cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skyrme force approach to intermediate energy proton scattering.

The optical model potential for medium energy nucleons is calculated from a momentum and density dependent force which is derived from Brueckner's reaction matrix in a nuclear matter approximation. It is found that Pauli blocking effects substantially increase the nonlocality of the reaction matrix. Calculated optical model parameters are compared with those obtained from the conventional approach of a localized effective two-nucleon force. Proton elastic scattering observables on $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ and $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ targets at ${E}_{\mathrm{p}=135--}$300 MeV are analyzed.
Predation on immature parasitoids and its impact on aphid suppression

Many predatory arthropods eat both unparasitized herbivores and herbivores that are parasitized and contain the immature stages of endoparasitoids, a form of intraguild predation. Thus, the biological control of herbivorous arthropods can be either enhanced or disrupted by introducing a predator species to an existing host-parasitoid system. We evaluate the impact of introducing a predator, the convergent ladybird beetle, Hippodamia convergens, on the biological control of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii, by the parasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes, under field conditions. Predation on immature parasitoids by H. convergens was intense: 98–100% of aphid mummies were consumed by the end of the experiment, and H. convergens substantially reduced immature parasitoid populations. Despite the negative impact of H. convergens on aphid parasitoids, aphid population suppression was greatest in treatments containing both H. convergens and parasitoids. The parasitoid alone or in combination with H. convergens suppressed cotton aphids in a density-dependent manner and increased total plant leaf area and biomass, H. convergens did not substantially alter the percentage of aphids mummified by parasitoids and showed a partial feeding preference for unparasitized aphids over aphid mummies. We conclude that under conditions where a predator shows both a partial preference for unparasitized hosts and high levels of predation on unparasitized hosts, we may expect the predator to improve suppression of herbivores even if it produces high levels of intraguild predation. While intraguild predation is an important ecological interaction in the early-season cotton agroecosystem, it does not disrupt cotton aphid biological control.
Specific or General - It is All About Solute Interactions with the Pore

Recently, Kojima and Nikaido (PNAS, 110: E2629, 2014) examined the idea of potential specificity of porin channels, where -lactam antibiotics’ interaction with the pore-lining residues, demonstrated in vitro, was suggested to facilitate transmembrane transport (PNAS, 99:9789, 2002). The authors came to a conclusion that the binding inside OmpF channel does not significantly affect the penetration of ampicillin and benzylpenicillin.While we emphatically agree with the authors that attractive interactions per se do not constitute the leading imperative in search for an antibiotic with the “magic bullet” potential, it would be surprising if Nature (or pharmaceutical companies, by trial and error) had not explored the benefits of these interactions to facilitate antibiotic translocation. Indeed, the probability of translocation through the OmpF pore for the molecule of ampicillin size that is already at the channel entrance could be estimated as a fraction of one percent (JCP, 116:9952, 2002). This is an impressively small number.The presence of optimal attractive interactions is able to compensate for the entropic cost of confinement (Biochemistry, 52:9246, 2013) and thus increase the translocation probability to 0.5, its maximum value for passive, although interaction-assisted, diffusion. Certainly, not every attractive interaction is optimal or even beneficial for translocation. Too strong or wrongly distributed binding can be detrimental. However, attractive interactions in a particular channel-solute pair are able, at least in principle, to transform a porin, which is “general” for many other solutes, into a “specific” one for the particular pair.
Selective neck dissection and deintensified postoperative radiation and chemotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer: a subset analysis of the University of Pennsylvania transoral robotic surgery trial.

Objectives/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to determine the regional recurrence rate of node-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) in patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and selective neck dissection (SND) followed by observation, radiation, or concurrent chemoradiation. Study Design: A prospective, phase I, single-arm study was conducted. All OPSCC patients who voluntarily participated in a surgical trial with TORS and SND at an academic tertiary referral center from May 2005 to July 2007 were included. Methods: Thirty-one patients with previously untreated OPSCC undergoing TORS and SND (29 unilateral and two bilateral) were included. There were 29 males and two females, with ages ranging from 36 to 76 years (median = 55 years) with one palate, one lateral wall, 17 tonsil, 11 base of tongue, and one vallecula primary tumor classified as follows: T1 (n = 9, 29%), T2 (n = 15, 48.4%), T3 (n = 7, 22.6%), N0 (n = 6, 19.4%), N1 (n = 15, 48.4%), N2b (n = 10, 32.3%), and N2c (n = 1, 3.2%). There were three stage I (9.7%), two stage II (6.5%), 15 stage III (48.4%) and 11 stage IVa (35.5%) patients. Twenty-two patients were treated postoperatively with adjuvant therapy (12 radiation alone and 12 combined radiation and chemotherapy). Primary outcome measured was regional recurrence rate. Results: There was one regional recurrence on the contralateral, non-operated neck and one distant recurrence among the 31 patients who underwent SND. Conclusions: SND after TORS resection of primary OPSCC enables the use of selective and deintensified adjuvant therapy to reduce regional recurrence rates. Laryngoscope, 2010
Marrow aplasia induced by colchicine. a case report

A 70 year old male developed marrow aplasia and pancytopenia after receiving 10 mg of colchicine intravenously over a period of 5 days for acute gouty arthritis. Despite a fatal outcome, evidence of recovery of hematopoiesis was observed in the bone marrow 3 days after the last dose of the drug. The pathogenetic mechanism by which colchicine induced marrow aplasia in this patient remains unclear.
Developing Support for Alcohol and Drug Education: A Case Study of a Counselor's Role.

A small group of individuals successfully helped a rural community deal with its adolescent drug problems and illustrated important roles for counselors and community leaders.
Non-interactive key establishment in mobile ad hoc networks

We present a new non-interactive key agreement and progression (NIKAP) scheme for mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), which does not require an on-line centralized authority, can non-interactively establish and update pairwise keys between nodes, is configurable to operate synchronously or asynchronously, and supports differentiated security services w.r.t. the given security policies. NIKAP is valuable to scenarios where pairwise keys are desired to be established without explicit negotiation over insecure channels, and also need to be updated frequently.
High molecular weight poly(lactic acid) produced by an efficient iron catalyst bearing a bis(amidinato)-N-heterocyclic carbene ligand

An iron bis(alkoxide) complex containing a bis(amidinato)-N-heterocyclic carbene ancillary ligand has been synthesized and utilized for the polymerization of (rac)-lactide. This complex was an excellent precatalyst for the controlled polymerization of (rac)-lactide leading to polymer with a number average molecular weight that is approximately four times larger than the analogous bis(imino)pyridine iron complexes while maintaining a similar reaction rate. The unusually high molecular weight observed in these reactions was explained by a fraction of the added complex being the active catalyst for lactide polymerization due to slow initiation versus propagation rates. Mechanistic investigations corroborated this hypothesis revealing an induction period that can be shortened by increasing the concentration of the lactide. This feature of the catalyst system led to a situation where larger observed rate constants were measured as the amount of lactide relative to iron was increased. At the very high lactide to complex ratio of 5000:1 (0.02 mol% catalyst loading), the bis(amidinato)-N-heterocyclic carbene iron bis (alkoxide) complex produced very high molecular weight polymer (Mn > 350 kg/mol, PDI = 1.2) within 8 h (85% conversion). Kinetic studies revealed that the bis(amidinato)-N-heterocyclic carbene iron complex is approximately seven times more active than the corresponding bis(amino)pyridine iron complex. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Biochemical, electrophoretic and immunological characterization of peroxisomal enzymes in three soybean organs

Biochemical, electrophoretic and immunological studies were made among peroxisomal enzymes in three organs of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Centennial] to compare the enzyme distribution and characteristics of specialized peroxisomes in one species. Leaves, nodules and etiolated cotyledons were compared with regard to several enzymes localized solely in their peroxisomes: catalase (EC 1.11.1.6), malate synthase (EC 4.1.3.2), glycolate oxidase (EC 1.1.3.1), and urate oxidase (EC 1.7.3.3). Catalase activity was found in all tissue extracts. Electrophoresis on native polyacrylamide gels indicated that leaf catalase migrated more anodally than nodule or cotyledon catalase as shown by both activity staining and Western blotting. Malate synthase activity and immunologically detectable protein were present only in the cotyledon extracts. Western blots of denaturing (lithium dodecyl sulfate) gels probed with anti-cotton malate synthase antiserum, reveal a single subunit of 63 kDa in both cotton and soybean cotyledons. Glycolic acid oxidase activity was present in all three organs, but ca 20-fold lower (per mg protein) in both nodule and cotyledon extracts compared to leaf extracts. Electrophoresis followed by activity staining on native gels indicated one enzyme form with the same mobility in nodule, cotyledon and leaf preparations. Urate oxidase activity was found in nodule extracts only. Native gel electrophoresis showed a single band of activity. Novel electrophoretic systems had to be developed to resolve the urate oxidase and glycolate oxidase activities; both of these enzymes moved cathodally in the gel system employed while most other proteins moved anodally. This multifaceted study of enzymes located within three specialized types of peroxisomes in a single species has not been undertaken previously, and the results indicate that previous comparisons between the enzyme content of specialized peroxisomes from different organisms are mostly consistent with that for a single species, soybean.
Elevated platelet factor 4 and β-thromboglobulin plasma levels in depressed patients with ischemic heart disease

Clinical depression has recently been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiac mortality in patients after myocardial infarction. The underlying mechanisms of this increased mortality remain unclear. This study investigated the hypothesis that patients suffering from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and depression concurrently may have abnormal platelet activation resulting in an increased risk of thrombosis. Platelet factor 4 (PF4) and β-thromboglobulin (β-TG) were measured in young healthy control subjects, in nondepressed patients with IHD, and in depressed patients with IHD. Mean PF4 and β-TG plasma levels in the IHD group with depression were found to be significantly higher than those of the control and IHD groups. This increase was not related to age, gender, racial difference, aspirin use, or severity of cardiac disease. This finding suggests that in depressed patients with IHD there is greater platelet activation, and may indicate an increased risk of thrombotic complications.
Details on suicide among US physicians: data from the National Violent Death Reporting System

Abstract Objective Physician suicide is an important public health problem as the rate of suicide is higher among physicians than the general population. Unfortunately, few studies have evaluated information about mental health comorbidities and psychosocial stressors which may contribute to physician suicide. We sought to evaluate these factors among physicians versus non-physician suicide victims. Methods We used data from the United States National Violent Death Reporting System to evaluate demographics, mental health variables, recent stressors and suicide methods among physician versus non-physician suicide victims in 17 states. Results The data set included 31,636 suicide victims of whom 203 were identified as physicians. Multivariable logistic regression found that having a known mental health disorder or a job problem which contributed to the suicide significantly predicted being a physician. Physicians were significantly more likely than non-physicians to have antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and barbiturates present on toxicology testing but not antidepressants. Conclusions Mental illness is an important comorbidity for physicians who complete a suicide but postmortem toxicology data shows low rates of medication treatment. Inadequate treatment and increased problems related to job stress may be potentially modifiable risk factors to reduce suicidal death among physicians.
Vacuum Predisperser For A Large Plane-Grating Spectrograph

A plane grating predisperser has been constructed which acts as an "order-sorter" for a large plane-grating spectrograph. This combination can photograph relatively wide regions of spectra in a single exposure with no loss of resolution.© (1980) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A semiclassical magnus approximation to coupled space-time-dependent scattering equations

Abstract A Feynman path integral representation of multichannel scattering is derived in which the action in the Feynman measure is a matrix, of rank equal to the number of quantum channels considered. The introduction of a semiclassical approximation leads to a set of classical equations of motion containing forces which depend parametrically on the classical trajectory. This theory is explicitly applied to various curve crossing models, and the results are compared to exact quantum mechanical calculations, with excellent agreement for cases of low, high, and intermediate energies, including situations where the transition region is large and/or includes the classical turning points. The general multidimensional semiclassical theory is also shown to provide a justification and a generalization of some of the ad hoc assumptions of the familiar classical path approximation.
Isolation and characterization of mutants of λrecA which synthesize a hyperactive recA protein

Abstract λrecA cI+ makes turbid plaques on spr− and lexA− mutants of Escherichia coli, in which much and very little recA protein synthesis can occur, respectively. On the other hand, λtif-1 cI+ makes clear plaques on a spr− host mutant and turbid plaques on a lexA− host mutant. Clear plaque development in the spr− host appears to be due to proteolytic cleavage of phage repressor due to high levels of hyperactive tif-1 mutant protein. This plaque type difference between λrecA+ cI+ and λtif-1 cI+ provides a method for detection of mutants of λrecA+ cI+ which synthesize a hyperactive, tif-like recA protein.
Sexual functioning assessed in 4 double-blind placebo- and paroxetine-controlled trials of duloxetine for major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE The onset or worsening of sexual dysfunction is a common treatment-emergent side effect of antidepressant medications. Post hoc analyses of pooled data from placebo-controlled studies were utilized to assess sexual functioning in patients receiving duloxetine or paroxetine. METHOD Acute-phase data were obtained from four 8-week, double-blind, placebo- and paroxetine-controlled trials of similar design in which patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 371), duloxetine (40-120 mg/day; N = 736), or paroxetine (20 mg/day; N = 359). Pooling of data from these studies was anticipated during study design. This represented all available data from duloxetine studies in which the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) was administered both at baseline and endpoint. Long-term data were available from extension phases in 2 of these trials in which acute treatment responders received placebo (N = 129), duloxetine (80-120 mg/day; N = 297), or paroxetine (20 mg/day; N = 140) for an additional 26 weeks. Data were collected between March 2000 and July 2002. RESULTS The incidence of acute treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction was significantly lower among duloxetine-treated patients compared with those receiving paroxetine (p = .015), although both rates were significantly higher than placebo (p = .007 and p < .001 for duloxetine and paroxetine, respectively). Treatment group differences in the incidence of treatment-emergent dysfunction did not vary significantly by gender. In female patients, acute treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction was significantly lower in the duloxetine treatment group compared with the paroxetine treatment group (p = .032), with both rates being significantly higher than placebo (p = .049 and p < .001 for duloxetine and paroxetine, respectively). In the somewhat smaller group of male patients, acute treatment-emergent dysfunction did not differ significantly between duloxetine and placebo treatment groups, but the incidence was significantly higher in paroxetine-treated male patients compared with male placebo patients (p = .012). The long-term incidence of treatment-emergent dysfunction did not differ significantly between duloxetine-, paroxetine-, and placebo-treated patients. CONCLUSION In this analysis of pooled data, patients receiving duloxetine (40-120 mg/day) or paroxetine (20 mg/day) had a significantly higher incidence of acute treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction when compared with placebo patients. However, the incidence of acute treatment-emergent dysfunction for duloxetine was significantly lower than that observed for paroxetine.
Hypertension in mice lacking the gene for endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Nitric oxide (NO), a potent vasodilator produced by endothelial cells, is thought to be the endothelium-dependent relaxing factor (EDRF) which mediates vascular relaxation in response to acetylcholine, bradykinin and substance P in many vascular beds. NO has been implicated in the regulation of blood pressure and regional blood flow, and also affects vascular smooth-muscle proliferation and inhibits platelet aggregation and leukocyte adhesion. Abnormalities in endothelial production of NO occur in atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension. Pharmacological blockade of NO production with arginine analogues such as L-nitroarginine (L-NA) or L-N-arginine methyl ester affects multiple isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and so cannot distinguish their physiological roles. To study the role of endothelial NOS (eNOS) in vascular function, we disrupted the gene encoding eNOS in mice. Endothelium-derived relaxing factor activity, as assayed by acetylcholine-induced relaxation, is absent, and the eNOS mutant mice are hypertensive. Thus eNOS mediates basal vasodilation. Responses to NOS blockade in the mutant mice suggest that non-endothelial isoforms of NOS may be involved in maintaining blood pressure.
The tectonics of icy satellites

Abstract The formation of tectonic structures on icy satellites may have resulted from one or more of several geologic processes: global volume change due to internal temperature change, H 2 O-ice phase changes, or ice-silicate differentiation; mantle convection driven by thermal or compositional heterogeneities; tidal deformation; and impact-related processes including formation of fracture systems, seismic disruption of areas antipodal to impact sites, basin collapse, and global reorientation. Observed tectonic structures and their associated volcanic deposits are classified herein into six basic assemblages on the basis of their morphology and spatial arrangement: (1) pervasive troughs and scarps occurring at globally coherent orientations; (2) throughgoing troughs and bands of troughs, generally associated with volcanic materials; (3) linear to curvilinear ridges; (4) volcanically modified systems of concentric and radial scarps and furrows; (5) regional volcanic and tectonic centers; and (6) grooved terrain intimately associated with light-colored volcanic deposits. Comparison of these assemblages with predicted manifestations of different geoiogic processes may lead to some understanding of the relationship of volcanic and tectonic features to the endogenic and exogenic processes that have affected icy satellites.
FLAME SAMPLING PHOTOIONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETRY OF DICHLOROETHENOL

Abstract A newly developed flame-sampling laser-ionization mass spectrometer has been used for the detection of combustion intermediates in a low-pressure methane/oxygen flame seeded with trichloroethylene. Among the most prominent intermediates are 1,1-dichloroethylene and 2,2-dichloroethenol. Near-threshold photoionization efficiency curves, produced with a tunable vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser light source, are used for isomerically selective detection of these species. The previously unmeasured ionization potential for 2,2-dichloroethenol is placed at 9.09±0.02 eV.
Environmental Control of the Deformability of the DNA Double Helix

The deformability of DNA is of crucial importance in a number of processes and interactions, such as its enzymatic recognition, its packaging into chromosomes, its interactions with drugs, and the formation of photodimers in it. Here we have studied this property by following the formation of excited-state molecular complexes (excimers) between adjacent bases of poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT) at 20 degrees C. The force that drives the helix distortion appears to stem mainly from charge-resonance interaction. The results indicate that the deformability of the helix on the nanosecond time scale is considerable at normal solvent viscosities, whereas it is greatly reduced by frictional forces at high viscosities (attained through sucrose addition) at which the excimer has a much less favorable geometry: the difference in the interaction energies between 1 cP and 58 cP is about 6 kcal/mol, a value that is similar to the base stacking energies for the undistorted helix. This behavior parallels the modulation by the solvent viscosity of the thermally driven motions of the bases of poly(dA).poly(dT), which we recently reported on the basis of time-resolved intrinsic fluorescence anisotropy measurements (S. Georghiou et al., Biophys, J., 70, 1909-1922, 1996). It is inferred that environmental impediments to molecular motion can modulate the conformation and dynamics of DNA. Such modulation might play a role in gene regulation: particular base configurations, which can be enzymatically recognized, may be attained as dictated by the prevailing viscosity conditions and/or geometric constraints. By contrast, up to 3 M NaCl or 0.1 M MgCl2 do not significantly reduce the deformability of the helix. The considerable plasticity of this polynucleotide is probably linked to the significant flexibility of the TA step that may account for the wide-spread use of the TATA sequence in transcription, site-specific recombination and the initiation of DNA replication.
Health Information–Seeking Practices of African American Young Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Qualitative Study

The current study used a qualitative, phenomenological approach to investigate the health information–seeking practices of African American young men who have sex with men (AAYMSM). Forty-two self-identified AAYMSM, aged 18 to 21, residing in a Southeastern U.S. city participated in a qualitative focus group or face-to-face interview to examine their access to health information, current and preferred sources and types of health information, and recommendations for improving the delivery of health information to AAYMSM. Participants reported accessing health information from a complex network of sources, including peers, health care professionals, parents, and the Internet. Most consulted these sources to access information about the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS. In addition, participants provided recommendations to improve delivery of health information and identified parents and the Internet as preferred sources of health information. This research highlights the imp...
MEDIC: A legged millirobot utilizing novel obstacle traversal

This work presents the design, fabrication, capabilities, and obstacle traversal mechanics of MEDIC (Millirobot Enabled Diagnostic of Integrated Circuits), a small legged robot able to overcome a varied array of obstacles. MEDIC features a hull that keeps its body in contact with the ground at all times, and uses only four actuators to move forward, turn, mount obstacles, and move in reverse. The chassis is fabricated using a Smart Composite Microstructures (SCM) approach and the robot is actuated by coiled Shape Memory Alloy (SMA). MEDIC also features a camera which will be useful for navigation in the future.
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal Factors Associated With Autonomous Motivation in Adolescents’ After-School Activities:

This study explored interpersonal and intrapersonal factors associated with the level of autonomous motivation adolescents experience for their after-school activities. A total of 142 seventh-grade adolescents completed measures of peer relatedness, autonomy within friendships, mother and father autonomy support, perceived activity competence, autonomous motivation for their after-school activity, and subjective well-being. Autonomous motivation for after-school activity was associated with greater subjective well-being. Peer relatedness was positively related to adolescents’ intrinsic and identified motivation for their after-school activities and inversely related to their introjected motivation, whereas neither mother nor father autonomy support predicted autonomous motivation. Perceived activity competence was also positively associated with intrinsic and identified motivation for after-school activity. Furthermore, autonomy within friendships mediated the relation between peer relatedness and autonom...
Vinyl chloride-induced DNA adducts. II: Formation and persistence of 7-(2'-oxoethyl)guanine and N2,3-ethenoguanine in rat tissue DNA.

The formation and persistence of the DNA adducts 7-(2'-oxoethyl)guanine (OEG) and N2,3-ethenoguanine (EG) were investigated in preweanling Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to vinyl chloride (VC). Lactating female CD rats with 10 day old pups were exposed to 600 p.p.m. VC by inhalation for 5 days, 4 h/day. Groups of rats were killed immediately and 3, 7 and 14 days after exposure. The concentrations of OEG and EG were measured in liver, lung, kidney, brain and spleen. HPLC with fluorescence detection was used for OEG detection, and gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry was used for EG detection. In tissues of neonatal rats, the concentrations of both DNA adducts, expressed as pmol/mumols unmodified guanine, were highest in liver (OEG 162 +/- 36, EG 1.81 +/- 0.25), followed by kidney (OEG 29 +/- 1, EG 0.31 +/- 0.02), and lung (OEG 20 +/- 7, EG 0.21 +/- 0.08). No adducts were found in brain or spleen. DNA adducts were detected only in liver (OEG 43 +/- 7, EG 0.47 +/- 0.14) and lung (OEG 20 +/- 5, EG 0.27 +/- 0.03) of the dams. The ratio between EG and OEG was approximately 1:100 in all tissues immediately after exposure. In the liver of the preweanling rats, this ratio increased to 1:14 1 week after exposure, reflecting a greater persistence of EG. A half-life of 62 h was calculated for OEG, and the estimated half-life for EG was greater than 30 days. In view of the slow loss of EG and its high efficiency for causing base-pair mismatch, these results suggest that EG may be an important DNA adduct in VC-induced carcinogenesis.
Vascular Stiffness and the “Chicken-or-the-Egg” Question

Although the incidence of hypertension approaches 90% for people over the age of 70 years, the etiology of hypertension remains elusive for the vast majority. The complications of long-standing hypertension are well known and relate to arterial disease with clinical manifestations in the heart, brain, and kidney. However, the paradigm of elevated blood pressure resulting in vasculopathy continues to be challenged. Rather than hypertension resulting in altered vascular structure and function, it seems that changes in vascular integrity (structure) precede and may be causal in the development of elevated blood pressure with resultant hypertension that ultimately leads to clinical events (Figure). Alterations in cardiovascular structure and function that have been shown to precede the finding of elevated blood pressure include the occurrence of left ventricular hypertrophy in children and young adults of hypertensive parents1 (although one cannot rule out the role of blood pressure in causing cardiovascular remodeling in studies where only resting, occasional measurements of blood pressure are made), diastolic filling abnormalities in normotensive individuals predisposed to hypertension,2 endothelial dysfunction as a precursor to the finding of hypertension,3 and increased arterial stiffness in normotensive subjects predisposed to develop hypertension.4 Recently it has …
Chloroprocaine for spinal anesthesia: a retrospective analysis.

Background Recent volunteer and clinical studies of chloroprocaine (CP) have evaluated its use for outpatient spinal anesthesia. This retrospective review describes the discharge characteristics and reported side effects of spinal CP in a large number of patients undergoing outpatient procedures. Methods All patients who received spinal anesthesia for ambulatory procedures over a 20-month period were accessed using computer-generated reports. Charts from 601 anesthetics were analyzed for spinal drug used, block characteristics, side effects and discharge data. Results CP was the most frequently used spinal anesthetic (84% of cases, n=503) for outpatient procedures. CP (median dose 40 mg, range 20-60 mg) times from injection to ambulation and discharge were 107±24 and 171±45 min, respectively. Lidocaine (median dose 60 mg, range 30-100 mg, n=84) times from injection to ambulation and discharge were 155±40 and 224±57 min, respectively (P Conclusions For ambulatory patients at our institution, the time to achievement of discharge criteria was significantly reduced with CP 40 vs. lidocaine 60 mg. There have been no reports of perioperative neurologic injury with the introduction of CP as a spinal anesthetic at our institution.
SPATIAL DEPENDENCE AND SPATIAL STRUCTURAL INSTABILITY IN APPLIED REGRESSION ANALYSIS

The stability of regression coefficients over the observation set (“regional homogeneity”) is typically assessed by means of a Chow test or within a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) framework. When spatial error autocorrelation is present in cross-sectional equations the traditional tests are no longer applicable. I evaluate this both in formal terms as well as empirically. I introduce a taxonomy of spatial effects in models for structural instability, and discuss its implication for testing. I compare the performance of traditional tests, robust approaches, maximum-likelihood procedures and pretest techniques by means of a series of simple Monte Carlo experiments.
Contributions to variations in academic trajectories amongst recent immigrant youth

Immigration presents both challenges and opportunities that affect students’ academic achievement. Over the course of five years, varying academic trajectories were identified for recent immigrant students from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico. Latent class growth curve analysis revealed that although some students performed at high or improving levels over time, others showed diminishing performance. Multinomial logistic regressions identified significant group differences in academic trajectories, particularly between the high-achieving youth and the other groups. Consistent with ecological systems theory, school characteristics (a: school segregation rate; b: school poverty rate; and c: student perceptions of school violence), family characteristics (a-separation from mother and father; b-maternal education; and c-paternal employment), and individual characteristics (a-academic English proficiency; b-academic engagement; c-psychological symptoms; d-gender) were associat...
CD30 expression in acute myeloid leukemia is associated with FLT3-internal tandem duplication mutation and leukocytosis

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy generally associated with a poor prognosis. While many patients can achieve a complete remission with traditional induction ther...
Intimate Partner Violence and Long-Term Psychosocial Functioning in a National Sample of American Women

Using a nationally representative sample of American married or cohabiting women, this prospective study examined women who reported or denied intimate partner violence (IPV) at wave 1 and compared them on a range of psychosocial outcomes at a 5-year follow-up. This study also examined the rate of divorce or separation during the 5-year interval among women who reported IPV at wave 1 and explored whether certain predictors were related to ending an abusive relationship with an intimate partner during the period. Women with IPV at wave 1, compared to women without IPV, were significantly more likely to experience a greater degree of depressive symptoms and functional impairment and less self-esteem and life satisfaction at the 5-year follow-up. Also, nearly half of the women in an abusive relationship left the relationship within the period. Leaving the abusive relationship was associated with lower individual income and more social support at wave 1.
Love Schemas, Preferences in Romantic Partners, and Reactions to Commitment

Researchers have proposed that people possess different love schemas and that these schemas may shape romantic preferences and reactions to impending commitments. In Study 1, we tested two hypotheses: Hypothesis 1: Men and women will prefer potential dates who possess an “ideal” love schema (i.e., the secure). Hypothesis 2: If the ideal is unavailable, men and women will prefer potential dates whose love schemas are similar to their own. In order to test these hypotheses, men and women from the University of Hawaii, who varied in love schemas, were asked to indicate their preferences for potential romantic partners who varied in physical attractiveness, body type, and love schemas. It was found that people did indeed prefer the ideal (the secure) and (secondarily) those who were similar to them in attachment style—be it clingy, skittish, casual, or disinterested. Study 2 was designed to test Hypothesis 3: Participants’ love schemas will shape their cognitions, feelings, and behaviors when they find themselves on the brink of making a serious romantic commitment. In order to test this hypothesis, men and women from the University of Hawaii were surveyed. Again, as predicted, it was found that the more strongly men and women endorsed the secure schema, the more calm and confident (and the less fearful and trapped) they felt when confronting pending commitments. The more strongly they endorsed the clingy, skittish, fickle, casual, and uninterested schemas, the less confident and calm and the more fearful and trapped they felt when confronting an impending commitment.
Reconstructing the kinematic evolution of curved mountain belts: A paleomagnetic study of Triassic red beds from the Wyoming salient, Sevier thrust belt, U.S.A.

Determining the kinematic history and mechanics of curved fold-and-thrust belts is fundamental to understanding the tectonic evolution of mountain systems. To better understand the development of a classic curved fold-and-thrust belt, we completed an integrated paleomagnetic and strain study of the Wyoming salient. Paleomagnetic data are reported here from 154 sites collected from red beds of the Triassic Ankareh Formation in the salient and nine sites collected from the relatively stable foreland. Red beds display three components with distinctly different magnetic behaviors: (1) a near-primary Triassic magnetization carried by hematite that is stable up to 680 °C (Tr component, 91 sites); (2) a Cretaceous chemical remagnetization carried partly by magnetite (K component, 32 sites); and (3) a recent viscous magnetization that is mostly removed by 350 °C. Site mean vectors for the Tr and K components show a high degree of scatter from expected Triassic and Cretaceous reference directions, suggesting significant tilt and rotation subsequent to magnetization acquisition. Restoration of tilt and folding for individual site means results in well-clustered shallow and moderate inclinations for the Tr and K components, respectively, and in variable declinations related to systematic vertical-axis rotations. Statistical analysis of declinations for both components indicates that ∼75% of present-day salient curvature resulted from secondary rotation, and ∼25% of primary curvature was likely related to sedimentary basin architecture. Analysis of individual thrust systems indicates a slightly greater component of rotation in more internal sheets (∼80%) compared to the frontal thrust sheets (∼65%), suggesting that rotations were concentrated near the leading edge of the propagating fold-and-thrust wedge, with only minor additional rotation of internal sheets. Transfer zones, oblique ramps, and more deformed overturned fold limbs display locally more complex patterns, which can be understood through careful structural analysis. When combined with internal strain data and regional structural relations, paleomagnetic data support a kinematic model of a progressive arc with curved thrust-slip paths and differential shortening that rotated early layer-parallel shortening fabrics and produced minor strike-parallel extension. This kinematic history likely reflects a combination of processes, including greater initial stratigraphic thickness and subsequent shortening and wedge propagation in the central part of the salient, presence of a weak basal detachment and fault-zone weakening that favored lower taper, and buttressing by Laramide foreland uplifts that formed along basement promontories at the north and south ends of the salient.
State Mental Health Policy: Promoting Legislation and Public Policy Debates in State Legislatures: A Psychiatrist's Perspective

Psychiatrists are urged to get involved in promoting legislation and public policy debates in state legislatures to effectively advocate for positive change in legislation and policy making. This column focuses on strategies that New Hampshire Psychiatric Society members have found effective in engaging policy makers and legislators in a dialogue that assertively promotes the views of patients with mental illness and the profession of psychiatry.
Adult Malignant Brain Tumors Palliative Medicine Issues (Part I)

In the February 2013 issue of the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, the clinical aspects of adult malignant brain tumors were reviewed with the conclusion that patients with brain tumors facing end of life had different symptoms than patients dying from other cancers. This is an important observation since this frequent loss of cognitive function directly affects the patient’s decision-making ability regarding treatment wishes and other advance directives. In this regard, Sizoo et al investigated this issue in a retrospective study of 155 patients who died of high-grade gliomas and were diagnosed in 3 tertiary referral brain tumor centers in the Netherlands from 2005 to 2006. A questionnaire was sent both to the physicians involved in the end-of-life care of the patients and to the closest relative as identified by the treating physician. The questions, both open-ended and discrete, were related to the last 3 months before death and specifically to the last week of life. Of the 155 patients identified, 101 (62% response rate) physicians completed the questionnaire and half of the relatives responded. The majority (88%) of the patients were diagnosed with gliobastoma multiforme with a male preponderance and a mean age at diagnosis of 60 years. Of note, 66% of the patients died at home which may reflect the health care system in the Netherlands. Sixty percent of the physicians were aware that their patients had what the investigators called end-of-life decision (ELD) preferences. Furthermore, the investigators defined ELDs to include withholding or withdrawing of life-prolonging treatment and the administration of drugs with the potential or certain life-shortening effect. Examples of ELDs are withdrawal of chemotherapy or dexamethasone, withholding artificial food and intravenous fluid administration, no hospital or intensive care admissions for treatment of infections, and palliative sedation. As reported by the physicians, slightly more than half (52%) of the patients were unable to participate in ELDs in the last weeks of life due to cognitive disturbances, somnolence, aphasia, and delirium. Another one-third lost this ability during the last week of life. Thus, there was a steady decline in this ELD capacity from the last months to last days before death. Withholding treatment occurred in 29% of the patients and included:
A Social Justice Perspective on the Role of Copyright in Realizing International Human Rights

This article examines the role of copyright in mediating the access to information with particular emphasis on special aspects arising in the context of the Internet and information technologies from the perspective of social justice principles of inclusion and empowerment. If copyright law, policy, and administration are properly calibrated to address competing and complementary interests, it can be an engine for inclusion and empowerment. Alternatively, if not calibrated properly, copyright can be a brake upon both inclusion and empowerment in the exercise of civil and political rights as well as in the progressive realization of economic, social, and cultural rights.The article examines attributes of copyright law from the perspective of advancing inclusion and empowerment through tuning copyright law and practice to mesh with the international human right of access to information.
Acute myeloid leukemia—Major progress over four decades and glimpses into the future

In this Review, the progress in research and therapy of acute myeloid leukemia is detailed.
Review: Economic Evaluation of Cost-Cutting Forage Strategies for Cow-Calf Operations on Improved Pastures

Recent volatility in farm input prices creates financial challenges for cow-calf producers, but it is the expectation of significant changes in the relative prices of inputs that creates the incentive to change production practices or even production systems. The diversity in resources, goals, financial performance, and financial health among cow-calf operators and operations leads to the conclusion that few, if any, practices can be generally recommended. Information about production practices should be offered as a menu of choices, to be evaluated for practicality, profitability, and financial feasibility for each individual farm or ranch situation. Partial and enterprise budgeting are fairly simple and useful tools for evaluating the profitability of alternative forage crops and forage production and management practices. Examples are provided to illustrate the potential impact on profitability. Producers can benefit from collaboration between production and financial advisors.
Risk and the Labor Market

According to many pundits, we are living in a “high-risk society,” a kind of postmodern frontier economy (Mandel 1996). Workers are being advised to take care of themselves and their kin because government, unions, and corporations are unwilling to shoulder as much risk as in the past. Public programs such as Social Security and Medicare are in fiscal distress; at the very least, it is unlikely that government will assume new social risks, such as national health insurance. Meanwhile, unions are a shrinking portion of the labor force, representing less than 9 percent of private-sector employees; few believe that they will soon stage a major revival. And corporations—on whom workers once counted for stable career jobs and generous “fringe” benefits—insist that those days are over and never coming back.
Conditional spatial discrimination in humans with hypoxic brain injury

Hypoxic brain injury can cause severe anterograde amnesia with intact intelligence and attention in select patients. This neuropsychological profile is similar among a broad class of etiologies resulting in damage to the hippocampus and associated medial temporal structures. Several recent studies have demonstrated that subjects with anterograde amnesia can nonetheless acquire simple associative tasks. In the present study, the performance of subjects with anterograde memory impairments resulting from hypoxic brain injury on a conditional spatial discrimination was examined. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant hippocampal atrophy in the hypoxic subjects. The hypoxic subjects were able to acquire and reverse the discrimination, although they were slower relative to matched control subjects. Hypoxic subjects also showed a tendency to perseverate after reward contingencies were reversed.
Realizing the Abstraction: Using Today’s Law to Reach Tomorrow’s Sustainability

This article argues that sustainability – economic, social, and ecological – exists at a scale and level of abstraction that remains unapproachable by traditional institutional regimes, and that in order to achieve sustainable communities, we must identify workable mechanisms to give real legal effect to that abstraction. The mechanism proposed here is the classic and ubiquitous comprehensive land-use plan employed by communities across the country. These land-use plans often represent the only formal community effort to synchronize the competing purposes that exist within a community. However, in most states, comprehensive plans are not enforceable as law, leaving various government actors largely free to ignore the broader community goals and purposes that might allow a move toward a more sustainable place. But that is unnecessary. The single simple choice of giving legal effect to comprehensive plans would enable communities to identify and work toward a coherent vision of sustainable place.
Predicting vehicle belt fit for children ages 6–12

ABSTRACTObjective: To predict shoulder belt fit and lap belt fit as a function of child age, vehicle seat characteristics, and belt geometry.Methods: In a previous study, the lap belt and shoulder belt fit of 44 children aged 5–12 were measured in a simulated vehicle seat while varying cushion length, cushion angle, seatback angle, and belt anchorage geometry. A regression model was developed to predict lap belt fit and shoulder belt fit as a function of vehicle parameters and child stature. These regression models were applied to the stature distribution of 6- to 12-year-olds using a range of vehicle geometry data to predict the proportion of children expected to achieve good belt fit in the second-row, outboard seating positions of 46 vehicles when not using belt-positioning boosters.Results: Across the ranges observed in vehicles, lap belt angle had the strongest effect on lap belt fit, although vehicle cushion length also contributed. Shoulder belt fit was most strongly affected by D-ring location. Ve...