cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Framework to Predict and Identify Wandering Behavior in Individuals with Alzheimer’s Using Physiological and Kinect Sensors

Alzheimer affects over 35.6 million people worldwide resulting in a gradual deterioration of cognition and independent daily functioning. Wandering, a behavior associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is highly challenging to manage by caregivers. It has been defined as an aimless pursuit in a state of disorientation. Even though wandering can lead to falls, physical harm, and in extreme cases death; this problem has been inadequately studied in the literature. The limited literature in gerontechnology has proposed solutions with geolocation devices that explore mechanisms to identify wandering only after the behavior has started to occur. These studies can only assist in developing solutions that are reactive to wandering behavior. Unfortunately, none of the studies aim at prediction of the wandering behavior that can lead to proactive identification and prevention of this problematic behavior. Existing studies have primarily utilized sensors in identification of wandering while it is happening and have not attended to physiological changes that may occur in individuals with AD before the onset of the wandering behavior such as a rise in heart rate, blood pressure, or body temperature. To address this gap in the knowledge base, we are proposing a framework that integrates a combination of wireless physiological sensors such as heart rate and blood pressure sensors, kinects, and infrared to predict and identify wandering in individuals with AD. This paper also explores various existing solutions that utilize mobile technology and GPS location devices and then presents a framework for an all-encompassing mechanism that can predict and identify wandering behavior.
Cost-effectiveness of Treatment Regimens for Clostridioides difficile Infection: An Evaluation of the 2018 Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines.

Background In 2018, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) published guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI). However, there is little guidance regarding which treatments are cost-effective. Methods We used a Markov model to simulate a cohort of patients presenting with an initial CDI diagnosis. We used the model to estimate the costs, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of different CDI treatment regimens recommended in the recently published 2018 IDSA guidelines. The model includes stratification by the severity of the initial infection, and subsequent likelihood of cure, recurrence, mortality, and outcomes of subsequent recurrences. Data sources were taken from IDSA guidelines and published literature on treatment outcomes. Outcome measures were discounted quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Results Use of fidaxomicin for nonsevere initial CDI, vancomycin for severe CDI, fidaxomicin for first recurrence, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for subsequent recurrence (strategy 44) cost an additional $478 for 0.009 QALYs gained per CDI patient, resulting in an ICER of $31 751 per QALY, below the willingness-to-pay threshold of $100 000/QALY. This is the optimal, cost-effective CDI treatment strategy. Conclusions Metronidazole is suboptimal for nonsevere CDI as it is less beneficial than alternative strategies. The preferred treatment regimen is fidaxomicin for nonsevere CDI, vancomycin for severe CDI, fidaxomicin for first recurrence, and FMT for subsequent recurrence. The most effective treatments, with highest cure rates, are also cost-effective due to averted mortality, utility loss, and costs of rehospitalization and/or further treatments for recurrent CDI.
Pre-stimulus brain state predicts auditory pattern identification accuracy.

Abstract Recent studies show that pre-stimulus band-specific power and phase in the electroencephalogram (EEG) can predict accuracy on tasks involving the detection of near-threshold stimuli. However, results in the auditory modality have been mixed, and few works have examined pre-stimulus features when more complex decisions are made (e.g. identifying supra-threshold sounds). Further, most auditory studies have used background sounds known to induce oscillatory EEG states, leaving it unclear whether phase predicts accuracy without such background sounds. To address this gap in knowledge, the present study examined pre-stimulus EEG as it relates to accuracy in a tone pattern identification task. On each trial, participants heard a triad of 40-ms sinusoidal tones (separated by 40-ms intervals), one of which was at a different frequency than the other two. Participants' task was to indicate the tone pattern (low-low-high, low-high-low, etc.). No background sounds were employed. Using a phase opposition measure based on inter-trial phase consistencies, pre-stimulus 7–10 Hz phase was found to differ between correct and incorrect trials ∼200 to 100 ms prior to tone-pattern onset. After sorting trials into bins based on phase, accuracy was found to be lowest at around π − + relative to individuals’ most accurate phase bin. No significant effects were found for pre-stimulus power. In the context of the literature, findings suggest an important relationship between the complexity of task demands and pre-stimulus activity within the auditory domain. Results also raise interesting questions about the role of induced oscillatory states or rhythmic processing modes in obtaining pre-stimulus effects of phase in auditory tasks.
A Randomized Prospective Trial of Supine MRI-Guided Versus Wire-Localized Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer.

Wire-localized excision of non-palpable breast cancer is imprecise, resulting in positive margins 15–35% of the time. Women with a confirmed diagnosis of non-palpable invasive breast cancer (IBC) or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) were randomized to a new technique using preoperative supine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with intraoperative optical scanning and tracking (MRI group) or wire-localized (WL group) partial mastectomy. The main outcome measure was the positive margin rate. In this study, 138 patients were randomly assigned. Sixty-six percent had IBC and DCIS, 22% had IBC, and 12% had DCIS. There were no differences in patient or tumor characteristics between the groups. The proportion of patients with positive margins in the MRI-guided surgery group was half that observed in the WL group (12 vs. 23%; p = 0.08). The specimen volumes in the MRI and WL groups did not differ significantly (74 ± 33.9 mL vs. 69.8 ± 25.1 mL; p = 0.45). The pathologic tumor diameters were underestimated by 2 cm or more in 4% of the cases by MRI and in 9% of the cases by mammography. Positive margins were observed in 68% and 58% of the cases underestimated by 2 cm or more using MRI and mammography, respectively, and in 15% and 14% of the cases not underestimated using MRI and mammography, respectively. A novel system using supine MRI images co-registered with intraoperative optical scanning and tracking enabled tumors to be resected with a trend toward a lower positive margin rate compared with wire-localized partial mastectomy. Margin positivity was more likely when imaging underestimated pathologic tumor size.
Assessing Intercultural Competence in Teacher Education: A Missing Link

This chapter discusses the importance of developing intercultural competence as a foundational strategy in teacher education. The primary argument asserts that specific, mandated-content assessments do not help newly trained teachers to develop skills and knowledge related to thoughtfulness, criticality, cultural responsiveness, and caring for the young individuals with whom they work. The author attributes this to the lack of intercultural sensitivity and intercultural communication in teacher education discourses. Researchers suggest that caring in schools and other such institutions have diminished as there are distinct gaps in the relationships between teachers and culturally diverse students causing these students to fall out of the school systems. The chapter informs about the need to equip teachers with intercultural sensitivities and intercultural communication skills to help them navigate the changing demographics in classrooms. Finally, it provides some insight into discovering missing links in teaching and pedagogical approaches and offers some strategies for bridging the ever-widening intercultural gaps.
“It’s the Person, but Then the Environment, Too”: Black and Latino Males’ Narratives about Their College Successes:

This study relies on in-depth interviews with 30 Black and Latino males to explore how they narrate and make meaning from their college experiences at a Hispanic Serving Institution. A good deal of...
Service Design Approaches to Drive Employee Engagement

Fostering an organizational culture that builds employee engagement has received increased focus in recent years in the business, management, and organizational communication literature. A novel and promising approach to examine and foster employee engagement is to apply service design principles within an organization with a focus on value co-creation, co-design, and agility in the dimensions of people, technologies, organization, and information. In this paper, we discuss the application of service design approaches to encourage and enhance employee engagement in an industrial setting, the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, what can be measured in a real-life setting, and future directions and opportunities for this line of research.
Local Density and Foreign Subsidiary Performance

Local density (the number of firms vying for similar resources in a local environment) has been overlooked in explaining foreign subsidiary performance. This study drew upon the concepts of liabili...
Mean-field theory of an asset exchange model with economic growth and wealth distribution.

We develop a mean-field theory of the growth, exchange, and distribution (GED) model introduced by Liu et al. [K. K. L. Liu et al., preceding paper, Phys. Rev. E 104, 014150 (2021)] that accurately describes the phase transition in the limit that the number of agents $N$ approaches infinity. The GED model is a generalization of the yard-sale model in which the additional wealth added by economic growth is nonuniformly distributed to the agents according to their wealth in a way determined by the parameter $\ensuremath{\lambda}$. The model is shown numerically to have a phase transition at $\ensuremath{\lambda}=1$ and be characterized by critical exponents and critical slowing down. Our mean-field treatment of the GED model correctly predicts the existence of the phase transition, a critical slowing down, and the values of the critical exponents and introduces an energy whose probability satisfies the Boltzmann distribution for $\ensuremath{\lambda}l1$, implying that the system is in thermodynamic equilibrium in the limit that $N\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$. We show that the values of the critical exponents obtained by varying $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ for a fixed value of $N$ do not satisfy the usual scaling laws, but do satisfy scaling if a combination of parameters, which we refer to as the Ginzburg parameter, is much greater than one and is held constant. We discuss possible implications of our results for understanding economic systems and the subtle nature of the mean-field limit in systems with both additive and multiplicative noise.
Retroperitoneal Approach for Excision of Wear-Debris Pseudotumor: A Case Report.

Case Pelvic pseudotumors may occur as a reaction to wear-debris after hip arthroplasty and are rarely treated with surgery. We describe an instance in which a pelvic pseudotumor along the iliopsoas muscle tendon sheath was debulked using a retroperitoneal approach in a patient presenting for treatment of a prosthetic hip infection. The patient recovered uneventfully and was ambulatory with a new hip prosthesis at 3 months after procedure. Conclusions Retroperitoneal exposure provided safe, excellent exposure to a wear-debris pelvic pseudotumor in this case.
Prophets and Sour Grapes: Wrestling with Theological Traditions in Homiletical Theology:

Homiletical Theology understands the work of preaching to be continuing the “unfinished” task of theology. Embracing a fundamentally provisional nature, homiletical theology understands its work as...
Give Me a Hand: Exploring Bidirectional Mutual Embodied Tangible Interaction in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) systems have been increasingly used in recent years in various domains, such as education and training. Presence, which can be described as ‘the sense of being there’ is one of the most important user experience aspects in VR. There are several components, which may affect the level of presence, such as interaction, visual fidelity, and auditory cues. In recent years, a significant effort has been put into increasing the sense of presence in VR. This study focuses on improving user experience in VR by increasing presence through increased interaction fidelity and enhanced illusions. Interaction in real life includes mutual and bidirectional encounters between two or more individuals through shared tangible objects. However, the majority of VR interaction to date has been unidirectional. This research aims to bridge this gap by enabling bidirectional mutual tangible embodied interactions between human users and virtual characters in world-fixed VR through real-virtual shared objects that extend from virtual world into the real world. I hypothesize that the proposed novel interaction will shrink the boundary between the real and virtual worlds (through virtual characters that affect the physical world), increase the seamlessness of the VR system (enhance the illusion) and the fidelity of interaction, and increase the level of presence and social presence, enjoyment and engagement. This paper includes the motivation, design and development details of the proposed novel world-fixed VR system along with future directions.
Clinical Epidemiology of Paediatric COVID-19 Delta Variant Cases from North Sumatra, Indonesia

The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has dominated the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Here we report the Delta variant among paediatric cases in North Sumatra, Indonesia, from June-July 2021. Whole-genome sequences (WGS) from 18 new COVID-19 paediatric patients showed that 6 were B.1.459 and 6 were B.1.466.2, known variants in Indonesia in Clade 20A. Six were the Delta variant B.1.617.2 of Clade 21A, with 5 on one branch, and one on a distant branch consistent with that patient’s geographic separation, suggesting at least two introductions to the region. Variants tended to be spatially clustered, and four children with Delta variant had an adult infected household member, all of whom had lower real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) cycle threshold (Ct) values compared to the child. No temporal trends were observed for Ct. These data support a paradigm shift with children being highly susceptible to the Delta variant and a priority for vaccination. Funding Information: We would like to thank the Wellcome Trust for support of whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in the Asia and Africa Regions. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. Ethics Approval Statement: "The study protocol was approved by The Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia – Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital KET-725/UN.2.F1/ETIK/PPM.00.02/2021 (Protocol No. 21-05-0535)."
Using SIPP for the Study of Program Participation

The SIPP has proven extremely useful for the study of program participation and has permitted the analysis of participation issues that cannot be addressed with the CPS or with the available U.S. panels. The usefulness of SIPP lies more in its cross-sectional dimension, where that dimension is defined to include the extended length that permits measurement of participation activity over multiple months of calendar time, than in its panel dimension. The potential of SIPP for the analysis of program participation has scarcely been tapped thus far. The most severe constraint on this potential is the small size of the SIPP sample, a constraint whose relaxation deserves the highest priority.
Basic Electromagnetic Theory

This chapter contains sections titled: Review of Vector Analysis Maxwell's Equations in Terms of Total Charges and Currents Constitutive Relations Maxwell's Equations in Terms of Free Charges and Currents Boundary Conditions Energy, Power, and Poynting's Theorem Time-Harmonic Fields Notes References Problems
e-topia: "Urban Life, Jim--But Not As We Know It"

From the Publisher: The global digital network is not just a delivery system for email, Web pages, and digital television. It is a whole new form of urban infrastructure - one that will change the forms of our cities as dramatically as railroads, highways, electric power supply, and telephone networks did in the past. In this book, William J. Mitchell examines this new infrastructure and its implications for our future daily lives.
Inhomogeneously Broadened Spin-Label Spectra

Inhomogeneous broadening of the ESR lines of nitroxide spin labels due to hyperfine structure is a pest that has complicated the work of spin labelers since shortly after the beginning of the spin-label era (Plachy and Kivelson, 1967; Poggi and Johnson, 1970) continually until the present (for example, Jolicoeur and Friedman, 1971; Kovarskii et al, 1972; Bullock et al, 1975; Ahn, 1976; Freed, 1976; Lim et al, 1976; Jones and Schwartz, 1981; Ottaviani et al, 1983; More et al, 1984; Lee and Shetty, 1985). It is a problem that can and has been solved rigorously for a number of spin labels by combining NMR, ESR, and chemical substitution techniques (Kreilick, 1967; Briere et al, 1967, 1970; Michon and Rassat, 1971; Chiarelli and Rassat, 1973; Lim et al, 1976; Barbarin et al, 1978a, 1978b; Labsky et al, 1980; Windle, 1981; Ottaviani, 1987). These techniques taken together establish the hyperfine patternof a given spin label and ESR simulation fine tunes the hyperfine coupling constants in a given set of experimental conditions. To proceed with rigor, this fine tuning must be done continually because the coupling constants vary with temperature (Kreilick, 1967; Briere et al, 1967,1970; Jolicoeur and Friedman, 1971; Atherton, 1975; Ottaviani, 1987) and solvent (Briere et al, 1970; Freed, 1976; Lim et al, 1976; Eaton et al, 1980; Windle, 1981; Ottaviani, 1987). Also, the effectivespacing of the hyperfine lines varies with spin-label concentration—a variation that depends strongly on temperature (Plachy and Kivelson, 1967). The effective spacing varies with spin-label alignment in an ordered fluid (Polnaszek and Freed, 1975; Bales et al, 1984) and one can imagine that it might vary with other experimental parameters as well. Thus, the problem can be complicated but it can be solved with remarkable precision in some cases, notably with spin labels having particularly simple patterns or ones that give partially resolved ESR spectra. It is a tedious procedure, unavoidable if high precision is required in an experiment involving partially resolved ESR spectra. In most of the spin-label literature, the spectra are unresolved, either intrinsically by nature of the spin label and the experiment, or artificially, because of broadening due to oxygen or some other paramagnetic species. In unresolved spectra the procedures to correct for inhomogeneity become quite simple and remarkably accurate.
Electrodialytic eluent generation and suppression. Ultralow bacground conductance suppressed anion chromatography

Abstract An electrodialytic generator has been linked to a newly designed electrodialytic suppressor. This combination greatly reduces suppressed conductivity due to residual acids ooriginating from the anionic impurities in the eluent sodium hydroxide and completely eliminates the conductivity contribution from chemical regenerant penetration in the supressor. The system provides reproducible sodium hydroxide gradients obtained by current programming the generator and is able to operate typically with a suppressed conductivity of 300–400 nS/cm providing commensurate performance with respect to detection limits and response linearity.
Effects of Trace Metals on the Production of Aflatoxins by Aspergillus parasiticus

Certain metals added as salts to a defined basal culture medium influenced the level of aflatoxin production by Aspergillus parasiticus in the low microgramsper-milliliter range of the added metal. In many cases no change or a relatively small change in mat weight and final pH of the medium accompanied this effect. With zinc at added levels of 0 to 10 μg/ml in the medium, aflatoxin increased 30-to 1,000-fold with increasing of zinc, whereas mat weight increased less than threefold. At 25 μg of added zinc per ml, aflatoxin decreased, but mat weight did not. At an added level of 25 μg or less of the metal per ml, salts of iron, manganese, copper, cadmium, trivalent chromium, silver, and mercury partly or completely inhibited aflatoxin production, without influencing mat weight.
Role of the gastrointestinal ecosystem in the development of type 1 diabetes

A new emphasis has been put on the role of the gastrointestinal (GI) ecosystem in autoimmune diseases; however, there is limited knowledge about its role in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Distinct differences have been observed in intestinal permeability, epithelial barrier function, commensal microbiota, and mucosal innate and adaptive immunity of patients and animals with T1D, when compared with healthy controls. The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse and the BioBreeding diabetes prone (BBdp) rat are the most commonly used models to study T1D pathogenesis. With the increasing awareness of the importance of the GI ecosystem in systemic disease, it is critical to understand the basics, as well as the similarities and differences between rat and mouse models and human patients. This review examines the current knowledge of the role of the GI ecosystem in T1D and indicates the extensive opportunities for further investigation that could lead to biomarkers and therapeutic interventions for disease prevention and/or modulation.
High Quality Bond Funds: Market Timing Ability and Performance

We examine the market timing performance of a sample of high quality corporate bond funds over the 1994-2003 time period. After establishing that the funds do engage in market timing activity, we find strong evidence of perverse market timing ability between cash and bonds and additional evidence of negative timing skill across bond maturities. A significant portion of the perverse timing ability that we detect across the fund sample is driven by the subset of funds with the highest expense ratios. Robustness tests suggest that our results reflect actual and not spurious timing ability. Overall, our results indicate that bond fund managers do not share the positive market timing ability of other groups of money managers that has been recently documented in the literature.
Technology education: Implications for engineering education

An approach to eliminating the problem of technical illiteracy through the implementation of technology education is proposed. It is shown how the proposed course of action can make math and science an enjoyable and integral part of every child's education, and some pointers on how the profession can get involved are offered. As an example, technology education is New York is discussed. >
High power factor AC-to-DC converter using a reactive shunt regulator

A unique approach to achieving single phase, high quality input rectification along with high bandwidth output regulation is presented. The technique makes use of a DC-to-DC power converter operating as a reactive current shunt across the output or an isolated power factor correction pre-regulator. Operation of such a power system is described, and experimental results of a 400 W, 36 V prototype are presented. >
Phase partitioning, retention kinetics, and leaching of fumigant methyl iodide in agricultural soils

Abstract Although it is not currently being sold in the USA, the recent US registration of the fumigant methyl iodide has led to an increased interest in its environmental fate and transport. Although some work has now considered its volatile emissions from soil, there remains a lack of experimental data regarding its ability to be retained in soil and ultimately become transported with irrigation/rain waters. Using laboratory batch and soil column experiments, we aimed to better understand the phase partitioning of MeI, the ability of soils to retain MeI on the solid phase, and the potential for leaching of MeI and its primary degradation product, iodide, down a soil profile. Results indicated that MeI was retained by the solid phase of soil, being protected from volatilization and degradation, particularly in the presence of elevated organic matter. Retention was greater at lower moisture content, and maximum retention occurred after 56 days of incubation. At higher moisture content, the liquid phase also became important in retaining MeI within soil. Together with low observed KD values (0.10 to 0.57 mL g− 1), these data suggest that MeI may be prone to leaching. Indeed, in a steady-state soil column study, initially retained MeI was transported with interstitial water. The MeI degradation product, iodide, was also readily transported in this manner. The data highlight a potentially significant process by which MeI fate and transport within the environment may be impacted.
pH Dependence of Antibody/Lysozyme Complexation†

Association between proteins often depends on the pH and ionic strength conditions of the medium in which it takes place. This is especially true in complexation involving titratable residues at the complex interface. Continuum electrostatics methods were used to calculate the pH-dependent energetics of association of hen egg lysozyme with two closely related monoclonal antibodies raised against it and the association of these antibodies against an avian species variant. A detailed analysis of the energetic contributions reveals that even though the hallmark of association in the two complexes is the presence of conserved charged-residue interactions, the environment of these interactions significantly influences the titration behavior and concomitantly the energetics. The contributing factors include minor structural rearrangements, buried interfacial area, dielectric environment of the key titratable residues, and geometry of the residue dispositions. Modeled structures of several mutant complexes were ...
Changes in health behaviors made by pregnant women

One hundred fifteen women were interviewed during their pregnancy. They were asked “What health behavior changes have you made since you became pregnant?”; This is the first study reported in the United States to allow women to identify their own health behaviors. In previous studies, women responded to the behaviors that the researchers listed on questionnaires. The women in our study named 18 changes in health behaviors they had made during pregnancy. More than 49% of the women made changes in their diet, exercise pattern, smoking habits, vitamin intake, and alcohol use. Further research is needed to identify what motivates changes in health behavior in pregnancy.
Toward Batesonian sociocybernetics: from Naven to the mind beyond the skin

Purpose – To construct, from Bateson's social ideas ranging from Naven to the 1979 Mind and Nature, a Batesonian sociocybernetics.Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers Bateson's ideas about the delineation of systems by the observer, as they were taught to his classes in the 1970s and as they were expressed in the so‐called first, 1936 Epilogue to Naven, and shows how these ideas led Bateson to a skeptical, anti‐reificationist social cybernetics.Findings – Bateson de‐emphasized system boundaries, instead seeing systems as creations of the observer and as arbitrary cuttings of a continuous web of cybernetic processes.Research limitations/implications – Bateson's argument in Naven, a work originally published in 1936 and partially based in a sociological tradition which also forms some of the roots of Luhmann's thought, is surprisingly relevant to contemporary issues in second‐order cybernetics and sociocybernetics.Practical implications – Bateson's skepticism about reification, and emphasis on ...
Measuring the Demand for Environmental Quality

Part I: Theory and Methods. Introduction (J.B. Braden, C.D. Kolstad and D. Miltz). Environmental Demand Theory (C.D. Kolstad and J.B. Braden). Household Production Functions and Environmental Benefit Estimation (V.K. Smith). Hedonic Methods (R.B. Palmquist). Constructed Markets (R.T. Carson). Part II: Methods for Valuing Classes of Environmental Effects. Environmental Health Effects (M.L. Cropper and A.M. Freeman III). Aesthetics (P.E. Graves). Recreation (N.E. Bockstael, K.E. McConnell and I. Strand). Materials Damages (R.M. Adams and T.D. Crocker). Total and Nonuse Values (A. Randall). Summary and Conclusions (J.B. Braden and C.D. Kolstad). Bibliography. Author Index. Subject Index.
Boron as a growth requirement for diatoms

SUMMARY A boron requirement has been shown for 12 species of marine pennate diatoms, 4 species of marine centric diatoms, and S freshwater diatom species. It can be concluded that boron is essential for the growth of most, probably all, diatoms. It is much easier to demonstrate a requirement for the marine species than for the freshwater species. Some species of marine algal flagellates also require boron for growth; others apparently do not.
Multiplexed detection of ions and mRNA expression in single living cells

In order to push forward into new areas of medical and biological research, new techniques must be developed that will enable a complex investigation into cellular processes. This involves investigating not only the different expression levels inside of a cell but also the ability to analyze how those expression levels are connected to one another. In order to accomplish this level of exploration, different types of analytes must be investigated simultaneously inside of single cells, thereby allowing their expression levels to be directly compared. To accomplish this, we have developed a method of detecting and monitoring mRNA expression levels and ion concentrations simultaneously inside of the same single cell. We have utilized this technique in studying the effects of an anti-cancer agent on human breast carcinoma cells. Using this approach, we are able to shed light onto the complex connections between genes and ions inside the cell that is not possible with any other existing technique.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training: Effects on School and Social Functioning

This paper reports on school and social functioning outcomes in a randomized depression prevention study that compared Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST) with usual school counseling (SC). Outcome analyses were performed utilizing hierarchical linear models and mixed model analysis of variance. IPT-AST adolescents had significantly greater improvements than SC adolescents in total social functioning and friend functioning during the intervention. IPT-AST adolescents also demonstrated improvements in school, dating, and family functioning and emotional engagement in school, although these improvements were not significantly greater than seen in SC adolescents. Finally, in the 18 months following the intervention, IPT-AST adolescents were less likely than SC adolescents to be asked to leave school for academic or behavioral reasons. These findings extend the potential range of impact of depression prevention programs such as IPT-AST and provide preliminary evidence of the benefits of these programs on school and social functioning.
Deriving the Glutamate Clearance Time Course from Transporter Currents in CA1 Hippocampal Astrocytes: Transmitter Uptake Gets Faster during Development

At many excitatory synapses, the neurotransmitter glutamate diffuses beyond the synaptic cleft to activate extrasynaptic targets. The extent and impact of such transmitter “spillover” on the processing capacity of neuronal networks are unclear, in part because it remains unknown how far transmitter diffuses from its point of release before being removed from the extracellular space by high-affinity glutamate transporters. Synaptically activated, transporter-mediated currents (STCs) recorded in hippocampal astrocytes provide an experimental measure of glutamate uptake, but the time course of the STC may be shaped, or “filtered,” by other factors and therefore not represent a direct indication of clearance rate. Here, STCs were recorded from astrocytes in rat hippocampal slices under conditions in which uptake capacity was reduced and the STC decay reflected a slowed rate of glutamate clearance. The temporal characteristics of the filtering mechanisms were extracted from these responses, and the glutamate clearance time course in control conditions was derived. The results indicate that glutamate can be cleared from the extrasynaptic space within 1 ms. Clearance is fastest in adult neuropil, corresponding to a developmental increase in glial transporter expression. Synaptically released glutamate is taken up at the same rate as glutamate released via flash photolysis, indicating that the spatial location of transporters relative to the site of glutamate release does not affect the time course of clearance. Slower clearance in young animals would permit glutamate to diffuse greater distances, indicating a particularly important role for extrasynaptic receptors early in development.
FAK phosphorylation at Ser-843 inhibits Tyr-397 phosphorylation, cell spreading and migration

Multiple stimuli promote the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which ultimately facilitates migration. Little is known about the effect of adhesion-dependent signals and cytoskeleton organization on the regulation of FAK phosphorylation at serine sites, or about the role of FAK serine phosphorylation in cell migration. Here, we show that FAK phosphorylation at Ser-843 is strikingly increased when adherent cells are removed from the substratum and held in suspension or by treatment of adherent cells with cytochalasin D, conditions that disrupt the F-actin cytoskeleton and promote focal adhesion disassembly. Notably, the increase in Ser-843 phosphorylation was accompanied by a concomitant sharp decrease in Tyr-397 phosphorylation. To further examine the cause-effect relationship between these two phosphorylation sites we generated Ser-843 phosphorylation-deficient and phosphorylation-mimicking FAK mutants. We found that mutation of Ser-843 to aspartic acid (FAK[S843D]) markedly decreased FAK Tyr-397 phosphorylation in integrin-stimulated cells. While the migratory defect of FAK-deficient fibroblasts was rescued by stable re-expression of WT FAK or FAK[S843A], stable re-expression of FAK[S843D] failed to restore the ability of the cells to migrate into the denuded area of a wound. Our results indicate that increased FAK phosphorylation at Ser-843 represses FAK phosphorylation at Tyr-397, thus suggesting a mechanism of cross-talk between these phosphorylation sites that could regulate FAK-mediated cell shape and migration.
EGFR expression in advanced head and neck cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Background The significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck remains poorly understood. Methods We performed a retrospective review of patients with advanced-stage (stage III or stage IV) cutaneous SCC of the head and neck (n = 56). Results The majority of patients (91%) had stage III disease, with 54% having regional metastasis and 9% with distant metastasis. Two-year survival was 64% and the 5-year survival was 56%. EGFR was found to be overexpressed in 56% of primary tumors and 58% of regional metastatic disease. Overall survival did not correlate with EGFR (p = .47) expression in primary lesions, nor was it associated with an increase in regional (p = .74) or distant metastasis (p = .56). Furthermore, there was no correlation between clinicopathologic characteristics and EGFR expression Conclusions These data do not suggest upregulation of EGFR is associated with poor survival or aggressive disease. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2012
The neuroglial response to injury following spinal cord transection in the goldfish.

Abstract The spinal cord of nine goldfish was transected and studied 3 months later with conventional histological stains and by immunofluorescence with antibodies to the glial fibrillary acidic protein, a brain specific protein in fibrous astrocytes. In five fish complete transection had been followed by axonal regeneration, while in two fish the proximal and distal stumps had failed to reunite and were separated by bone, cartilage and fibrous tissue. In the remaining two goldfish the transection was incomplete. Neuroglial fibers were scanty or altogether absent in the regenerated portion of the spinal cord. Fibrous gliosis was observed in the spinal cord close to the transection, but it was extremely variable in severity in different fish and in the same fish at different levels. No fibrous gliosis was present in the descending tracts.
Expanded interactions: broadening human-centered computing

n this paper, we describe the preliminary results of an NSF sponsored invitational workshop entitled Expanded Interaction: Broadening Human-Centered Computing. The workshop brought together members of academia, industry and government, as well as individuals with disabilities to examine the commonalities and expansion of human-computer interaction and universal design. The underlying theme was to encourage a scientific understand of the diversity of human performance.
Financial forecasting for corporate planning

Abstract Planning to meet cash requirements is an essential management function in any business. It is not enough for the undertaking to make a profit. Cash resources must be planned to finance a negative cash flow in a period when necessary additions to fixed assets or temporary increases in working capital requirements are in excess of funds being generated by profits and by depreciation charges. In a period of surplus funds, the need for a forecast of future cash levels is no less important. A forecast of available funds is a prerequisite for any investment plan. The author discusses in detail the use of forecast balance sheets and source and application of funds statements. He also develops a cash flow model and examines the use of the computer for simulating the financial consequences of alternative policies.
An Empirical Analysis of Exchange Ratio Determination Models for Merger: A Note

This paper examines the empirical validity of two exchange ratio determination models for merger, the Larson and Gonedes (LG) PE model and the Yagil dividend growth model. These two models formulate exchange ratios as a function of a different factor: expected post-merger price-earnings multiple and expected post-merger dividend growth, respectively. While the LG model has been tested in previous studies, the Yagil model has yet been subject to empirical testing. This paper finds empirical support for the LG model but finds weak support for the Yagil model. In particular, the results show that the number of stock mergers that result in wealth gains for both acquiring and target firms and hence conform to the rationality assumption of each model is substantially greater for the LG model than for the Yagil model. Regression analysis provides confirmatory evidence on the empirical validity of the LG model that PE-related variables play a more significant role in explaining the actual exchange ratios than growth-related variables.
Labor analgesia for the drug abusing parturient: Is there cause for concern?

UNLABELLED Drug abuse has crossed geographic, economic and social borders, and it remains one of the major problems facing our society today. The prevalence of recreational drug abuse among young adults (including women) has increased markedly over the past two decades. Nearly 90% of drug abusing women are of childbearing age. Consequently, it is not surprising to find pregnant women with a history of drug addiction. Obstetricians and obstetric anesthesiologists become involved in the care of drug abusing patients either in emergency situations, such as placental abruption, uterine rupture or fetal distress, or in more controlled situations, such as request for labor analgesia. The diverse clinical manifestations of maternal substance abuse may result in life-threatening complications and significantly impact the peripartum care of these patients. TARGET AUDIENCE Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completion of this article, the reader will be able to list the most commonly abused substances during pregnancy, to describe the various effects of particular substances on pregnancy including the mechanism of desired effect for various substances, and to outline the obstetric anesthesia recommendations for the various substances abused during pregnancy.
Velocity fluctuations of fracturelike disruptions of associating polymer solutions.

Velocity has been measured as a function of time for propagating crack tips as water is injected into solutions of end-capped associating polymers in a rectanguar Hele-Shaw cell. Measurements were performed for flows with different values of cell gap, channel width, polymer molecular weight, and polymer concentration. The condition for the onset of fracturelike behavior is well described by a Deborah number which uses the shear-thinning shear rate of the polymer solution as a characteristic frequency for network relaxation. At low molecular weight, the onset of fracturelike pattern evolution is accompanied by an abrupt jump in tip velocity, followed by a lower and approximately constant acceleration. At high molecular weight, the transition to fracturelike behavior involves passing through a regime that may be understood in terms of stick-slip dynamics. The crack-tip wanders from side to side and fluctuates (in both speed and velocity along the channel) with a characteristic frequency which depends linearly on the invading fluid injection rate.
Dendritic alterations in rat isocortex within an iron-induced chronic epileptic focus

Ferrous chloride was injected into the rat isocortex in 5-microliters volumes as an aqueous solution with a concentration of 100 mM. Bursts of epileptiform discharges were sustained throughout the 6 weeks of observation. Nissl and Golgi-Cox stains showed gliosis and neuronal loss within the injection site. Neurons adjacent to the cavitory lesion showed deformity of dendrites, dendritic nodularity, loss of spines, and string-of-beads deformity. These changes are identical to those found in human epileptogenic foci.
Real-Time Stimulus Artifact Rejection Via Template Subtraction

This paper presents an infinite impulse response (IIR) temporal filtering technique for real-time stimulus artifact rejection (SAR) based on template subtraction. A system architecture for the IIR SAR algorithm is developed, and the operation of the algorithm with fixed-point computation is analyzed to obtain the number of bits for the internal nodes of the system, considering dynamic range and fraction length requirements for optimum performance. Further, memory initialization with the first recorded stimulus artifact is proposed and shown to significantly decrease the IIR system response time, especially when artifacts are highly reproducible in consecutive stimulation cycles. The proposed system architecture is hardware-implemented on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and tested using two sets of prerecorded neural data from a rat and an Aplysia californica (a marine sea slug) obtained from two different laboratories. The measured results from the FPGA verify that the system can indeed remove the stimulus artifacts from the contaminated neural data in real time and recover the neural action potentials that occur on the tail end of the artifact (as close as within 0.5 ms after the artifact spike). The root-mean-square (rms) value of the pre-processed stimulus artifact is reduced on average by a factor of 17 (Aplysia californica) and 5.3 (rat) post-processing.
Synthesis and Chromatographic Properties of Liquid Crystalline Polysiloxanes Containing Steroid Substituents

Abstract A series of alkenyl-substituted cholesterol and related steroids have been prepared. These liquid-crystalline compounds were hydrosilylated onto polyhydromethylsiloxane. The polymers have a broad range of liquid crystallinity even if the starting alkenes had a narrow range. Those polymers containing the benzoate ester linking group were not suitable for stationary phases in high temperature capillary gas chromatography because the phases were not stable at temperatures above 250°C-27O°C. A capillary column coated with a polymer containing a phenyl group directly attached to the steroid proved to be effective in separating certain PAH isomers.
System matrix for OSEM SPECT with attenuation compensation in mesh domain

The purpose of this study was to develop and implement an accurate and computationally efficient method for determination of the mesh-domain ssssssystem matrix including attenuation compensation for Ordered Subsets Expectation Maximization (OSEM) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). The mesh-domain system matrix elements were estimated by first partitioning the object domain into strips parallel to detector face and with width not exceeding the size of a detector unit. This was followed by approximating the integration over the strip/mesh-element union. This approximation is product of: (i) strip width, (ii) intersection length of a ray central to strip with a mesh element, and (iii) the response and expansion function evaluated at midpoint of the intersection length. Reconstruction was performed using OSEM without regularization and with exact knowledge of the attenuation map. The method was evaluated using synthetic SPECT data generated using SIMIND Monte Carlo simulation software. Comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis included: bias, variance, standard deviation and line-profiles within three different regions of interest. We found that no more than two divisions per detector bin were needed for good quality reconstructed images when using a high resolution mesh.
Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of postradiation epithelioid angiosarcoma of breast.

Angiosarcoma of breast skin and parenchyma is a rarely reported complication of irradiation for breast carcinoma. We report a case of a subareolar epithelioid angiosarcoma arising 8 years subsequent to lumpectomy and irradiation of the ipsilateral breast for infiltrating carcinoma. The epithelioid appearance of the neoplastic cells on fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) biopsy suggested a recurrence of the primary carcinoma. Careful attention to certain cytomorphologic features and cell block immunohistochemistry were useful in the distinction from recurrent carcinoma. Cytologic features that identified this neoplasm as an angiosarcoma included marked cell discohesiveness, elongate cytoplasmic processes or "pseudopodia," heterogeneous cell size, large nucleoli or macronucleoli, and cytoplasmic lumina. Immunohistochemical markers, including Factor VIII antigen, CD31, and CD34, were positive, confirming the vascular nature of the neoplasm. Other markers ruled out morphologically similar neoplasms such as recurrent carcinoma and melanoma. Epithelioid angiosarcoma should be included in the differential diagnosis of a suspected recurrence of breast carcinoma several years postirradiation therapy. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2000;22:172-175.