions: quartz microbalance microcalorimetry. We mount in an isoperibol environment both sample and reference combinations of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in intimate thermal contact with a heat flow sensor. We coat the sample QCM with a thin (∼1 µm) polymer film. By exposing the film to ethanol vapor, we measure simultaneously the change in mass per unit area (to ±0.25 ng cm−2) and the resulting heat flows (to ±50 nW) when the polymer adsorbs or desorbs ethanol. The molar enthalpies of sorption of ethanol vapor in Tecoflex, an aliphatic polyurethane elastomer, are ΔadsorptionH= −53±8 kJ mol−1 and ΔdesorptionH=52±3 kJ mol−1.
Rickettsial relative associated with male-killing in the ladybird beetle (Adalia bipunctata).

A cytoplasmically inherited microorganism associated with male killing in the two-spot ladybird beetle, Adalia bipunctata, is shown to be closely related to bacteria in the genus Rickettsia. Sequencing of a PCR-amplified product of the 16S genes coding for rRNA (16S rDNA) shows the organism associated with male killing in ladybirds to share a common ancestry with the Rickettsias relative to other genera (e.g., Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Cowdria). The rickettsial 16S rDNA product is found in four strains of ladybird beetle showing male embryo lethality and is absent from two uninfected strains and an antibiotic-cured strain. In addition, a revertant strain that had naturally lost the male-killing trait failed to amplify the rickettsial 16S rDNA product. Use of PCR primers for a 17-kDa protein antigen which is found only in rickettsias also resulted in an amplified product from infected strains. Uninfected, cured, and revertant strains and insect species infected with related bacteria (cytoplasmic-incompatibility bacteria from Nasonia wasps) failed to amplify the product. Discovery of a close relative of rickettsias associated with sex ratio distortion in insects has implications for the evolution and population dynamics of this bacterial genus. Images
Journalism In An Era Of Big Data: Cases, concepts, and critiques

This special issue examines the changing nature of journalism amid data abundance, computational exploration, and algorithmic emphasis—developments with wide meaning in technology and society at la...
Applied virtual reality in aerospace

Application of virtual reality (VR) technology offers much promise to enhance and accelerate the development of space systems infrastructure and operations while simultaneously reducing developmental and operational costs. From control center design analyses to extravehicular activity (EVA) operations development to mission and science training for crew and ground controllers, VR can provide cost effective methods to prepare for and conduct space flight operations. A VR applications program has been under development at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) since 1989. The objectives of the MSFC VR Applications Program are to develop, assess, validate and utilize VR in hardware development, operations development and support, mission operations training and science training. One of the goals of this technology program is to enable specialized human factors analyses earlier in the hardware and operations development process and develop more effective training and mission support systems.
Implications of output-bound measures for laboratory and field research in memory

Everyday memory tasks often require that researchers focus on output-bound measures of memory. As a result, nonmemorial processes (e.g., report option and grain size) may influence recall accuracy. These nonmemorial processes, usually eliminated by laboratory researchers, have the potential to explain some anomalous results and may even be useful to enhance everyday recollection.
A Taxonomic Revision of the Small Catarrhine Primates from the Early Miocene of East Africa

This paper presents a detailed systematic revision of the small catarrhine primates from the early Miocene of East Africa, recovered from sites in Western Kenya and in Uganda dated at between 22 and 17 m.y. Revised diagnoses and amended hypodigms for each of the species are presented. In addition to the currently identified taxa, Limnopithecus legetet Hopwood, 1933, Dendropithecus macinnesi (Le Gros Clark and Leakey, 1950) and Micropithecus clarki Fleagle and Simons, 1978, two further species are recognized. Limnopithecus evansi (Maclnnes, 1943) is resurrected as a valid species, based primarily on previously described material from Songhor, and a new genus, Kalepithecus, is described here for the first time, in order to accommodate distinctive material from Songhor and Koru. The distribution of each species in time and space, and the phylogenetic relationships, are discussed in the light of this taxonomic revision.
Bladder stone incidence in persons with spinal cord injury: determinants and trends, 1973–1996

Abstract Objectives. To examine the current trend in the incidence of an initial bladder stone and the potential contributing factors among persons with spinal cord injury. Methods. A longitudinal cohort of 1336 patients with spinal cord injury who were injured between 1973 and 1996 and followed up on a yearly basis up to 1999 in a single institution was used to estimate bladder stone incidence. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors for an initial bladder stone. Results. During the study period, 229 incident bladder stone cases were documented. It is estimated that for those injured in 1973 to 1979, 1980 to 1984, 1985 to 1989, and 1990 to 1996, the 5-year cumulative incidence rate of an initial bladder stone was 29%, 23%, 14%, and 8%, respectively ( P P P = 0.008). Males and persons with indwelling and intermittent catheters had a higher risk during all the years after the injury. Conclusions. With improvement in urologic rehabilitation, bladder stone incidence has declined during the past several decades. The study results, however, suggest that new strategic interventions may be required to further prevent stone occurrence in individuals with spinal cord injury and a complete neurologic lesion who are using indwelling catheterization, because these patients are still at a relatively higher risk.
Discovery of a Parasitoid and a Predator of Bat Flies (Diptera: Streblidae) at La Selva, Costa Rica

While netting bats to collect streblid bat flies at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, two different natural enemies of streblids were found attacking the bat flies on two species of bats. One was identified as a parasitoid in the hymenopteran family, Braconidae, while the other was a predaceous plant bug in the hemipteran family, Miridae. This is the first description of a natural enemy of streblids being collected in situ (i.e., actively foraging through the hair of the streblid bat host).
Challenges in the diagnosis and management of unusual presentations of blunt injury to the ascending aorta and aortic sinuses.

Background Blunt injury to the thoracic aorta continues to carry significant mortality and the diagnostic algorithms are evolving as new technology is developed. With improved pre-hospital care, patients with unusual blunt injuries to the aorta may survive to evaluation. While current algorithms for screening focus on the more common blunt injuries to the descending thoracic aorta, our service has seen four injuries to the ascending aorta that have had unusual presentations and presented significant challenges in their management. Methods Retrospective chart review based on a cardiovascular injury database. Results Four patients were identified who survived to hospitalization with an injury to the ascending thoracic aorta. Two were to the ascending aorta and two to the aortic sinuses. Two presented with closed head injury complicating management. One patient presented with aortic valve insufficiency. Motion artifacts at the aortic sinus made screening by CT challenging. These injuries were managed with primary repair (1), tube graft replacement (2), and aortic root replacement with reimplantation of the coronaries (1), all with cardiopulmonary bypass. Conclusion Injuries to the ascending aorta and aortic sinus that survive to evaluation present unique challenges to the screening algorithms. All required cardiopulmonary bypass for repair and potentially complex reconstructions with management decisions affected by the presence of associated injuries. New methodologies such as CT scan gated to cardiac motion may offer higher resolution in this area.
Modeling of a passive distributed vibration control device using a superposition technique

Abstract The modeling of a distributed vibration control device is considered for use in predicting the vibration attenuation benefits and best design practices when such devices are attached to vibrating structures. Three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis is possible but the geometric intricacies of the distributed spring layer and potential lack of symmetries of the device placement on a host structure make such a model expensive to compute, particularly for optimization purposes. Thus, an equivalent 2D model is desirable, whereby conventional Ritz-method solution forms may be implemented. This paper describes the continuum domain model of interest and explores the applicability of a superposition approach by which a non-continuous distributed spring layer is homogenized into a 2D continuum. Simple FE models are described which allow computation of the required elasticity parameters of the spring layer. An eigenfrequency analysis comparing 3D FE and 2D model results show good agreement in the lowest order natural frequencies over a range of typical device design parameters. Experimental measurements further validate the modeling approach by comparison of FRF results. The superposition method is found to accurately model non-continuous materials such as the corrugated distributed spring layer of interest and should therefore be applicable to other embodiments of such layers.
Inclusion Relations among methods of four-dimensional summability compounded from given four-dimensional methods

The goals of this paper include the introduction of a new four-dimensional summability method construction by compounding a single four-dimensional method. The examination of this method begins with the characterization of its RH-regularity properties. In addition, the following inclusion and consistent theorems will be presented.
Responses to risk in tournaments

Abstract Due to their inefficient use of information, promotion incentives, which can be modeled as tournaments, can induce sub-optimal actions on the part of managers. This is a problem for firms because it leads to choices that do not maximize profit. This also can pose interpretation and comparison problems for research studies that employ tournament incentives. We demonstrate a situation where tournament incentives eliminate the effects of project risk on managers’ decisions as concerns with winning take precedence over concerns of maximizing expected profit. We also report the results of an experiment and find actual behavior to be fairly well explained by theoretical predictions. However, we find systematic deviations that lead to decisions that are more consistent with profit maximization than the economic theory predicts.
Inversionless lasing and photon statistics in a V-type atomic system.

We analyze intensity and statistical properties of lasers without population inversion in a closed three-level V-type system. We derive the threshold condition and examine the intensity dependence on various system parameters. Unlike other inversionless laser systems that generate amplitude-squeezed light, the intensity fluctuation of the inversionless laser from the three-level V-type system is above the shot-noise limit in a wide parameter range studied here. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Ab Initio Study Of Hydrogen-Bonded Complexes Of Small Organic Molecules With Water

Hydrogen bonding between water and a series of small organic molecules was examined via electronic structure calculations. Several computational methods were examined, including both a hybrid density functional procedure (Becke3LYP) and second-order Moller−Plesset theory (MP2) coupled with a double-ζ basis set augmented by diffuse polarization functions on heteroatoms. The agreement between Becke3LYP and MP2 energies was generally good, as was the agreement with energies obtained using more sophisticated and costly methods. The energies and structures of 53 hydrogen-bonded complexes of water with various small organic molecules, including alcohols, thiols, ethers, thioethers, carboxylic acids, esters, amines, amides, nitriles, and nitro compounds, were then examined systematically using the Becke3LYP and MP2 procedures. The hydrogen bond geometries were generally linear, and acceptor sites corresponded closely to the positions of lone pairs as predicted by simple hybridization arguments. Structures with s...
Mechanisms and patterns of O and H isotopic exchange during hydrothermal alteration of the North Shore Volcanic Group and related hypabyssal sills, Midcontinent Rift System, Minnesota

Abstract Hydrothermal flow systems developed in volcanic and interflow sedimentary rocks in response to the emplacement of ∼1.1Ga mafic plutonic rocks during intracontinental rifting in the midcontinent region. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic studies of the North Shore Volcanic Group (NSVG) (northeastern Minnesota) and related hypabyssal sills demonstrate the importance of both permeability and temperature in controlling isotopic exchange in the rift-related hydrothermal system. Oxygen isotopic values of mineral separates and volcanic whole rocks range from 5.5‰ to 17.7‰, and show a strong correlation with whole rock water content and intensity of hydrothermal alteration. In the shallow portion of the stratigraphic sequence, elevated δ 18 O values and mineralogical alteration are confined principally to highly permeable amygdaloidal flow tops and bottoms. Massive flow interiors show little or no perturbation from δ 18 O values considered normal for fresh basaltic rocks. With increased depth and temperature, isotopic exchange becomes more pervasive, δ 18 O values remain elevated, and oxygen isotopic profiles show no difference between flow margins and interiors. At depths where greenschist facies mineral assemblages are found, flow margins show a reversal to δ 18 O values as low as 6.6‰ and δ D values decrease to δ 18 O and δ D values. Enhanced rates for hydrogen isotopic exchange relative to oxygen are suggested by whole rock δ D values that tend to be uniform throughout flows that are less than ∼7 m thick. δ D profiles that parallel those of δ 18 O values are found in thicker flows. The correlation between degree of hydrothermal alteration and δ 18 O values suggests that solution-recrystallization was the primary mechanism of isotopic exchange in the hydrothermal system. Individual feldspar phenocrysts from a single lava flow may show a range of δ 18 O values from 10.5‰ to 17.7‰, and ranges in individual altered phenocrysts may be as large as 4.8‰. Feldspar isotopic heterogeneity suggests that permeability varied on a grain to grain scale, and that flow through microfractures was important in controlling isotopic variations. Coexisting plagioclase and pyroxene from hypabyssal sills show a very steep slope on a δ 18 O plagioclase – δ 18 O pyroxene plot, also suggestive of kinetically dominated exchange. Assuming a fluid-buffered system in the permeable flow margins, a duration of isotopic exchange on the order of 40,000 years is calculated. This time period is short compared to the lifetime of the intrusive activity in the rift, and suggests that fluid flow was either episodic in nature, or confined to the late stages of magmatic evolution.
A Phase Transition for the Minimum Free Energy of Secondary Structures of a Random RNA

The free energy of a single-stranded RNA can be calculated by adding the free energies of the components: basepairs, bulges, and loops. Basepairs receive negative free energy while the unpaired bases receive positive free energy. The minimum free energy of a random RNA secondary structure with one domain has valueFnwhere the sequence length isn. Under simplifying assumptions, we show that for “small” values of bulge and loop penaltiesFnhas linear growth inn, while for “large” values of these parametersFnhas logarithmic growth inn. This phase transition generalizes results obtained for the local-alignment score of two random sequences. The random variableFnis conjectured to have a Poisson approximation. The multi-domain secondary structure minimum free energyEnhas linear growth innfor all values of the penalty functions. Nothing more is known about the distributional properties ofEn.
Dioxygen activation at non-heme diiron centers: characterization of intermediates in a mutant form of toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase hydroxylase.

We report the generation and characterization of an intermediate in a mutant form of the toluene/o-xylene monooxygenase hydroxylase component from Pseudomonas stutzeri OX1. The reaction of chemically reduced I100W variant in the presence of the coupling protein, ToMOD, with dioxygen was monitored by stopped-flow UV/visible spectroscopy. Rapid-freeze quench (RFQ) samples were also generated for EPR and Mossbauer spectroscopy. A transient species is observed in the UV/visible spectrum with an absorption maximum at 500 nm. EPR and Mossbauer spectra of RFQ samples identified this species as a diiron(III,IV) cluster spin-coupled to a neutral W radical. A diamagnetic precursor to the mixed-valent diiron(III,IV) was also observed at an earlier time point, with Mossbauer parameters typical of high-spin FeIII. We have tentatively assigned this antiferromagnetically coupled diiron(III) intermediate as a peroxo-bridged cluster, and this complex has also been observed in preliminary studies of the wild-type hydroxylase.
Effects of ametryn [2-(ethylamino)-4-(isopropylamino)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine] on nitrate reductase activity and nitrite content of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Abstract The objectives of this study were to show that: (a) a herbicide, such as ametryn, which interferes with the photosynthetic electron transport system, causes nitrite to accumulate in illuminated leaves and (b) that nitrite is toxic and contributes to the herbicidal damage and death of the plant. Tests were conducted on wheat seedlings grown on 5 m M nitrate, 5 m M ammonia, and zero nitrogen. Ametryn treatment decreased in vivo and in vitro nitrate reductase activity (NRA) within a 26-hr period. In vivo NRA decreased more rapidly than in vitro NRA. Compared with control tissue, only 3% in vivo NRA remained at the end of 26 hr. The in vivo assay conducted in light confirmed the inhibition of photosynthetic electron flow by ametryn within the leaf tissue. Nitrate-grown, ametryn-treated plants accumulated nitrite and, after 10 days were the only plants that were completely desiccated and dead. Ammonia- and zero-nitrogen, ametryn-treated plants did not accumulate nitrite, were only partially chlorotic after the 10-day period, and were still living. Low levels of NO (X) (NO 2 and/or NO) emissions were demonstrated by nitrate-grown ametryn-treated plants.
Location of the DNA-adenine methylase gene on the genetic map of phage T2

The location of the gene controlling DNA-adenine methylase activity is reported to be in the region between genes 49 and T1 on the T2 genetic map. A new nomenclature is proposed to describe the various phage types affected by mutations in the methylase gene.
Detection of restenosis after elective percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty using the exercise treadmill test

Abstract To determine the value of a 6-month exercise treadmill test for detecting restenosis after elective percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), 303 consecutive patients with successful PTCA and without a recent myocardial infarction were studied. Among the 228 patients without interval cardiac events, early repeat revascularization or contraindications to treadmill testing, 209 (92%) underwent follow-up angiography, and 200 also had a follow-up treadmill test and formed the study population. Restenosis (≥75% luminal diameter stenosis) occurred in 50 patients (25%). Five variables were individually associated with a higher risk of restenosis: recurrent angina (p = 0.0002), exercise-induced angina (p = 0.0001), a positive treadmill test (p = 0.008), more exercise ST deviation (p = 0.04) and a lower maximum exercise heart rate (p = 0.05). However, only exercise-induced angina (p = 0.002), recurrent angina (p = 0.01) and a positive treadmill test (p = 0.04) were independent predictors of restenosis. Using these 3 variables, patient subsets could be identified with restenosis rates ranging from 11 to 83%. The exercise treadmill test added independent information to symptom status about the risk of restenosis after elective PTCA. Nevertheless, 20% of patients with restenosis had neither recurrent angina nor exercise-induced ischemia at follow-up. For more accurate detection of restenosis, the exercise treadmill test must be supplemented by a more definitive test.
The Swelling of Core Tablets During Aqueous Coating I: A Simple Model Describing Extent of Swelling and Water Penetration for Insoluble Tablets Containing a Superdisintegrant

AbstractA simple mathematical model was established to describe changes of tablet thickness due to swelling and water penetration during aqueous coating process. The model was illustrated by a simple linear equation, i.e.; D = -(α/(l+e))l1,+(α/(l+e))l0; where D, l0,11, α and e are the depth of water penetrating into tablets, initial tablet thickness, the remaining dried core tablet thickness, swelling and porosity parameters, respectively. The data from dicalcium phosphate dihydrate(Ditab) tablets containing a super-disintegrant may be fitted into the model showing significant statistical correlation. The model was valid for describing the extent of tablet swelling and water penetration during aqueous coating.
Influence of Repeated Anoxia, Electroshock and Insulin Hypoglycemia on Reactivity of Sympathetico-Adrenal System.

Summary and ConclusionsThe action of a standard anoxia test involving 5 periods of 25 minutes each at 280 mm Hg was used as a method to evaluate the responsiveness of the centers of the sympathetico-adrenal and vago-insulin systems on the basis of blood sugar determinations. It was found that repeated convulsions induced electrically, increased greatly the hyperglycemic response of rats to the standard test. This is interpreted as a sign of increased reactivity of the sympathetico-adrenal system and is accompanied by a marked dominance of this system as compared to the vago-insulin system. Similar results were obtained after frequent exposures to prolonged anoxia. However, repeated insulin comas failed to bring about this shift and showed actually a diminished or no hyperglycemic response to the standard anoxia test. It was shown that in these rats the administration of adrenalin failed to induce glycogenosis, which explains the reduction in the hyperglycemic response. Whether the reactivity of the center...
Personal Income Taxation and Choice of Professions

I. Introduction, 158. — II. The survey, 159. — III. Findings and interpretation, 160. — IV. Summary and conclusions, 163.