OBJECTIVE Growing evidence has shown that vitamin D deficiency can cause lower bone mineral density (BMD) and an increased risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) BsmI polymorphism (rs1544410) can affect BMD variation and circulating osteocalcin levels. To date, a wide range of epidemiological studies have been carried out to evaluate the association between VDR BsmI polymorphism and sus...

We describe an innovative aspirator gun designed to transfer individual anesthetized mosquitoes directly into glass bioassay tubes. The gun has been used for thousands of transfers with extremely low associated mortality and is the central component of a high-throughput bioassay system. The gun is constructed using readily obtainable materials and can be modified for a range of insects.

Ensuring building-block (BB) mixing is critical to the success of genetic and evolutionary algorithms. This study develops facetwise models to predict the BB mixing time and the population sizing dictated by BB mixing for single-point crossover. The population-sizing model suggests that for moderate-to-large problems, BB mixing – instead of BB decision making and BB supply – bounds the populati...

BACKGROUND An estimated 3700 individuals are seen annually in US emergency departments for nail gun-related injuries. Approximately 45 cases have been reported in the literature concerning nail gun injuries penetrating the cranium. These cases pose a challenge for the neurosurgeon because of the uniqueness of each case, the dynamics of high pressure nail gun injuries, and the surgical planning ...

OBJECTIVE School-associated firearm violence among children and adolescents is a national public concern. The objective of this study was to determine the accessibility of firearms, methods of firearm access and firearm safety knowledge among middle and high school students in Orange County, California. METHODS After permission from school officials and parents was obtained, a 24-question sur...

BACKGROUND there is evidence that the suspension of betablockers (BB) in decompensated heart failure may increase mortality. Dobutamine (dobuta) is the most commonly used inotrope in decompensation, however, BB and dobuta act with the same receptor with antagonist actions, and concurrent use of both drugs could hinder compensation. OBJECTIVE to evaluate whether the maintenance of BB associate...

Gun violence is a major cause of preventable injury and death in the United States, leading to more than 33,000 deaths each year. However, gun violence prevention is an understudied and underfunded area of research. We review the barriers to research in the field, including restrictions on federal funding. We then outline potential areas in which further research could inform clinical practice,...

The Brookhaven Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) consists of a 50-MeV/c electron linac and a high-brightness RF-gun both operating at 2856 MHi. An extremely short (a few picoseconds) electron pulse with a low transverse emittance is generated by the RF-gun. In order to preserve both longitudinal and transverse emittances, great care must be taken in transporting the election beam from the RF-gun ...

Creatine kinase (CK) BB, a member of the CK gene family, is a predominantly cytosolic CK isoform in the brain and plays a key role in regulation of the ATP level in neural cells. CK BB levels are reduced in brain regions affected by neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Pick's disease, and Lewy body dementia, and this reduction is not a result of decreased mRNA levels. This study demon...

Gun rights activists in the United States frequently argue that the right to bear arms, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment, can help deter crime. Advocates of gun control usually respond that €rearm prevalence contributes positively to violent crime rates. In this paper, we provide quasi-experimental evidence that a positive and unexpected gun demand shock led to an increase in murder rates....