cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Food Source Makes a Difference in Diet Quality

Abstract Objective To examine the relationship between diet quality and source of food among U.S. adults. Design Cross-sectional sample of adults who participated in the 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals divided into clusters based on their food source. Setting In-person interviews conducted nationwide. Participants A national sample of 9407 adults over 18 years of age. Method Data gathered from the interviews consisted of two 24-hour dietary recalls; self-reported demographic characteristics; body mass index (BMI); and health behaviors such as physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Main Outcome Measures The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score and the percentage of total grams of food consumed from each source. Analysis Multivariate linear regression evaluated the association between food source pattern determined by cluster analysis, and HEI scores, while controlling for demographic characteristics, BMI, and health behaviors. Results Ten primary food source patterns were identified from the clusters. The food source clusters were statistically significant in predicting HEI score and were stronger predictors than most demographic and health behaviors included. Implications for Research and Practice The success of cluster analysis in identifying food source patterns and associating them with diet quality suggests that identifying an individual’s food source pattern may be more predictive of diet quality than demographic characteristics, and other health behaviors.
A randomized comparison of iodixanol and iohexol in adult body computed tomography scanning

Rationale and Objectives. We compared the safety and imaging efficacy of iodixanol-270 (270 mg I/ml), iodixanol-320 (320 mg I/ml), both of which are isosmolal to blood, and iohexol-300 (300 mg I/ml) for body computed tomography (CT) scanning. Methods. One hundred twenty-six patients from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Temple University Hospital scheduled to undergo body CT examinations were randomly assigned to receive either iodixanol-270, iodixanol-320, or iohexol-300. Patients were monitored with questioning and vital signs before injection, immediately after injection, and at 24 and 48 hr. Extensive laboratory evaluation also was performed. Results. No serious reactions or deaths occurred in any group. The occurrence of overall minor adverse events (usually warmth, headache, taste distortion, rash) was similar for the different groups. Laboratory results showed no significant difference across groups. There was no significant difference in image quality detected among groups. Conclusion. There was no detectable difference in safety and imaging efficacy among the three contrast groups in this study. However, patients from the University of Wisconsin experienced significantly less injection discomfort with iodixanol-270 than with iohexol-300. Large clinical studies may more definitively determine the presence and nature of the relative advantages of iodixanol compared with currently available ionic and non-ionic contrast agents.
Breaking Records: The History of Bibliographic Records and Their Influence in Conceptualizing Bibliographic Data

A bibliographic record is a conceptual whole that includes all bibliographic information about a resource together in one place. With the Semantic Web, individual data statements are linked across the web. This position article argues that the traditional conceptualization of bibliographic records affects the affordances and limitations of that data. A historical analysis of the development of bibliographic records contrasted with the Semantic Web model reveals how the “record” model shaped library cataloging and the implications on library catalogs today. Reification of the record model for bibliographic data hampers possibilities for innovation in cataloging, inspiring a reconceptualization of bibliographic description.
LABORATORY ANALOGUE OF FIELD HELPING BEHAVIOR

Summary.-Within the context of a balanced factorial design, white college students (40 males, 40 females) individually viewed a videotape of a black or white, male or female, financially needy "cohort" performing an alphanumeric substitution cask, and were instructed to award money for p-rformance, which was idenucal in all conditions. Female Ss awarded more money than male Ss, but males were given as much money as females, and blacks were given as much as whites. Results were compared co field studies of the relation of race and sex to helping behavior. Few field studies of prosocial behavior have ascertained the relation between race and helping behavior (cf. Gergen, Gergen, & Merer, 1972). However, Wispi and Freshley (1971) did explore this relation by studying the tendency of black and white male and female Ss to help a black or white female whose bag of groceries has just broken in front of the exit of a supermarket. Results suggested that men were more helpful than women toward these female confederates, and that little over-all evidence of racial differences in helping behavior existed. Using a field situation similar to that of Wisp6 and Freshley ( 1971), Lerner and Frank (1974) assessed the relation of race and sex of a person in need of help to the frequency of help given by white male and female Ss. The white Ss were as likely to help blacks as whites in retrieving dropped groceries, and women were generally more helpful than men. Thus, the results of the Lerner and Frank (1974) srudy are consistent with chose of Wisp6 and Freshley (1971) in that a general independence between race (of either S or confederate) and helping behavior was suggested, despite the fact that females tended to be more helpful in the latter study and the reverse was indicated in the former investigation, i.e., W~spe and Freshley's srudy. However, despite such consistency of resulcs between field studies, interrelations among variables in field studies of helping behavior have nor always been consistent wirh interrelations among similar variables in laboratory studies of such behavior (e.g., see Lerner, Solomon, 8: Brody, 1971). Accordingly, this general issue of field-laboratory generalizability was specifically assessed in the present study through determining the comparability of the field-derived interrelations among sex, race, and helping behavior found by Lerner and Frank (1974) with relations among such variables obtained in an analogous laboratory situation.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common and disabling illness that is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. Patients with GAD are at increased risk for suicide as well as cardiovascular-related events and death. Most patients can be diagnosed and managed by primary care physicians. Symptoms include chronic, pervasive anxiety and worry accompanied by nonspecific physical and psychological symptoms (restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or sleep disturbances). Effective treatments include psychotherapy (often cognitive behavioral therapy) and pharmacotherapy, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.
Distinguishing clear cell renal cell carcinoma, retroperitoneal paraganglioma, and adrenal cortical lesions on limited biopsy material: utility of immunohistochemical markers.

Retroperitoneal recurrence of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) after surgical resection is often investigated by needle biopsy and frequently requires immunohistochemistry to distinguish from other lesions with similar histology. This study explores the diagnostic utility of a panel of immuno
Population demographic and genetic structure of plains killifish from the Kansas and Arkansas river basins in Kansas

Abstract The demographic and genetic population structure of plains killifish Fundulus zebrinus is presented for fish collected from tributaries of the Kansas and Arkansas river basins in Kansas. Electrophoretic analysis revealed heterozygote deficiencies in fish populations from both basins. These deficiencies are attributed, in part, to a temporal Wahlund effect caused by sampling across length classes of fish of differing genotype frequencies. Individual heterozygosity estimates were not associated with length, sex, or wet weights of fish. However, the proportion of heterozygous genotypes within a river was significantly correlated with the proportion of juveniles collected from the river. This association suggests a relationship between genetic heterozygosity and population fitness in this species. Total mean genic diversity and genetic differentiation among river populations was greater in the Arkansas basin. However, relative genic differentiation among sites within rivers accounted for more of the ...
Genetic divergence between populations of feral and domestic forms of a mosquito disease vector assessed by transcriptomics

Culex pipiens, an invasive mosquito and vector of West Nile virus in the US, has two morphologically indistinguishable forms that differ dramatically in behavior and physiology. Cx. pipiens form pipiens is primarily a bird-feeding temperate mosquito, while the sub-tropical Cx. pipiens form molestus thrives in sewers and feeds on mammals. Because the feral form can diapause during the cold winters but the domestic form cannot, the two Cx. pipiens forms are allopatric in northern Europe and, although viable, hybrids are rare. Cx. pipiens form molestus has spread across all inhabited continents and hybrids of the two forms are common in the US. Here we elucidate the genes and gene families with the greatest divergence rates between these phenotypically diverged mosquito populations, and discuss them in light of their potential biological and ecological effects. After generating and assembling novel transcriptome data for each population, we performed pairwise tests for nonsynonymous divergence (Ka) of homologous coding sequences and examined gene ontology terms that were statistically over-represented in those sequences with the greatest divergence rates. We identified genes involved in digestion (serine endopeptidases), innate immunity (fibrinogens and α-macroglobulins), hemostasis (D7 salivary proteins), olfaction (odorant binding proteins) and chitin binding (peritrophic matrix proteins). By examining molecular divergence between closely related yet phenotypically divergent forms of the same species, our results provide insights into the identity of rapidly-evolving genes between incipient species. Additionally, we found that families of signal transducers, ATP synthases and transcription regulators remained identical at the amino acid level, thus constituting conserved components of the Cx. pipiens proteome. We provide a reference with which to gauge the divergence reported in this analysis by performing a comparison of transcriptome sequences from conspecific (yet allopatric) populations of another member of the Cx. pipiens complex, Cx. quinquefasciatus.
Dacron®/Orlon® Blends in Apparel—Product Value, Wear Comfort, Energy Savings, and Environmental Aspects:

A growing trade interest has recently developed in cotton spun yarns from blends of low-dpf Dacron® and Orlon® staple for traditional cotton-type knits and wovens. Dacron as the major blend com pon...
Changes in Parental Assets and Children's Educational Outcomes

Several countries, including Canada, Singapore and the United Kingdom, have enacted asset-based policies for children in recent years. The premise underlying these policies is that increases in assets lead to improvement in various child outcomes over time. But little existing research examines this premise from a dynamic perspective. Using data from the NLSY79 mother and child datasets, two parallel process latent growth curve models are estimated to examine the effects of parental asset accumulation on changes in children's achievements over six years during middle childhood. Results indicate that the initial level of assets is positively associated with math scores, but not reading scores, while faster asset accumulation is associated with changes in reading scores, but not in math scores. Overall, the results suggest that the relationship between assets and various child outcomes may not be straight-forward. Different dimensions of the asset experience may lead to different outcomes, and the same dimension may also have different effects. Implications for future research and for asset-based policies are discussed. There is increasing interest in asset-based policies and interventions as a social investment strategy, and a number of countries have implemented or are exploring this new policy approach. In recent years, the asset-building discussion has expanded to include children, with the implementation of national asset- based policies targeting children in Canada, Singapore, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Underlying these policies and interventions is the premise that the possession and accumulation of assets lead to a range of positive effects in children. With regard to children's cognitive and educational outcomes such as math and reading achievements, it is postulated that higher levels of assets possessed and greater asset accumulation will be associated with improvement in children's cognitive and educational development over time, which, in turn, leads to better attainment in these areas. Little existing research, however, examines this premise from a dynamic perspective.
Hyaluronic acid in the pulmonary secretions of patients with alveolar proteinosis.

Hyaluronic acid was the only glycosaminoglycan found in the pulmonary secretions of patients with alveolar proteinosis. The compound gave a hexouronate/hexosamine molar ratio of about 1∶1. Glucosamine constituted over 98% of the hexosamines, the remaining being galactosamine. It moved as a single spot with the mobility of standard hyaluronic acid on cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and this spot disappeared after digestion with hyaluronidase. It was associated with small amounts of proteins, the major amino acids of which are aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, and leucine.
Detection of intracochlear damage during cochlear implant electrode insertion using extracochlear measurements in the gerbil.

Objectives An intraoperative monitoring algorithm during cochlear implant electrode insertion could be used to detect trauma and guide electrode placement relative to surviving hair cells. The aim of this report was to assess the feasibility of using extracochlear recording sites to monitor acoustically evoked responses from surviving hair cells and neural elements during implantation in an animal model.
Sequence dependence of aspartimide formation during 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl solid-phase peptide synthesis

We have examined the sequence dependence of aspartimide formation during Fmoc-based solid-phase synthesis of the peptide Val-Lys-Asp-X-Tyr-Ile. The extent of aspartimide formation and subsequent conversion to the α- or β-piperidide was characterized and quantitated by analytical reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Aspartimide formation occurred for X=Arg(Pmc), Asn(Trt), Asp(OtBu), Cys(Acm), Gly, Ser, Thr and Thr(tBu). No single approach was found that could inhibit this side reaction for all sequences. The most effective combinations, in general, for minimization of aspartimide formation were (i) tert-butyl side-chain protection of aspartate, piperidine for removal of the Fmoc group, and either 1-hydroxybenzotriazole or 2,4-dinitrophenol as an additive to the piperidine solution; or (ii) 1-adamantyl side-chain protection of aspartate and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene for removal of the Fmoc group.
Multi-resolution approach to automatic target recognition with a hybrid evolutionary algorithm and response analysis

A multi-resolution approach to automatic target recognition is described that employs a hybrid evolutionary algorithm (HEA) and image transform in a form of image local response. Given images of the targeted area (TA) and the targeted object (TO) located in TA, the proposed method repeatedly applies cross-correlation on different resolution levels (zooming in), in order to find the area TA and the object TO in the large-scale image of the region of interest (ROI). Both images of ROI and TA undergo peculiar transformation called image local response. Given geometric transformation T(V) of the images under specified parameter vector V, image local response is defined as an image transform R(V) that maps an image into itself, with the small perturbation of the parameter vector V. Unit variations of the components of the parameter vector V are applied to the image, and the corresponding variations of the least squared difference of the gray levels of the two images (i.e., before and after the parameter variation) form an image response matrix M(V). Cross-correlation of the response matrices built for ROI and TA outlines a potential range of resolutions of the TA. A hybrid Evolutionary algorithm can be applied then, in order to find the correct parameters V for TA with the reference to ROI.
TH-A-WAB-01: Biomarker Sensing

Purpose: To measure local biomarker concentrations longitudinally over time. Biomarker concentrations can be used to diagnose disease but the most promising application is in monitoring therapy. For example, the VEGF level provides a very direct evaluation of anti‐angiogenic therapies or heat shock proteins provide a direct evaluation of thermal therapies. In this effort, the potential of the proposed technology was evaluated for sensitivity and specificity. The potential sensitivity was also estimated. Methods: Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) can be detected remotely by measuring their magnetization induced by an alternating magnetic field. Magnetic spectroscopy of Brownian motion (MSB) characterizes the rotational Brownian motion from the shape of the magnetization. Rotational Brownian motion characterizes the local microenvironment surrounding the NPs: temperature, viscosity and chemical binding. We are reporting on a novel application of MSB that will allow the local concentration of biomarkers or drugs to be measured in vivo longitudinally over time. Magnetic NPs in ∼200 micron porous walled containers can be deposited in the vascular bed or into the extracellular space via injection in a lesions' blood supply or directly into the lesion. The NPs are decorated so that the target molecule (either biomarker or drug) binds the NPs together into an aggregate. The aggregate has a much longer relaxation time than the free NPs so the MSB signal changes dramatically. The MSB signal can be used to estimate the quantitative concentration of the biomarker. Results: The method has been explored in vitro for the following analytes (minimum sensitivities): 24 mer DNA (100 pM sensitivity); 20 mer DNA (2 nM); thrombin (4 nM); streptavidin (150 pM); VEGF (4 nM). Conclusion: These proof of concept experiments demonstrate that MSB methods are capable of measuring hormone concentrations of biomarkers and would require only reasonable increases in sensitivity to measure cytokine concentrations. NIH‐NCI 1U54CA151662‐01; Hopeman Fund Grant: Norris Cotton Cancer Center
Density Functional Theory Calculations of Pressure Effects on the Vibrational Structure of α-RDX

Pressure effects on the vibrational structure of α-RDX were examined using density functional theory (DFT) up to 4 GPa. The calculated vibrational frequencies at ambient conditions are in better ag...
The excretion of oxalic acid following deoxypyridoxine and tryptophan administration in mongoloid and nonmongoloid subjects

Mongoloid and nonmongoloid children were studied to compare the excretion of oxalic and xanthurenic acid following the administration of deoxypyridoxine and tryptophan. The studies show that the mongoloid child excretes much larger amounts of oxalic acid as well as xanthurenic acid than the nonmongoloid control subjects. This is further evidence for the more rapid depletion of vitamin B 6 stores to occur in mongoloid children than in nonmongoloid controls. The use and rationale of oxalic acid excretion as a parameter of vitamin B 6 depletion is presented. The excretion of oxalic acid is not as sensitive an indicator as xanthurenic acid in detecting vitamin B 6 deficiency.
WebGD: A Framework for Web-Based GIS/Database Applications

We have developed a framework for Web-based GIS/database applications which allow users to insert, update, delete, and query data with a map interface displayed by Web browsers. The framework was designed so that a Web-based GIS application that uses ArcIMS as a map server can be easily created, customized, and maintained. In order to achieve this goal, we have created our framework as a collection of ASP.NET custom server controls. In creating a Web-based GIS application, instances of our custom server controls can be picked and placed on ASP.NET Web pages like standard Web controls.
The nature and identity of the internal excitational transmitter of vertebrate phototransduction

Vertebrate rods and cones are cells marvelously differentiated, morphologically and physiologically, to transduce light into electrical signals. A fundamental physiological feature of these cells is a resting or "dark" current whose modulation constitutes the conversion of internal biochemical to transmembrane lectrical events. Figure 1 shows a scanning electron micrograph of the receptor layer of the frog retina. Overlaid on the micrograph is a schematic diagram of the rod dark current, which was discovered by Hagins et al (52) with extracellular source/sink analysis. In the outer segment region the dark current is a uniformly distributed inward current, carried predominantly by Na+; in the inner segment, the current is outward, with a sharp reversal occurring at the junction of the inner and outer segment (10, 52). Light suppresses the resting dark current, which gives rise to "photocurrents," in a fashion graded with intensity (10, 89). The photocurrent source localized very near the site of photon absorption: Local outer segment illumination causes photocurrents within 1 2/~m of the site of photon absorption (52, 66, 74). The outer segment dark current is carried by the lightsensitive conductance (gh,,). Thus the first electrophysiological event in vision
DOSE RATE EFFECTS IN THE DEVELOPING GERM CELLS OF MALE DROSOPHILA.

The developing germ cells of Drosophila melanogaster were treated with fast and fractionated doses of x radiation in 4 atmospheres of argon or in 3 atmospheres of argon + 2 atmosphere of oxygen. An enhancement in biological damage was observed in all postmeiotic sperm and spermatid cells in tests when oxygen was present in combination with argon. There were no effects due to the rate at which the radiation was administered with mature sperm cells. Enhancements in translocations and sex-linked recessive lethals were obtained for spermatids in argon by giving the total radiation dose in two fractions 40 minutes apart. When oxygen was present with the argon, similar values were obtained with a fast, continuous dose and with fractionated doses. Another type of dose rate effect was observed when spermatogonia were treated. The dominant lethal percentages were higher when doses were fractionated in both the argon and in the argon + oxygen tests. (auth)
MESHLESS PETROV-GALERKIN METHOD APPLIED TO AXISYMMETRIC PROBLEMS

An axisymmetric Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) algorithm is presented for the potential and elasticity problems. In this algorithm the trial and test functions are chosen from different spaces. By a judicious choice of these functions, the integrals involved in the weak form can be restricted to a local neighborhood. This makes the method truly meshless. The MLPG algorithm is used to study various potential and elasticity problems for which exact solutions are available. The sensitivity and effectiveness of the MLPG algorithm to various parameters such as the weight functions, basis functions and support domain radius, etc. was studied. The MLPG algorithm yielded accurate solutions for all weight functions, basis functions and support domain radii considered for all of the problems studied.
Universal object segmentation in fused range-color data

This paper presents a method for universal object segmentation from fused laser range and color image data collected by a mobile robot. By combining both range and color, objects can more easily be distinguished than from either data type alone. The proposed method utilizes the Expectation Maximization, (EM), algorithm to both determine the number of objects in the scene and to segment the data into objects modeled by a universal six-dimensional Gaussian distributions. This is achieved by an iterative split and merge process. Objects segmented from the data by the EM algorithm are then further subdivided, again by EM until the desired resolution is reached. The resulting objects are then recombined if they are found to have similar traits that indicate the data belongs to the same object. The universal object model performs well in environments consisting of both man-made (walls, furniture, pavement) and natural objects (trees, bushes, grass). This makes it ideal for use in both indoor and outdoor environments. Our algorithm does not require the number of objects to be known prior to calculation nor does it require a training set of data. The ultimate goal of segmentation is to facilitate automatic classification of objects and to provide landmark recognition for robotic mapping and navigation.
Patient-provider perceptions of diabetes and its impact on self-management: a comparison of African-American and White patients.

Aims To compare patient–provider differences in diabetes-related perceptions between African-American and White patients and to examine its association with self-care behaviours. Methods One hundred and thirty patient–provider pairs were recruited from the greater Detroit area. Patients and providers completed a survey assessing perceptions about diabetes-related concepts and demographic background. The Diabetes Semantic Differential Scale was used to measure diabetes-related perceptions. Patients also reported the frequency of performing self-care behaviours, including following a healthy eating plan, engaging in physical activity, blood glucose monitoring, and taking medication and/or insulin. Results There were a greater number of patient–provider differences in diabetes-related perceptions for the AfricanAmerican patients (nine of 18 concepts) compared with the White patients (four of 18 concepts). Stepwise regression analyses found patients’ semantic differential scores to be significantly associated with five self-care behaviours for African-American patients and two self-care behaviours for White patients. Providers’ semantic differential scores emerged as predictors of self-care behaviours for African-American patients, but not for White patients. Conclusions Our findings suggest that compared with White patients, African-Americans differ in a greater number of diabetes-related perceptions than their providers. Patients’ and providers’ perceptions of diabetes care concepts have a significant impact on a greater number of self-care behaviours for African-American patients than White patients.
Native Outer Membrane Proteins Protect Mice against Pulmonary Challenge with Virulent Type A Francisella tularensis

Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia. F. tularensis is a category A select agent and thus a potential agent of bioterrorism. Whereas an F. tularensis live, attenuated vaccine strain (LVS) is the basis of an investigational vaccine, this vaccine is not licensed for human use because of efficacy and safety concerns. In the present study, we immunized mice with isolated native outer membrane proteins (OMPs), ethanol-inactivated LVS (iLVS), or purified LVS lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and assessed the ability of each vaccine preparation to protect mice against pulmonary challenge with the virulent type A F. tularensis strain SchuS4. Antibody isotyping indicated that both Th1 and Th2 antibody responses were generated in mice after immunization with OMPs or iLVS, whereas LPS immunization resulted in only immunoglobulin A production. In survival studies, OMP immunization provided the greatest level of protection (50% survival at 20 days after infection with SchuS4), and there were associated 3-log reductions in the spleen and liver bacterial burdens (compared to nonvaccinated mice). Cytokine quantitation for the sera of SchuS4-challenged mice indicated that OMP and iLVS immunizations induced high levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production, whereas only OMP immunization induced high levels of IL-10 production. By comparison, high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including RANTES, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, IL-6, IL-1α, IL-12p40, and KC, in nonvaccinated mice indicated that these cytokines may facilitate disease progression. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate the potential utility of an OMP subunit (acellular) vaccine for protecting mammals against type A F. tularensis.
HISTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES IN SALIVARY AND EXORBITAL LACRIMAL GLANDS.

Comparison of results obtained by S35O4= autoradiography with those from histochemical staining methods and evaluation of the effect on the staining resulting from prior sialidase digestion, methylation, methylation and saponification, or sulfation, substantiates the selectivity of some procedures for sialomucin and others for sulfomucin. These two types of mucopolysaccharide may be differentiated by the high iron diamine-alcian blue or aldehyde fuchsin-alcian blue sequences or comparison between staining with the alcian blue pH 2.5-PAS sequence and staining with the alcian blue pH 1.0-PAS method. These techniques reveal that some rodent or lagomorph salivary glands form sialomucin alone, others apparently only sulfomucin, whereas a number produce both types of acid mucopolysaccharide either in different mucous cells throughout the gland or in the same cell. Differences in affinity for basic dyes, periodate reactivity, and susceptibility to elimination of basophilia by methylation or enzymatic digestion are evident among both the sulfo- and the sialomucins in different glands. After brief saponification the sialomucin in rat sublingual glands becomes sialidase digestible and gains alcohol resistant metachromasia. Several serous or seromucous glands secrete neutral mucopolysaccharides; others secrete polysaccharides containing sulfate or sialic acid groups whose affinity is masked for some but not for other basic dyes.
Factors That Influence Residents' Satisfaction With Neighborhoods

This study focuses on homeowners' satisfaction with their neighborhoods, which is a major factor associated with a strong sense of community. Beginning with the assumption that there are neighborhood factors that influence residents' satisfaction and that these factors differ between satisfactory and unsatisfactory areas in a city, the authors use regression analysis to examine the relationships. Regression analysis showed that 14 variables were significantly related to neighborhood satisfaction. An analysis that focused on the satisfactory group of neighborhoods had a similar result. However, analysis that focused on the unsatisfactory group showed noticeable differences. For instance, safety and social problems were much more significant influences than physical factors in neighborhood satisfaction in unsatisfactory areas.
The Use of In-Situ Simulation to Improve Safety in the Plastic Surgery Office: A Feasibility Study

Objective: Simulation-based interventions and education can potentially contribute to safer and more effective systems of care. We utilized in-situ simulation to highlight safety issues, regulatory requirements, and assess perceptions of safety processes by the plastic surgery office staff. Methods: A high-fidelity human patient simulator was brought to an office-based plastic surgery setting to enact a half-day full-scale, multidisciplinary medical emergency. Facilitated group debriefings were conducted after each scenario with special consideration of the principles of team training, communication, crisis management, and adherence to evidence-based protocols and regulatory standards. Abbreviated AHRQ Medical Office Safety Culture Survey was completed by the participants before and after the session. Results: The in-situ simulations had a high degree of acceptance and face validity according to the participants. Areas highlighted by the simulation sessions included rapid communication, delegation of tasks, location of emergency materials, scope of practice, and logistics of transport. The participant survey indicated greater awareness of patient safety issues following participation in simulation and debriefing exercises in 3 areas (P < 0.05): the need to change processes if there is a recognized patient safety issue (100% vs 75%), openness to ideas about improving office processes (100% vs 88%), and the need to discuss ways to prevent errors from recurring (88% vs 62%). Conclusions: Issues of safety and regulatory compliance can be assessed in an office-based setting through the short-term (half-day) use of in-situ simulation with facilitated debriefing and the review of audiovisual recordings by trained facilities inspectors.
Effect of melittin on PD, resistance and short-circuit current in the frog gastric mucosa

Abstract In an in-vitro preparation of gastric mucosae of Rana pipiens , the effect of adding melittin to a concentration of 5×10 −6 M in the secretory solution on the transepithelial potential difference ( PD ), resistance ( R ) and short-circuit current ( I sc ) was studied. In 20 min, melittin decreased the PD by 9.3 mV and R by 148 ohm cm 2 . These changes can be explained by a decrease in the resistance, R P , of the paracellular pathway. To determine whether specific-ion pathways were responsible for the decrease in R , the effect of melittin on the partial conductances of Cl − , K + and Na + was also studied using the ion substitution method. Melittin decreased the PD response to changes in nutrient Na + , K + and Cl − and the PD response to changes in secretory Cl − , but did not affect PD responses to changes in secretory Na + or K + . Therefore, melittin decreased the nutrient membrane partial conductances of Cl − , K + and Na + and secretory membrane partial conductance of Cl − , without affecting the secretory partial conductances of Na + or K + . Initially, melittin increased I sc in regular and Cl − -free but not in Na + -free solutions. There was a delayed decrease in I sc . The results indicate that melittin decreases R P , increases the Na + conductance of the secretory membrane and inhibits, eventually, the Na + /K + -ATPase pump.
2D topological and direction relations in the world of minimum bounding circles

The representation and processing of spatial queries is important in numerous application domains in the areas of computer-aided design, multimedia databases, spatial and geographic applications. A sample query type in these applications is to find objects that satisfy a specific direction or topological relation with respect to a given object. Due to the large size of these databases and the complexity of geometric algorithms, appropriate indexing techniques and object approximations are crucial. The problem is that the relationships between object approximations are usually a superset of the actual relationships between their corresponding objects, resulting in a number of false hits. A challenge, hence, is to reduce the number of false hits in order to decrease the number of times we invoke the complex geometric algorithms on the actual representations of the objects. In this paper, we describe the support of topological and direction queries using spatial data structures based on the minimum bounding circle (MBC) approximation. By identifying special cases in MBC relations, we propose extra filtering steps to reduce the number of false hits.
The primate amygdala represents the positive and negative value of visual stimuli during learning

Visual stimuli can acquire positive or negative value through their association with rewards and punishments, a process called reinforcement learning. Although we now know a great deal about how the brain analyses visual information, we know little about how visual representations become linked with values. To study this process, we turned to the amygdala, a brain structure implicated in reinforcement learning. We recorded the activity of individual amygdala neurons in monkeys while abstract images acquired either positive or negative value through conditioning. After monkeys had learned the initial associations, we reversed image value assignments. We examined neural responses in relation to these reversals in order to estimate the relative contribution to neural activity of the sensory properties of images and their conditioned values. Here we show that changes in the values of images modulate neural activity, and that this modulation occurs rapidly enough to account for, and correlates with, monkeys' learning. Furthermore, distinct populations of neurons encode the positive and negative values of visual stimuli. Behavioural and physiological responses to visual stimuli may therefore be based in part on the plastic representation of value provided by the amygdala.
A technique for high-speed, fine-resolution pattern generation and its CMOS implementation

This paper presents an architecture for generating a high-speed data pattern with precise edge placement (resolution) by using the matched delay technique. The technique involves passing clock and data signals through arrays of matched delay elements in such a way that the data rate and resolution of the generated data stream are controlled by the difference of these matched delays. This difference can be made much smaller than an absolute gate delay. Since the resolution of conventional designs is determined by these absolute delays, the matched delay technique yields a much finer resolution than traditional methods and, in addition, generates high data rate patterns without the need of a high-speed clock. The matched delay technique lends itself to high-precision and high-speed applications such as fast network interfaces or test pattern generators. This paper also describes a matched delay data generator submitted for fabrication in a MOSIS 1.2 /spl mu/m CMOS technology. This implementation used biased delay elements to internally compensate for temperature and process variations. Simulations indicate the implementation described in this paper can generate data signals with on-chip bit rates of 833 Mb/s and resolutions of 100 ps.
Factors associated with early opioid prescription among workers with low back injuries.

Abstract Prescription of opioids for nonmalignant musculoskeletal pain has increased substantially in recent years, but there is little information on the incidence of, or factors associated with, such prescription for work-related back pain. In a prospective cohort study (N = 1067), we examined associations between worker sociodemographic and other characteristics and opioid prescription within six weeks of the first medical visit for workers’ compensation claims for work loss due to back injury. We examined administrative, pharmacy, and worker-reported data. In bivariate logistic regression models, Hispanics were less likely than non-Hispanic whites to receive opioid prescriptions, and very high body mass index, daily tobacco use, greater pain and physical disability, pain radiating below the knee, injury severity categorizations (from medical records) of major sprain and radiculopathy, and worse mental health were associated with opioid prescription. Adjusting for demographics, pain intensity, and physical disability, opiate prescription was significantly associated with daily tobacco use, pain radiating below the knee, and injury severity categories (major sprain and radiculopathy). Knowledge of worker characteristics associated with early opioid prescription may be useful in future studies of the role of early pain treatment in influencing subsequent course of pain and disability among workers with back injuries. Perspective Little is known about patient characteristics that may influence physicians’ decisions concerning prescription of opioids for acute back pain. Not surprisingly, workers with more severe back injuries are more likely to be prescribed opioids, but reasons for prescription disparities based on ethnicity and tobacco use warrant further study.
Computing Cardiac Strain from Variational Optical Flow in Four-Dimensional Echocardiography

Myocardial strain is important to assess cardiac function and diagnose cardiovascular disease. Despite the adoption of 4D (volume + time) echocardiography for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, current clinical practice often relies exclusively on 2D measurements of strain or flow information resulting from Doppler echography. However, strain is a 3D measure of deformation in the radial, circumferential and longitudinal directions and therefore full 3D strain, and in particular out-of- sagittal plane strain components, include important information for diagnostic purposes since they provide additional information on the manner in which the heart lengthens and contracts during diastole and systole. In our prior work, we have developed robust variational optical flow methods to estimate dense myocardial motion. In this study, we extend this methodology to track ventricular outlines, which are subsequently used to compute displacement and deformation fields. This in turn is used to compute volumetric estimates of strain. We test our methods on a dataset of 4D ultrasound acquired in vivo from seven patients, and find good agreement with physiological precepts.
Infection of Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) with Borrelia burgdorferi Using a New Artificial Feeding Technique

To study interactions between Ixodes scapularis (Say) and Borrelia burgdorferi, an artificial feeding system was refined to allow controlled manipulation of single variables. The feeding system uses a mouse skin mounted on a water-jacketed glass membrane feeder. I. scapularis were infected using either BSK-H-cultured B. burgdorferi spirochetes or a B. burgdorferi-infected mouse skin as the source of spirochetes. Sixty-six percent of nymphs successfully fed to repletion using the artificial feeding systems with at least 75% of nymphs becoming infected with B. burgdorferi. Strain B31 B. burgdorferi spirochetes from passages 2-17 were equally infectious to nymphal ticks. At concentrations of one spirochete per microliter, 12% of nymphs acquired infection and 14 and 100 spirochetes per microliter resulted in 50 and 100% infection rates, respectively. Eighty-nine percent of nymphs fed by artificial feeding molted to the adult stage. When subsequently fed as adults, these I. scapularis successfully transmitted infectious B. burgdorferi spirochetes to mice.
Interannual Cloudiness Changes

Abstract Based on monthly mean satellite cloudiness data over the tropical belt between 25°S and 25°N from February 1965 to July 1973, covering 102 months, the intensity of interannual changes in perturbation cloudiness, as measured from the standard deviation, was found to be a maximum over the equatorial western Pacific. The equatorial region between 15°S and 15°N is characterized by large interannual changes in cloudiness perturbations with wavenumbers 1 and 2, which occur without apparent connection with the changes in zonal mean cloudiness. Of particular interest is the tendency for the zonal mean cloudiness to increase or decrease almost simultaneously at all latitudes between 25°5 and 25°N. Cloudiness anomalies over the western North Pacific are negatively correlated with the anomaly cloudiness over the eastern North Pacific. Similar inverse relationship is found between cloudiness anomalies over the western and eastern South Pacific. It appears that interannual cloudiness changes are coherent over...
EOT Scaling of ${\rm TiO}_{2}/{\rm Al}_{2}{\rm O}_{3}$ on Germanium pMOSFETs and Impact of Gate Metal Selection

TiO2/Al2O3/Ge gate stacks have promising characteristics for future germanium-channel high-performance MOSFETs. In this letter, TiO2/Al2O3 bilayer high-k dielectrics with EOT 0.65 nm are demonstrated and used in Ge pMOSFETs for the first time, giving low subthreshold swing (71 mV/dec) and large on-state current (28 A/um). In addition, detailed investigations of these devices with two different gate metals - Al/W and Al/Pt - are performed for stable metal/TiO2 interfaces and EOT scaling.
Abstract LB-006: Receptor tyrosine kinase EphA5 is a functional molecular target in human lung cancer

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA The concept of targeted cancer therapy is predicated on the assumption that tumors have unique and sustained genetic abnormalities, and that direct targeting of such distinctive biological features can only be accomplished through the identification and validation of certain specific molecular markers. These principles are particularly relevant to lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. For patients with early-stage disease, surgical resection or primary radiotherapy are generally the standard treatments, whereas combined-modality therapy (radiation plus chemotherapy, with or without surgery) is preferred for locally advanced disease. However, most patients with lung cancer develop metastatic tumors and resistance to therapy, and ultimately die of their disease. Here, we identify EphA5 as a molecular target of lung cancer, and as a novel regulator of IR-induced cell cycle checkpoint and DNA damage repair, with unexpected roles in the resistance of lung cancer to radiotherapy. In the absence of EphA5, lung cancer cells displayed a defective G1/S cell cycle checkpoint, were unable to resolve DNA damage, and became radiosensitive. Upon irradiation, EphA5 was transported into the nucleus where it interacted with activated ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM) at sites of DNA repair. In addition, we produced a new monoclonal antibody against EphA5 that sensitizes lung cancer cells to IR in vitro and improves the overall survival of mice bearing human lung cancer xenografts in combination with radiation therapy. These findings present a readily available and potentially effective strategy for the detection and treatment of lung cancer. Citation Format: Fernanda Staquicini, Andrey Dobroff, Fortunato Ferrara, Sara D'Angelo, Andrew RM Bradbury, Wadih Arap, Renata Pasqualini. Receptor tyrosine kinase EphA5 is a functional molecular target in human lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-006. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-LB-006
SNOW-AVALANCHE HAZARDS IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, MONTANA: METEOROLOGIC AND CLIMATOLOGIC ASPECTS

Hazardous snow avalanches in Glacier National Park, Montana, are associated with a variety of meteorologic conditions: heavy snow; heavy snows followed by a rise in air temperature to above freezing; a rise in air temperature to above freezing, without precipitation; and rain in association with above-freezing air temperatures. Years of major, widespread avalanching may be recognized by examination of historical information and tree-ring data. Avalanche types include slab avalanches, wet snow avalanches, and dry loose snow avalanches. February is the peak avalanche month. Intraannual seasonalities of avalanche trigger mechanisms and type of avalanche are related. The presence of sun crusts in some cases provides unstable stratigraphic planes in the snowpack over which freshly deposited snow may glide. Destructive windblasts also occur in association with some avalanches. Insufficient data from east of the Continental Divide precluded a comparison of avalanche type and trigger mechanisms from the western a...