Charge： Glowing in the Dark

Many areas of structure analysis have focused on finding the locations of the atoms. If, instead of the atoms, we knew the positions of the electrons we would in fact know much more, and in most respects knowing where the nuclei are is not important. There is a long history of measurements using precise electron diffraction or X-ray diffraction of the average charge density in materials, but extending beyond to local charge density is, as yet, an unexplored area.     

Reliability and validity of the measurement of position sense in women with osteoarthritis of the knee

OBJECTIVE: We examined the test-retest reliability and the construct validity of the measurement of knee position sense for describing the functional weightbearing performance of women with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. METHODS: For the purpose of this study, position sense was defined as the error occurring when subjects attempted to reproduce a criterion angle in standing with visual cues eliminated. Five such tests were recorded photographically on 3 different occasions. On each occasion the 10 subjects also completed a self-paced walking test over a 13 m indoor walkway. RESULTS: The photographic measurements were reproducible (r = 0.90) and there was no change in positioning accuracy across sessions. There was a significant (p < 0.05) inverse correlation of 0.70 between the standard deviation of the mean individual measurements of position sense (precision of the test) and those of walking speed. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates good measurement reliability and a comparable mean angular error with repeated tests. It also suggests the amplitude of the variability of this error is a strong determinant of an individual OA patient's functional performance in walking.     

The need for style systems in ODA

Many advanced document systems provide a formatting mechanism called ‘style sheets’ Style sheets provide a great deal of flexibility in describing a document's format, and allow easy maintenance of different house styles for a collection of documents. In this paper, we describe the basics of general style sheet systems, argue that successful document interchange must include the exchange of style sheet information, and evaluate ODA's style mechanism against this requirement.     

Bat-deafness in day-flying moths (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae, Dioptinae)

Assuming that bat-detection is the primary function of moth ears, the ears of moths that are no longer exposed to bats should be deaf to echolocation call frequencies. To test this, we compared the auditory threshold curves of 7 species of Venezuelan day-flying moths (Notodontidae: Dioptinae) to those of 12 sympatric species of nocturnal moths (Notodontidae: Dudusinae, Noctuidae and Arctiidae). Whereas 2 dioptines (Josia turgida, Zunacetha annulata) revealed normal ears, 2 (J. radians, J. gopala) had reduced hearing at bat-specific frequencies (20-80 kHz) and the remaining 3 (Thirmida discinota, Polypoetes circumfumata and Xenorma cytheris) revealed pronounced to complete levels of high-frequency deafness. Although the bat-deaf ears of dioptines could function in other purposes (e.g., social communication), the poor sensitivities of these species even at their best frequencies suggest that these moths represent a state of advanced auditory degeneration brought about by their diurnal life history. The phylogeny of the Notodontidae further suggests that this deafness is a derived (apomorphic) condition and not a retention of a primitive (pleisiomorphic), insensitive state.     

Incremental redistribution of protein kinase C underlies the acquisition curve during in vitro associative conditioning in Hermissenda

Although thoracoabdominal injuries are uncommon in the athlete, they can be catastrophic if unrecognized or if diagnosis and treatment are delayed. This article reviews thoracic, intrathoracic, abdominal, and groin injuries in the athlete, and how they can be diagnosed and managed.     

Novel NMDA antagonists: replacement of the pyridinium ring of 6,11-ethanobenzo[b]quinolizinium cations with heteroisoquinolinium cations

Replacement of the pyridinium ring of 6,11-ethanobenzo[b]quinolizinium cations with thiazolium (4a and 4b) and N-methylimidazolium (4c and 4d) resulted in equipotent compounds in the [3H]TCP binding assay. The corresponding N-methyl-1,2,4-triazolium analogs were less potent in this assay. The thiazolium derivative 4b, with a Ki = 2.9 nM, is being evaluated as a possible neuroprotective N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) antagonist.     

Cost-effectiveness of preoperative localization studies in primary hyperparathyroid disease

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of preoperative localization studies on the surgical management of patients with primary hyperparathyroid disease (PHPT). SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Reported cure rates of initial surgical exploration for PHPT are close to 95%. Preoperative localization studies are frequently obtained to improve surgical success and decrease operative time. METHODS: Initial cervical exploration was performed in 113 patients with PHPT from 1981 to 1993. Twenty-four patients (21%) had surgery without preoperative localization studies. The remaining 89 patients (79%) had 132 noninvasive preoperative localization studies. Success of the localization studies in tumor localization, pathologic findings, postoperative serum calcium levels, and operative times were compared. Patient costs of the studies were calculated. RESULTS: Disease was identified during operation in 23 of 24 patients (96%) having cervical exploration without preoperative localization studies, and they had normal calcium levels after surgery. Eighty-seven of 89 patients (98%) having preoperative localization studies were surgically cured. The highest sensitivity rate (60%) and highest positive predictive value (79%) of the localization studies were found with thallium-technetium scintiscanning. Average cost of the localization studies was $901 per patient. Combination studies were obtained in 32 patients at an average cost of $1,314 per patient without improving sensitivity. Mean operating time did not differ for localized and nonlocalized patients. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative localization studies did not improve parathyroid localization or cure rate and did not substantially shorten operating time in initial cervical exploration for PHPT. The economic burden of routine preoperative localization studies in these patients is not justified.