cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insights gleaned by measuring patients' stated goals for DBS More than tremor

Objective: To report prospective repeated measures data detailing the perceived benefit of deep brain stimulation (DBS) on the most commonly cited symptom and activity goals identified by patients with Parkinson disease. Methods: Fifty-two participants were recruited from a consecutive series. Participants completed a semi-structured interview soliciting their symptom and behavioral goals and corresponding visual analog scales measuring perceived symptom severity and limits to goal attainment. Severity ratings were completed prior to and at 2 times following DBS. Changes in severity over time were assessed using a mixed effects linear model. The pattern of relationships between the severity ratings and standard clinical research (SCR) measures routinely administered were examined using Pearson correlations. Results: The most common symptom goals were improvements in tremor, gait, and nonmotor symptoms, whereas the most frequent behavioral goals related to interpersonal relationships, work, and avocational pursuits. Most severity ratings were significantly correlated with each other but not with the SCR measures. Significant improvements were evident on all SCR measures after DBS. Participants9 severity ratings for their symptom and behavioral goals improved significantly over time although not all severity ratings changed in the same manner. Conclusions: These data illustrate that improvements in participants9 individually defined goals were evident over time and that some of these improvements occurred in areas in which the benefits associated with DBS are not as well-documented. The participants9 severity ratings were not redundant with SCR measures, suggesting that novel and potentially important information can be gleaned by systematically assessing patients9 goals.
Myeloid Translocation Gene 16 (MTG16) Regulates Lymphopoiesis

The Myeloid Translocation Gene (MTG) family was first discovered through the (8;21) translocation that leads to acute myeloid leukemia. This translocation fuses nearly all of Myeloid Translocation Gene 8 (MTG8) to an N-terminal portion of Acute Myeloid Leukemia 1 (AML1), thus disrupting the normal function of MTG8 as a transcriptional co-repressor. Two other family members have since been identified: Myeloid Translocation Gene 16 (MTG16) and Myeloid Tumor Gene Related-1 (MTGR1), both of which are implicated in leukemogenesis. To examine the physiological roles of Mtg16 , a target of the t(16;21) that produces Acute Myeloid Leukemia, we deleted it in mice. We found that deletion of Mtg16 perturbs both B-and T-cell development, resulting in a reduced number of peripheral lymphocytes confirmed by complete blood counts and flow cytometry analysis of spleen and lymph node populations. These mice also display a dramatic two-to-three fold decrease in thymic cellularity. Analysis of the bone marrow indicated that there was also loss of B220+ cells, suggesting that there was a general deficit in lymphopoiesis in the absence of Mtg16 . Upon closer examination, we find several significant changes throughout the development of both B and T cells. B-cells accumulate in the earliest stages of development, with Pre-pro B increasing in proportion of total B cells after inactivation of Mtg16 . This change occurs at the expense of more mature populations, as immature and mature B-cells decrease in percentage significantly. Mtg16 (−/−) thymocytes show slight but statistically significant decreases in Double Negative 1 (DN1) and Double Negative 2 (DN2) subpopulations. Thymocytes also accumulate in the most mature CD4+ and CD8+ subsets in the absence of Mtg16. Mtg16 thus regulates lymphopoiesis at multiple steps, but the most intriguing changes occur in stem and progenitor populations. In fact, the deletion of Mtg16 also results in an increase in myeloid lineages, particularly granulocytes and macrophages, suggesting that Mtg16 plays a role in myeloid vs. lymphoid lineage decisions. Indeed, the deficit in lymphopoiesis appears to be due to increased myeloid commitment and/or expansion of myeloid progenitor cells. Even when cultured in conditions favoring lymphopoiesis, Mtg16 -null lineage-/Sca1+/c-Kit+ cells displayed a predisposition towards myeloid development. Because of its ability to interact with a number of different transcription factors that participate in lymphoid and myeloid cell fate decisions, Mtg16 may provide a key piece of the transcriptional machinery that regulates lineage commitment.
Extracellular Glutamate in the Nucleus Accumbens Is Nanomolar in Both Synaptic and Non-synaptic Compartments

In the CNS, glutamate is both phasically and tonically released into the extracellular space and must be removed by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) to prevent excitotoxic accumulation. There remains uncertainty, however, regarding the functional steady-state concentration, with estimates ranging from tens of nanomolar to tens of micromolar. Efforts to reconcile these disparate values have led to a hypothesis that the extracellular space comprises distinct compartments in which basal glutamate concentrations are maintained independently. We used electrophysiology and two-photon Ca2+ imaging to test this hypothesis in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), where it has been proposed that micromolar extracellular glutamate is necessary for normal function. We found that the average concentration of synaptic glutamate is nanomolar, in agreement with previous electrophysiological estimates. Furthermore, this held true when glutamate uptake was inhibited, indicating that extracellular glutamate is not compartmentalized by EAATs.
A pattern matching approach to map cognitive domain ontologies to the IBM TrueNorth Neurosynaptic System

Cognitive agents are typically utilized in autonomous systems for automated decision making. These systems interact in real time with their environments and are generally heavily power constrained. Thus there is a strong need for a real time agent running on a low power computing platform for these systems. This paper examines how some of the components of a cognitive agent can be mapped onto the IBM TrueNorth neurosynaptic system to achieve real time performance at low power. The agent examined is the Cognitively Enhanced Complex Event Processing (CECEP) architecture. Although it is geared towards autonomous decision making, CECEP also has applications in operations research, intelligence analysis, and data mining. One of the key components of CECEP is the Cognitive Domain Ontology (CDO), used for mining decisions from a large knowledge repository based on situational inputs and constraints. As CDOs are the most time and power consuming part of CECEP, we implemented them on the TrueNorth processor by mapping the solution space of CDOs into a pattern matching form.
Fiber optic ocean: Merging media for data representation

This paper explores the interactive art installation, Fiber Optic Ocean, portraying the consequences of technology's invasion of oceans. Three life-size shark skeletons are trapped in an ocean made of fiber optic threads. This 20-foot-by-20-foot installation combines fiber optics with sculptural elements and data-driven light and sound design. Data visualization and sonification emerge from the use of two data sets: human data (tweets per second) and shark data (speed of live sharks tagged with GPS). This paper examines the affordances and constraints of design with fiber optic threads. Using fiber optics in this media context expands the expressive opportunities for artists and creates a platform for representation of data.
Photoacoustic microscopy: principles and biomedical applications

Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) has become an increasingly popular technology for biomedical applications, providing anatomical, functional, and molecular information. In this concise review, we first introduce the basic principles and typical system designs of PAM, including optical-resolution PAM and acoustic-resolution PAM. The major imaging characteristics of PAM, i.e. spatial resolutions, penetration depth, and scanning approach are discussed in detail. Then, we introduce the major biomedical applications of PAM, including anatomical imaging across scales from cellular level to organismal level, label-free functional imaging using endogenous biomolecules, and molecular imaging using exogenous contrast agents. Lastly, we discuss the technical and engineering challenges of PAM in the translation to potential clinical impacts.
Geomorphological and stratigraphic evidence along the northeastern U.S. margin for Laurentide glacial lake outburst floods during the MIS 2 deglaciation

Block Island Sound (BIS), in southern New England, was occupied by a glacial meltwater lake (Lake BIS) during the MIS 2 deglaciation. New CHIRP seismic data, swath bathymetry, and legacy seismic profiles from BIS provide important insights and constraints on the morphologic evolution of a glaciated margin from the last glacial maximum to present. Interpretation of seismic data revealed four well-defined sediment units: acoustic basement, glaciolacustrine varved sediments, a lag deposit, and Holocene sediment. The morphology and architecture of the sedimentary units suggest that Lake BIS drained quickly, followed by the catastrophic drainage of glacial Lake Connecticut through BIS (Lake Connecticut occupied present-day Long Island Sound). The draining waters carved depressions ~100 m deep in the floor of BIS and the region between the lakes. The waters also carved Block Island Valley, which extends across the continental shelf. Continued existence of the depressions and valley suggests a rapid transgression over these water depths and limited sediment supply. Our results show the significant impact of glacial lake outburst floods, even during a sea level transgression, and may help explain morphology observed along other glaciated margins.
Platelet Rich Plasma Practical Use in Non-Surgical Musculoskeletal Pathology

Platelet Rich Plasma is a new emerging treatment modality with fantastic potential to heal both in the surgical and non surgical arenas. This chapter focuses on the Non- surgical applications of Platelet Rich Plasma, primarily in the clinic setting. We have reviewed the current status of PRP preparation, PRP sub types and clinical utilization. It is our intent that this chapter will serve as a guide to those interested in Conservative utilization of PRP in musculoskeletal Medicine.
Chapter Two The Assessment of Qualitative Age Differences in Discourse Processing

Summary It is generally the case that older adults remember less from what they read and listen to than do their younger counterparts. The question remains open, however, as to whether these quantitative age differences are also accompanied by qualitative differences. We address this problem in two parts. First, the issue of whether younger and older adults remember different kinds of information is considered by reviewing data on age differences in the levels effect (the tendency for gist information to show a higher probability of recall than detail) as well as by examining results from relative memorability analyses (in which the probabilities of recall of individual text units by young and old are directly compared). Second, the issue of whether younger and older adults depend on different sorts of contextual or linguistic cues, or rely on different processing strategies in understanding and remembering discourse is considered by examining evidence for four different hypotheses of qualitative age differences in discourse processing. It is argued that while the qualitative structure of language processing mechanisms is preserved across age, working memory limitations that accompany advanced age may in themselves result in a qualitatively different balance of these processes, or they may necessitate that certain processes take precedence in later adulthood.
Vaccination Coverage Among U.S. Adolescents Aged 13-17 Years Eligible for the Vaccines for Children Program, 2009

In 2005 and 2006, three new vaccines were routinely recommended for adolescents: meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4), quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) for females, and tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap).1–3 These three were the first vaccination recommendations specifically targeted toward adolescents in many years, underscoring the importance of the comprehensive preventive care visit recommended for all adolescents aged 11–12 years.4 Although the majority of adolescents encounter the health-care system annually,5–8 vaccinations are most often delivered at preventive visits.6,9 Adolescents access preventive health-care infrequently5,6,6,9 and far less often than young children, who are the traditional targets of routine vaccination recommendations. Preventive health-care visits also tend to decline as adolescents become older, being more common among adolescents younger than aged 14 years compared with adolescents aged 14–21 years.5,9 Health-care providers serving adolescents perceive adolescents' less frequent health-care utilization as a significant barrier to administration of routine vaccinations.10–12 Compared with young children, adolescents are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured for vaccines.13–16 Uninsured adolescents are those not covered by any health insurance that pays for doctor visits and hospital stays; underinsured adolescents are those covered by private health insurance that does not cover the costs of all recommended vaccines. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program was established in 1993 to eliminate cost as a barrier to routine childhood vaccinations;17 the development of costly new adolescent vaccines has increased the importance of the program for older children as well. Children ≤18 years of age who are Medicaid-eligible, uninsured, of American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) race/ethnicity, or underinsured and vaccinated in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) are entitled to receive recommended vaccines free of charge through VFC. VFC has been successful in achieving high rates of coverage with recommended vaccines among children younger than 3 years of age.18,19 We determined the effect of VFC on adolescent coverage for recommended vaccines.
The Holistic Classroom Model

In both our professional and personal lives, models and paradigms go hand-in-hand with self awareness and a chance for personal and professional growth.
The Author/Artist of the Voynich Codex

Based on the assumption that the Voynich Codex was written in a sixteenth century Mexican language, a psychological portrait of the composite author/artist was hypothesized, with evidence pertaining to the content and illustrations. The wide-ranging interests expressed suggest an intellectual person with broad training and language facility. We conjectured that the author or artist was a person of extensive learning associated with one of the educational institutions set up by Franciscan friars, perhaps La Escuela de San Jose de los Naturales or El Colegio de Santa Cruz de Tlatelolco. The artist had a clear sexual interest in one particular blonde woman, drawing her nude hundreds of times. The author was knowledgeable about kabbalah and was influenced by Christianity, but the inclusion of torture devices suggested a protest statement. The clear interest in medicinal plants suggests that the author or artist might have had medical training.
Towards a Socially-Just Neuroethics of Inequalities in Pain Treatment

Abstract Neuroscience offers tools that promise to radically transform the treatment of pain. However, care must be taken to ensure that the new neuroscience of pain is produced, disseminated, and used in ways that diminish, rather than exacerbate already existing deep and persistent inequalities in the prevalence and treatment of pain across demographic groups. In this chapter, I argue that neuroethics scholarship should demonstrate how inequalities in the treatment of pain are the logical result of deeply historical processes that have created racialized and gendered institutions, state policies, myths and attitudes. I begin by reviewing how, historically, social and political assessments of the biological and social value of women and people of colour were justified, in part, by racist and sexist scientific research on pain tolerance across populations. Given this social and political context, I then discuss ways that contemporary neuroscience could avoid exacerbating inequalities in pain treatment.
Smokers' perceptions of risks and harm from snus relative to cigarettes: A latent profile analysis study

Abstract Introduction Certain types of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products, particularly snus, carry fewer health risks than cigarette smoking and might be able to serve as harm-reduction products for smokers. However, studies frequently find that smokers misperceive SLT and snus to be as or more harmful than smoking. This perception is often measured with a single general harm question, and research on underlying risk perceptions is limited. Methods Using a sample of 256 current smokers, we utilized Latent Profile Analysis to examine response profiles to items that assessed perceived risk of specific health outcomes (lung cancer, heart disease, oral cancer) from snus relative to cigarettes, along with the typical single item measure of overall harm from snus compared to cigarettes. Results Three smoker response profiles emerged. Almost half (44.9%) of smokers perceived snus to be as or more risky than cigarettes for all three specific health outcomes (group 1), while over one third (38.3%) had an elevated perceived risk for oral cancer only (group 2). About 17% of smokers perceived snus to have lower risks for lung cancer only (group 3). Across each profile, perceived risk was highest for oral cancer. Conclusions If smokers are to consider snus for harm-reduction, efforts may be needed to better inform smokers about their lower relative risks, including for particular health outcomes of interest. This study also suggests that smokers may vary in their level of need for information to correct their relative risk misperceptions.
Equus caballus papillomavirus 8 (EcPV8) associated with multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, and squamous cell carcinoma in a horse

Background Equus caballus papillomavirus 8, a recently discovered virus, has been reported to cause generalised papillomavirus in horses. Objectives To describe a case in which multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC) were associated with EcPV8 in a horse. Study design Case report. Methods A 16-year-old mixed breed horse presented with dozens of raised crusted papular to nodular lesions over a course of 4 years. Masses had been surgically excised four times and cisplatin beads and emulsion were implanted on three different occasions; however new masses continue to develop in sites of previous masses as well as new sites. Results Multiple viral plaques, viral papillomas, SCC in situ and ISCC, localised to the inguinal region, were diagnosed via histopathology. EcPV8 DNA was detected via PCR. Main limitations Since only a few cases have been reported, we do not know the incidence of EcPV8 nor how often it may be associated with SCC in situ or ISCC without further study. Conclusions This is the fourth reported case of viral papillomatosis in the context of an EcPV8 infection in a horse. This is the first case in which SCC has been associated with EcPV8.
Assembling the adipose organ: adipocyte lineage segregation and adipogenesis in vivo

Adipose tissue is composed of anatomically distinct depots that mediate several important aspects of energy homeostasis. The past two decades have witnessed increased research effort to elucidate the ontogenetic basis of adipose form and function. In this Review, we discuss advances in our understanding of adipose tissue development with particular emphasis on the embryonic patterning of depot-specific adipocyte lineages and adipocyte differentiation in vivo Micro-environmental cues and other factors that influence cell identity and cell behavior at various junctures in the adipocyte lineage hierarchy are also considered.
Pharmacotherapy Agents in Lymphedema Treatment: A Systematic Review.

It is estimated that one in every six patients undergoing solid cancer treatment will develop secondary lymphedema. We conducted a systematic review of publications assessing the potential use of pharmacotherapy agents in lymphedema treatment. The search was conducted on PubMed and eligibility criteria excluded papers that investigated other therapies or focused on primary lymphedema. From 285 potential papers found in the literature, seven studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Different types of therapies were proposed, but all of them interfered with inflammation in the lymphedema tissue. Interestingly, the majority of publications were clinical, and three authors conducted randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical studies. Promising results were observed for the oral administration of ketoprofen or selenium and topical tacrolimus. Pharmacotherapy agents were successfully described in lymphedema treatment in clinical and experimental studies. The benefits of delivering ketoprofen, selenium, or tacrolimus in lymphedema were noticed, and these therapies were easily delivered and well-tolerated.
Cultivating a Community of Truth Through Critical Pedagogy When Faced with Resistance

This essay will identify how the authors confronted a community of resistance in a Gender and Communication classroom and turned it into a community of truth and tolerance. Working from a theoretical framework of Critical Pedagogy and the work of Parker Palmer, the authors will explore how the classroom is often seen as a culture of fear and disrespect. This culture of fear needs to be confronted by identifying a community of truth as found in two different models of truth. After exploring how to achieve a community of truth when faced with resistance, the authors will explain in great detail the application of a metaphor about â€œriding the busâ€ and how this metaphor has sustained them when faced with resistance.
Coexistence of Surface Ferromagnetism and a Gapless Topological State in MnBi 2 Te 4

Surface magnetism and its correlation with the electronic structure are critical to understanding the topological surface state in the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi_{2}Te_{4}. Here, using static and time resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we find a significant ARPES intensity change together with a gap opening on a Rashba-like conduction band. Comparison with a model simulation strongly indicates that the surface magnetism on cleaved MnBi_{2}Te_{4} is the same as its bulk state. The inability of surface ferromagnetism to open a gap in the topological surface state uncovers the novel complexity of MnBi_{2}Te_{4} that may be responsible for the low quantum anomalous Hall temperature of exfoliated MnBi_{2}Te_{4}.
Gas Exchange Score with VE/VCO2 and ETCO2 Reliably Predicts Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Suspected Pulmonary Hypertension

Introduction Non-invasive methods to identify phenotype of pulmonary hypertension (PH) remains a topic of interest. Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) provides gas exchange (GX) parameters including end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) and ventilation of minute ventilation to carbon dioxide ventilation ratio (VE/VCO2). A direct correlation of these GX parameters with invasive hemodynamics can provide further insight into the ability of GX parameters to predict PH phenotype. Hypothesis Using a direct correlation of gas exchange parameters with invasive hemodynamics, we propose that in subjects with suspected PH, rest gas exchange parameters can reliably predict pulmonary vascular disease. Methods We reviewed clinical, echocardiographic and invasive CPET (iCPET) data for 41 patients. We then analyzed the data with receiver operator curve (ROC) to help estimate the area under the curve (AUC) of different gas exchange parameters to help define the hemodynamics of different PH groups and derive the most appropriate parameters to define PH. *p Results Among the overall cohort, mean age (± SD) was 63.9±11.35 years, and 20 subjects were female (49 %). The distribution of WHO groups of PH based on the final diagnosis among the overall cohort was: 8 patients WHO group I (19.5%), 21 patients WHO group II (51.2%), 3 patients WHO group III (7.3%), 1 patient WHO group IV (2.4%), and 8 patients had no evidence of rest or exercise PH (19.5%). For the purpose of analysis, we created three groups: 1) pulmonary vascular disease (PVD): combination of WHO group I, III and IV, 2) pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH): WHO group II, 3) Control: no PH group. On ROC analysis, rest and exercise ETCO2 and VE/VCO2 had equally high predictive ability to predict exercise PVR > 3 WU (rest ETCO2=0.806, exercise ETCO2=0.880, rest VE/VCO2=0.794, exercise VE/VCO2=0.820). Similar pattern of ETCO2 and VE/VCO2 was identified with prediction of rest PVR >3WU and WHO group I PAH. Based on the ROC analysis, we found that the ideal cutoffs (to predict rest PVR>3WU or exercise PVR>3WU or PVD group) were ≤30 mmHg for ETCO2 and ≥42 for VE/VECO2.Using these cutoffs, we created a scoring system of “rest-only” GX parameters (+1 for ETCO2 ≤30 and VE/VCO2 ≥42; and -1 for vice versa). Each patient would have a total score of -2, 0 or +2. The AUC for this rest-only scoring system to predict exercise PVR >3WU was 0.841. When applied to the whole cohort, score of -2 (n=14) included: 8 PVH and 5 with no PH, score of +2 (n=11) included 6 PVD (percentages shown in figure). Conclusions Among individuals with suspected PH, a composite gas exchange score with VE/VCO2 (≥42) and ETCO2 (≤30 mmHg) reliably predicts PVD.
The Role of the Social Network in Fatal Opioid Overdose Prevention: The Former Opioid User’s Perspective:

Naloxone hydrochloride (naloxone) is an effective fatal opioid overdose prevention strategy. The study findings describe former opioid users’ phenomenological perspectives regarding their social ne...
The panchromatic starburst irregular dwarf survey (starbirds): Observations and data archive

Understanding star formation in resolved low mass systems requires the integration of information obtained from observations at different wavelengths. We have combined new and archival multi-wavelength observations on a set of 20 nearby starburst and post-starburst dwarf galaxies to create a data archive of calibrated, homogeneously reduced images. Named the panchromatic ?STARBurst IRregular Dwarf Survey? archive, the data are publicly accessible through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes. This first release of the archive includes images from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Telescope (GALEX), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and the Spitzer Space Telescope (Spitzer) Multiband Imaging Photometer instrument. The data sets include flux calibrated, background subtracted images, that are registered to the same world coordinate system. Additionally, a set of images are available that are all cropped to match the HST field of view. The GALEX and Spitzer images are available with foreground and background contamination masked. Larger GALEX images extending to 4 times the optical extent of the galaxies are also available. Finally, HST images convolved with a 5? point spread function and rebinned to the larger pixel scale of the GALEX and Spitzer 24 ?m images are provided. Future additions are planned that will include data at other wavelengths such as Spitzer IRAC, ground-based H?, Chandra X-ray, and Green Bank Telescope H i imaging.
Corporate Taxes, Leverage, and Business Cycles

the consequences of this policy for economy-wide quantities such as investment and consumption. Contrary to conventional wisdom we find that changes in tax policy have only a small effect on equilibrium levels of corporate leverage. The intuition lies in the endogenous adjustment of debt prices in equilibrium that make debt relatively more attractive and largely offset the effect of the changes in tax policy.
The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and Monitoring

This paper introduces the other half of the International Bill of Rights (the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights being more widely known). It begins by defining economic, social, and cultural rights and explaining their origins. It describes the drafting of the Economic Covenant, its monitoring system, and major developments since it was opened for signature in 1966.
Modification of a computer simulation model for a plant-nematode system.

New data on egg development and death rates, and refinements of logic concerning interaction of the nematode and host, were incorporated into a simulation model of a Meloidogyne arenaria and grapevine system. Simulations of field data improved hut other areas of weakness in the model were discovered. Two peaks in the egg population curve suggested that the nematode was able to complete two life cycles before host dormancy and declining temperatures limited physiological acti.vity. Key Words: Meloidogyne arenaria, population dynamics, nematode-host interaction. The development of a computer simu- lator (MELSIM) of a nematode-plant system (2, 3) has assisted in directing research efforts (4, 6). Experimentation with the simulator has exposed errors which required refinements in the logic of the model. The result is that the simulator must be updated periodically. It is hoped that the simulators predictive ability will im- prove as knowledge of the system is gained. This paper reports the effects of incorporat- ing data on egg development and death rates (4) into the model, and of some logic refinements in the relationship of numbers of nematodes to plant damage and the in- fluence of the physiological status of the host. Trial simulations are compared with field data (5). Egg development and death rates: Ex- periments on Meloidogyne arenaria egg development relative to temperature (4) indicated the need for two regression models, one to describe the development and hatch rate of 74% of the egg popula- tion and the other to describe the slower hatch of the remainder. The simulator was modified to partition each cohort of newly
Why genes don't count (for racial differences in health).

There is a paradoxical relationship between "race" and genetics. Whereas genetic data were first used to prove the validity of race, since the early 1970s they have been used to illustrate the invalidity of biological races. Indeed, race does not account for human genetic variation, which is continuous, complexly structured, constantly changing, and predominantly within "races." Despite the disproof of race-as-biology, genetic variation continues to be used to explain racial differences. Such explanations require the acceptance of 2 disproved assumptions: that genetic variation explains variation in disease and that genetic variation explains racial variation in disease. While the former is a form of geneticization, the notion that genes are the primary determinants of biology and behavior, the latter represents a form of racialization, an exaggeration of the salience of race. Using race as a proxy for genetic differences limits understandings of the complex interactions among political-economic processes, lived experiences, and human biologies. By moving beyond studies of racialized genetics, we can clarify the processes by which varied and interwoven forms of racialization "under the skin."
Imaging Dural Sinus Thrombosis

The acute onset of irreversible neurological deficit is referred to as a “stroke” and is the third leading cause of death and the major cause of adult long-term disability in the United States. Obstruction of the venous sinuses by thrombosis accounts for ˜1% of strokes. Thrombosis of the superior saggital sinus is most frequent, with involvement of transverse, sigmoid, and cavernous sinuses occurring less often. Venous thrombosis may involve the dural sinuses, the deep venous system, and the superficial cortical veins separately or in any combination. This unit describes a Basic Protocol for imaging dural sinuses by time-of-flight magnetic resonance venography (MRV).
A Novel High Order Time Domain Vector Finite Element Method for the Simulation of Electromagnetic Devices

The goal of this dissertation is twofold. The first part concerns the development of a numerical method for solving Maxwell's equations on unstructured hexahedral grids that employs both high order spatial and high order temporal discretizations. The second part involves the use of this method as a computational tool to perform high fidelity simulations of various electromagnetic devices such as optical transmission lines and photonic crystal structures to yield a level of accuracy that has previously been computationally cost prohibitive. This work is based on the initial research of Daniel White who developed a provably stable, charge and energy conserving method for solving Maxwell's equations in the time domain that is second order accurate in both space and time. The research presented here has involved the generalization of this procedure to higher order methods. High order methods are capable of yielding far more accurate numerical results for certain problems when compared to corresponding h-refined first order methods , and often times at a significant reduction in total computational cost. The first half of this dissertation presents the method as well as the necessary mathematics required for its derivation. The second half addresses the implementation of the method in a parallelmore » computational environment, its validation using benchmark problems, and finally its use in large scale numerical simulations of electromagnetic transmission devices.« less
Phytotreatment of TNT-Contaminated Groundwater

Phytoremediation is a viable technique for treating nitroaromatic compounds, particularly munitions. Continuous flow phyto-reactor studies were conducted at the following three influent concentrations of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT): 1, 5, and 10 ppm. A control was also prepared with an influent TNT concentration of 5 ppm. Flow rates were systematically reduced to increase hydraulic retention times (HRT) which ranged from 12 to 76 days. Initially, the control reactor removed TNT as efficiently as the plant reactors. With time, however, the efficiency of the control became less than that of the plant reactors, suggesting that adsorption was initially the mechanism for removal. Up to 100% of the TNT was removed. Aminodinitrotoluene (ADNT) effluent concentration was higher for higher TNT influent concentrations. Increasing the retention time reduced ADNT concentration in the effluent. Supplementary batch studies confirmed that ADNT and diaminonitrotoluene (DANT) were phytodegraded. Preliminary batch studies w...
Decomposition of the Hough Transform: Curve Detection with Efficient Error Propagation

This paper describes techniques to perform fast and accurate curve detection using a variant of the Hough transform. We show that the Hough transform can be decomposed into small subproblems that examine only a subset of the parameter space. Each subproblem considers only those curves that pass through some small subset of the data points. This property allows the efficient implementation of the Hough transform with respect to both time and space, and allows the careful propagation of the effects of localization error in the detection process. The use of randomization yields an O(n) worst-case computational complexity for this method, where n is the number of data points, if we are only required to find curves that are significant with respect to the complexity of the data. In addition, this method requires little memory and can be easily parallelized.
What Is the Role of the Adipocyte Mineralocorticoid Receptor in the Metabolic Syndrome

See related article, pp 149–157 Obesity is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, coronary atherosclerosis, congestive heart failure, and stroke, as well as for chronic renal disease.1 The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in obese patients is high, as they frequently have hypertension, insulin resistance with glucose intolerance or diabetes mellitus, high triglycerides, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol that defines the syndrome. The adipocyte has emerged to the forefront of important mediators of the metabolic abnormalities seen in the metabolic syndrome. Many studies have also demonstrated a positive correlation between body mass index and serum aldosterone levels,1 and aldosterone seems to have an important role in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome by acting through the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in several target organs, including adipocytes.1,2 Despite these increases in aldosterone, cortisol (human) or corticosterone (rodents) has similar affinity for the MR and is far more abundant, thus may be more important culprits.3 Nonetheless, preclinical studies of antagonism of the MR reverse many features of the metabolic syndrome.2 The roles of the MR and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in adipocyte differentiation in vivo and in the metabolic syndrome are yet unresolved. The article by Urbanet et al4 in this issue aims to clarify the role of the MR in adipocyte differentiation, obesity, and the mechanisms by which the MR activation leads to adipocyte differentiation using an adipose-specific inducible transgenic model of MR overexpression. Historically, the MR was initially thought to be expressed exclusively in ion and water transport epithelia of the renal tubules, colon, salivary glands, and sweat glands. However, shortly after its cloning, it was confirmed that the MR was also expressed in nonepithelial tissues, including the heart, vessels, and brain (where it was called the type I corticosteroid receptor). Two …
Understanding the Social Needs of Streetwalking Prostitutes

The social dynamics of prostitution render prostitutes unable at times to meet basic human needs, vulnerable to violence, and at risk for sexually transmitted disease. Since April 1989 a mobile van from a private foundation has been contacting prostitutes throughout the five boroughs of New York City to provide HIV testing and counseling and to distribute condoms, bleach kits for cleaning needles, and HIV prevention information. Data collected from 1,963 female prostitutes are discussed in this article. Information is provided on demographics, family and living arrangements, sex and drug practices, HIV status and risk reduction practices, and health history. Methods are discussed for social workers to develop creative ways to provide outreach and develop relationships with a vulnerable population that invests much effort in remaining concealed.
Echocardiographic assessment of the right ventricular response to exercise.

Although exercise echocardiography has been widely used among adult patients, its application in the pediatric population has not been well explored. A few studies have examined the response of the pediatric left ventricle (LV) to exercise. However, although many congenital heart defects result in abnormalities of right ventricle (RV) anatomy and function, little is known about the RV's response to exercise. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of exercise on RV dimensions and function and to compare the RV's response to that of the LV. Twenty-nine consecutive pediatric subjects (age 12.1 ± 3.2 years) with structurally normal hearts, who were referred for exercise stress testing, were studied echocardiographically prior to and within 2 minutes following peak exercise. Adequate studies were obtained in 28 of the 29 patients. RV dimensions and area during the first 2 minutes following the termination of exercise were slightly smaller than those observed prior to exercise. However, the decline in RV area at end systole was proportionally greater than the decline in RV area at end diastole. Consequently, the RV fractional area change following exercise exceeded the preexercise value. The response of the LV to exercise was qualitatively similar to that observed for the RV. This study demonstrates that echocardiographic measurement of RV size and function immediately after exercise is feasible. Data from this study can be used as normal reference standards against which data from patients with congenital heart defects may be compared.
Preliminary materials assessment for the satellite power system

Presently, there are two SPS reference design concepts (one using silicon solar cells; the other using gallium arsenide solar cells). A materials assessment of both systems was performed based on the materials lists set forth in the DOE/NASA SPS Reference System Report: Concept Development and Evaluation Program. This listing identified 22 materials (plus miscellaneous and organics) used in the SPS. Tracing the production processes for these 22 materials, a total demand for over 20 different bulk materials (copper, silicon, sulfuric acid, etc.) and nealy 30 raw materials (copper ore, sand, sulfur ore, etc.) was revealed. Assessment of these SPS material requirements produced a number of potential material supply problems. The more serious problems are those associated with the solar cell materials (gallium, gallium arsenide, sapphire, and solar grade silicon), and the graphite fiber required for the satellite structure and space construction facilities. In general, the gallium arsenide SPS option exhibits more serious problems than the silicon option, possibly because gallium arsenide technology is not as well developed as that for silicon. Results are presented and discussed in detail. (WHK)
Removal of inorganic constituents of biomass feedstocks by mechanical dewatering and leaching

Inorganic constituents of ash in biomass fuels are responsible for equipment failure and operating difficulties in thermochemical energy conversion facilities. Alkali metals, in the presence of chlorine and sulfur, are the leading contributors to this problem. Banagrass, a herbaceous species being considered for use as a dedicated energy crop, contains high levels of potassium and chlorine. Some inorganic elements are water soluble and the opportunity exists to remove them by mechanical dewatering and leaching as part of the feedstock preparation process. Laboratory-scale equipment, representative of processes employed in the commercial extraction of sugar from cane, was used to prepare banagrass fuel treatments that included two degrees of comminution (coarse and fine) and two dewatering schemes (mechanical dewatering only, and a multi-step process consisting of initial mechanical dewatering followed by a water rinse and second dewatering). The treatment that included fine comminution and multi-step dewatering resulted in a fuel with substantial reductions in ash (45%), K (90%), Cl (98%), S (55%), Na (68%), P (72%) and Mg (68%). The coarse comminution and multi-step dewatering scheme also resulted in reductions, but generally with 10–20% more of the initial constituent mass retained in the fuel. These two treatments produced fuels containing 0.11 and 0.23 kg (Na2O + K2O) GJ−1, respectively, with corresponding ash fusion temperature estimates of 1250 and 1075°C. By comparison, bagasse, the fibrous by-product of sugar cane, contains 0.06 kg (Na2O + K2O) GJ−1 and has an estimated ash fusion temperature of roughly 1500°C. Banagrass subjected to the most severe treatment, fine comminution with multi-step dewatering, should produce a boiler fuel with characteristics similar to those of bagasse.
Diffusion-Flame Extinction in the Stagnation-Point Boundary Layer of PMMA in O2/N2 Mixtures

Abstract Experimental results on the gas-phase extinction of diffusion flame for the pyrolyzed products of PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) rods burning in laminar flows of O2/Nj mixtures are reported. Critical extinction conditions in terms of oxygen concentration, oxidizer mass flux and pressure are established. Kinetic parameters for the overall gas-phase oxidation process have been obtained from these results with the aid of recently-developed theoretical analyses for extinction of diffusion flames in the stagnation-point boundary layer of condensed fuels. Thus, on the basis of an overall reaction of order one with respect to oxygen and one with respect to PMMA-pyrolysis products, the experimental results provide values of 21 kcal/mole for the overall activation energy and of 3 × 1012 cm5/ mole sec for the preexponential factor.
Douglas-fir wood quality studies part I: Effects of age and stimulated growth on wood density and anatomy

Douglas-fir trees about 21 years old and growing on a poor site were thinned and fertilized causing accelerated growth. The characteristics of the wood across the 30-year age span were studied for 7 trees from the treated plot. Four trees of nearly uniform ring growth were also studied for some characteristics. Radial and tangential tracheid diameters, tracheid length and percent latewood were correlated quite well with log of age, coefficients ranged from 0.76 to 0.88 on pooled data. All tracheid dimensions when correlated with log of age gave high coefficients on a within-tree basis. The strongest relationship in all age-related factors was between 0 and 12 to 14 years. Specific gravity increased with age in all trees to about 16 to 18 years, then leveled off.
Mode characterization of microring polymer lasers

Abstract Conducting polymer films coated on circular glass fibers offer a low loss, high Q , resonance structure for investigating photopumped lasers. The high Q structure allows a simplification of the boundary conditions, that the field goes to zero at the boundary. Solutions of the wave equation are then simply integer Bessel function of high order. The product nρ , where n is the refraction index and ρ is the microring radius, is needed to several decimal places to successfully assign spectral emission lines to the appropriate Bessel function. A Fourier transform of the emission spectra consists of a series of diminishing peaks with a spacing of nρ . With this evaluated product in hand a calculation of the laser emission can be obtained.
Novel N-halamine silanes

Abstract The monomers of the compounds 6-phenyl-3-(3′-triethoxysilylpropyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4-dione and 6,6-dimethyl-3-(3′-triethoxysilylpropyl)-1,3,5-triazinane-2,4-dione have been synthesized and coated on the surfaces of silica gel particles and cellulose. Exposure to diluted sodium hypochlorite solutions renders these polymers antimicrobial. The treated polymers inactivated (7 logs) both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 with brief contact times. The coated cotton fabrics showed great stability and rechargeability following exposure to UV and ambient light.
DIPHENYLAMINE INHIBITION OF ELECTRON TRANSPORT IN PLANT MITOCHONDRIA.

Abstract Diphenylamine (DPA) at concentrations of 10−4M and above inhibits NADH oxidase and succinoxidase activities of plant mitochondria. At the lower concentrations (≦2.7 × 10−4M) the inhibitory effects result primarily from DPA acting in the region between succinic and NADH dehydrogenases, and the first cytochrome component of the electron transport chain(s). This conclusion was based on the following results: (1) DPA delayed the reduction of mitochondrial cytochromes in the sweet potato succinoxidase system; no reduced-oxidized cytochrome pairs were observed; (2) NADH- and succinic-cytochrome c reductase activities of the mitochondria were severely inhibited by 2.7 × 10−4M DPA; (3) succinic dehydrogenase and NADH diaphorase activities of the mitochondria were not inhibited by that concentration of DPA; (4) menadione effects an antimycin A-insensitive shunt from NADH to cytochrome c which is not inhibited by DPA; and (5) much smaller effects were exerted by DPA on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase activity. The antimycin A-insensitive respiration in sweet potato mitochondria was also inhibited by DPA, suggesting that DPA may be useful in testing alternate pathway theories.