cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-E-T-93: High Dynamic Range Scanning for Optical-CT in 3D Dosimetry

Purpose: The recent emergence of powerful, fast and high‐resolution 3D dosimetry techniques brings exciting potential to radically strengthen the foundations of quality‐assurance in radiation therapy, and hence treatment efficacy. This work presents a new acquisition method for 3D dosimetry by optical‐computed‐tomography (optical‐CT), which can improve accuracy when imaging strongly attenuatingdosimeters (e.g. large or heavily dosed).Methods: The method involves acquiring optical‐CT projection images where the intensity of the light source is increased as much as possible without causing detectorsaturation within the dosimeter. This improves signal‐to‐noise in dark regions of the dosimeter, but flood‐field and regions outside the dosimeter are unuseable due to saturation. The problem of acquiring a useable flood is solved by acquisition at a reduced shutter opening time. The non‐saturated flood is then scaled up for use with projections, by the ratio of shutter times. The method relies on linearity of signal with shutter time, which is investigated here. The method is evaluated by application to a range of dosimeters with varying degrees of strong attenuation. Results: The relationship between signal and shutter time in the flood was found to be highly linear, a key enabling result for this method. When applied to moderately attenuatingdosimeters, the new method agrees with the standard method to a high degree (<1% deviation on average). For very dark dosimeters, the new method was found to have greatly improved signal‐to‐noise (a factor of 2‐3 times better) in the darkest regions and eliminated streak artifacts present in reconstructions using the standard acquisition method. Conclusions: A new optical‐CT acquisition method is presented which yields improved signal‐to‐noise for dosimetry measurements in strongly attenuatingdosimeters. A further important advantage is the method does not require any tinting of the refractively‐matched fluid in the optical‐CT water‐bath, which greatly increases convenience and practicability. Grant ‐ R01CA100835
Historicising English pedagogy: The extension and transformation of 'the cure of souls'

This paper historicises familiar assertions that English is qualitatively different from other school subjects to highlight historical commitments and sociopolitical effects of English teaching that are often obscured in contemporary pedagogical writing. It juxtaposes three different pedagogical literatures across the nineteenth, twentieth and early twenty‐first centuries to illustrate how English teaching has been – and largely remains – linked in important ways with pastoral Christianity, the social sciences, and a range of governmental objectives of ‘modern’, welfare states. The paper denaturalises contemporary pedagogical distinctions and practices by highlighting how they largely reiterate pastoral logics and disciplines of nineteenth‐century Sunday school pedagogy. In addition, it examines historical continuities and discontinuities that sensitise us to the (un)changing ways in which English pedagogy has been implicated in practices of social regulation, productive power, and larger struggles over t...
Sequence analysis of the leftward end of simian varicella virus (EcoRI-I fragment) reveals the presence of an 8-bp repeat flanking the unique long segment and an 881-bp open-reading frame that is absent in the varicella zoster virus genome.

Simian varicella virus (SVV) causes varicella (chickenpox) in nonhuman primates, becomes latent in cranial and dorsal root ganglia, and reactivates to produce zoster (shingles). Because the clinical and molecular features of SVV closely resemble those of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection of humans, SVV infection of primates has served as an experimental model of VZV pathogenesis and latency. The SVV genome has been completely mapped, but attempts to clone the 3600-bp EcoRI fragment located at the leftward end of the virus genome have hitherto been unsuccessful. Herein, we report the cloning and the complete nucleotide sequence of this region. Comparison of the SVV and VZV sequences in this region revealed an 8-bp inverted repeat sequence flanking the unique long segment of the SVV genome; an 879-bp open-reading frame (ORF) A in SVV that is absent in VZV but has 42% amino acid identity to SVV ORF 4 and 49% to VZV ORF 4; a 342-bp ORF B in SVV with 35% amino acid identity to a 387-bp ORF located to the left of ORF 1 on the VZV genome; and a 303-bp ORF in SVV with 27% amino acid identity to VZV ORF 1. No homologue of VZV ORF 2 was detected. Transcripts specific for ORFs A and B were present in SVV-infected cells in culture and in acutely infected monkey ganglia. Overall, there are more than 2000 bp of DNA in the SVV genome that are absent in the VZV genome.
Halogenation of trifluoromethoxy and bis(trifluoromethoxy)benzene

Abstract Controlled chlorination of trifluoromethoxybenzene produced the mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrachloro derivatives. Two isomers were detected at each level of substitution. Exhaustive chlorination and bromination of 1,3- and 1,4-bis(trifluoromethoxy)-benzene yielded isomeric mixtures of only the disubstituted bis(trifluoromethoxy)benzenes. No hydrolysis of the -OCF3 group was detected in any halogenations. The configuration of all the products was determined by 1H and 19F nmr. A through-space hydrogen-fluorine coupling of 0.7 – 1.3Hz between the -OCF3 substituent and the ortho proton was observed in all the halogenated products. The polychlorinated derivatives all exhibited good thermal stability at 200°–250°.
Intracellular Calcium Binding and Release in Frog Heart

The capacities and affinities of intracellular calcium-binding sites have been studied in frog ventricles, in which the concentration of Ca++ in the sarcoplasm can be controlled as a result of treatment with EDTA. The total calcium content of calcium-depleted and nondepleted muscles at rest and muscles generating considerable tension was 0.8, 1.4, and 5.4 µmol/g of muscle, respectively. Net movement of calcium into or out of the cells occurred without change in tension when the sarcoplasmic concentration of Ca++ was either of two values, less than 10-7 M or approximately 5 x 10-7 M. These data can be explained by the presence of two groups of intracellular calcium sinks which compete with the contractile proteins, one with a capacity of about 0.6 µmol/g and an affinity constant greater than 107 M-1 and a second with a capacity of 4.0 µmol/g and an affinity constant of about 2 x 106 M-1. The higher affinity calcium is released by anoxia, oligomycin, or abrupt changes in sarcoplasmic Ca++. Muscles soaked in Sr-Ringer's contain electron densities in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and to a lesser extent in the mitochondria.
Spatial profiling of protein hydrophobicity: Native vs. Decoy structures

A recent study of 30 soluble globu- lar protein structures revealed a quasi-invariant called the hydrophobic ratio. This invariant, which is the ratio of the distance at which the second order hydrophobic moment vanished to the distance at which the zero order moment vanished, was found to be 0.75 0.05 for 30 protein structures. This report first describes the results of the hydrophobic profiling of 5,387 non-redundant globular protein domains of the Protein Data Bank, which yields a hydrophobic ratio of 0.71 0.08. Then, a new hydro- phobic score is defined based on the hydrophobic profiling to discriminate native-like proteins from decoy structures. This is tested on three widely used decoy sets, namely the Holm and Sander decoys, Park and Levitt decoys, and Baker decoys. Since the hydrophobic moment profiling characterizes a global feature and requires reasonably good statistics, this imposes a constraint upon the size of the protein structures in order to yield relatively smooth mo- ment profiles. We show that even subject to the limitations of protein size (both Park & Levitt and Baker sets are small protein decoys), the hydropho- bic moment profiling and hydrophobic score can provide useful information that should be comple- mentary to the information provided by force field calculations. Proteins 2003;52:561-572.
ANTECEDENTS OF CEREBRAL PALSY IN VERY LOW–BIRTH WEIGHT INFANTS

Research from the last two decades provides directions for efforts to prevent CP in VLBW infants. The pathogenesis of CP seems to involve factors operating both during pregnancy and in the neonatal period. The most important prenatal factor appears to be intrauterine infection. Perinatal infection and other risk factors, such as the death of a co-twin, placental abruption, and cerebral ischemia, could trigger a cytokine cascade resulting in damage to the developing brain. The low frequency of intrauterine infection in mothers with preeclampsia might explain the apparent protective effect of this disorder. If the brain damage attributed to intrauterine infection and other risk factors involves cytokines as intermediates, then blockade of the proinflammatory cascade or promotion of endogenous inhibitors might prevent CP. Other potentially preventive strategies include corticosteroids given to mothers (but not those given to neonates) and thyroid hormone.
4-Phospho-hydroxy-l-threonine is an obligatory intermediate in pyridoxal 5′-phosphate coenzyme biosynthesis in Escherichia coli K-12

Abstract We show that thrB -encoded homoserine kinase is required for growth of Escherichia coli K-12 pdxB mutants on minimal glucose medium supplemented with 4-hydroxy- l -threonine (synonym, 3-hydroxyhomoserine) or d -glycolaldehyde. This result is consistent with a model in which 4-phospho-hydroxy- l -threonine (synonym, 3-hydroxyhomoserine phosphate), rather than 4-hydroxy- l -threonine, is an obligatory intermediate in pyridoxal 5′-phosphate biosynthesis. Ring closure using 4-phospho-hydroxy- l -threonine as a substrate would lead to the formation of pyridoxine 5′-phosphate, and not pyridioxine, as the first B 6 -vitamer synthesized de novo. These considerations suggest that E. coli pyridoxal/pyridoxamine/pyridoxine kinase is not required for the main de novo pathway of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate biosynthesis, and instead plays a role only in the B 6 -vitamer salvage pathway.
Clustering with mixtures of log-concave distributions

The EM algorithm is a popular tool for clustering observations via a parametric mixture model. Two disadvantages of this approach are that its success depends on the appropriateness of the assumed parametric model, and that each model requires a different implementation of the EM algorithm based on model-specific theoretical derivations. We show how this algorithm can be extended to work with the flexible, nonparametric class of log-concave component distributions. The advantages of the resulting algorithm are: first, it is not restricted to parametric models, so it no longer requires to specify such a model and its results are no longer sensitive to a misspecification thereof. Second, only one implementation of the algorithm is necessary. Furthermore, simulation studies based on the normal mixture model show that there seems to be no noticeable performance penalty of this more general nonparametric algorithm vis-a-vis the parametric EM algorithm in the special case where the assumed parametric model is indeed correct.
Wavelet analysis of evoked potentials after TMS in auditory cortex

Based on wavelet techniques, the time-scale representations of evoked complex spike potentials (CSP) induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in rodent auditory cortex were studied. The wavelet transform expanded CSP into a time-scale representation, which allowed the analyst to zoom in on the small scale, fine structure details of CSP or zoom out to examine the large scale, global wave shape. That provided the information about both the time and frequency characteristics of CSP. Wavelet analyses of CSP would potentially suggest the physiological processes undergoing in the brain.
Manufacturing the ERMA banking system: lessons from history

For part 1, see ibid., vol.15, no.1, pp.44-57 (1993). In the early 1950s, Bank of America and Stanford Research Institute collaborated to produce ERMA (electronic recording machine-accounting). After a successful demonstration in 1955, the Bank of America was besieged by companies interested in manufacturing the computer system. Following an extensive selection process, the bank gambled on General Electric. Together the bank and GE worked to produce 32 ERMA systems in a remarkably short time. The leading-edge system was transistorized and incorporated the newly accepted MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) method for reading checks. The system's impact was felt by the entire banking industry. It is suggested that the ERMA effort clearly demonstrates that a knowledgeable user working with competent technologists can design and implement a system that meets critical needs with state-of-the-art technology. >
Strength of preference for vaginal birth as a predictor of delivery mode among women who attempt a vaginal delivery.

Objective We sought to assess the relationship between strength of preference for vaginal birth and likelihood of vaginal delivery among women attempting this delivery mode. Study Design We conducted a longitudinal study of mode of delivery preferences among women who were Results Of 210 participants, 156 attempted a vaginal delivery. Their mean and median vaginal delivery preference scores were 0.70 (SD 0.31) and 0.75 (interquartile range, 0.50–0.99), respectively. In multivariate analyses, women with a prior cesarean delivery (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02–0.39) or who delivered an infant ≥4000 g (aOR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.01–0.28) had significantly lower odds of having a vaginal delivery. After controlling for potential confounders, participants with a stronger preference for vaginal delivery were at significantly higher odds of having a vaginal delivery (aOR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.01–2.34 for every 0.2 increase on the 0-to-1 scale). Conclusion Among women who attempt a vaginal delivery, the strength of preference for vaginal birth is predictive of the delivery mode ultimately undergone.
Selection of Antigen-specific T Cells by a Single IEk Peptide Combination

In normal mice, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins are bound to many different peptides, derived from the proteins of their host. In the thymus, the diversity of this collection of MHC + peptide ligands allows thymocytes bearing many different T cell receptors (TCRs) to mature by low avidity reactions between the MHC + peptide ligands and the thymocyte TCRs. To investigate this problem, the selection of T cells specific for a well-studied combination of MHC + peptide, IEk + moth cytochrome c 88–103 (MCC), was investigated. Mice were created that expressed IEk bound to a single peptide, either a variant of MCC in which a critical TCR contact residue, 99K, was changed to A, or a variant of a mouse hemoglobin 64–76 (Hb) peptide, 72A. IEk bound to the MCC variant caused the clonal deletion of some T cells specific for the IEk + MCC ligand; nevertheless, it also positively selected many T cells that could react with this ligand. Some of the TCRs on the selected T cells were related to those on cells from normal mice and some were not. IEk bound to the Hb variant, on the other hand, did not select any T cells which could react with IEk + MCC. These results demonstrate that although positive selection is a partially degenerate event, the sequence of the peptide involved in positive selection controls the selected repertoire.
Why Don't ‘the Poor’ Make Common Cause? The Importance of Subgroups

Abstract Analyses that regard ‘the poor’ as a sociological category need to take account of recent studies quantifying the extent of flux within these ranks. Frequent movements into and out of poverty regularly refresh the pool of the poor. Large numbers of poor people were not born poor: they have descended into poverty, some quite recently. Concurrently, many formerly poor people have escaped from poverty. Distinct subgroups are defined by these divergent trajectories. Members of different subgroups have diverse economic needs, political interests and mobilisation potential, making cohesive action as a political force unlikely (and certainly uncertain) among all of ‘the poor’. Policies to assist poor people will be more effective, and political analysis will yield more fruitful results, if instead of working with any generic category of ‘the poor’ heed is taken of subgroup-specific experiences and demands.
The Librarian–Scholar in “General Reference Wonderland”: A Concurrent Career Academic Librarian's Journey to Keeping Her Scholarly Identity

A reference librarian in an academic library describes her experiences as a concurrent career librarian, as well as a scholar, and the impact that having a concurrent career and working as a scholar has had on her career as a librarian.
The PIN domain of EXO1 recognizes poly(ADP-ribose) in DNA damage response

Following DNA double-strand breaks, poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) is quickly and heavily synthesized to mediate fast and early recruitment of a number of DNA damage response factors to the sites of DNA lesions and facilitates DNA damage repair. Here, we found that EXO1, an exonuclease for DNA damage repair, is quickly recruited to the sites of DNA damage via PAR-binding. With further dissection of the functional domains of EXO1, we report that the PIN domain of EXO1 recognizes PAR both in vitro and in vivo and the interaction between the PIN domain and PAR is sufficient for the recruitment. We also found that the R93G variant of EXO1, generated by a single nucleotide polymorphism, abolishes the interaction and the early recruitment. Moreover, our study suggests that the PAR-mediated fast recruitment of EXO1 facilities early DNA end resection, the first step of homologous recombination repair. We observed that other PIN domains could also recognize DNA damage-induced PAR. Taken together, our study demonstrates a novel class of PAR-binding module that plays an important role in DNA damage response.
Variants in an Hdac9 intronic enhancer plasmid impact Twist1 expression in vitro

Skin tumor susceptibility 5 (Skts5) was previously mapped to mouse chromosome 12 through linkage analysis of skin tumor susceptible Mus musculus (NIH/Ola-S) and skin tumor resistant outbred Mus spretus (SPRET/Out-R) mice. Hdac9 was identified as a potential candidate for Skts5 based on conserved non-synonymous sequence variants and expression analyses. Studies by others identified an enhancer in human HDAC9 that correlated with TWIST1 expression. We identified 45 sequence variants between NIH/Ola-S and SPRET/Out-R mice from the orthologous region of the human HDAC9 enhancer. Variants mapping to intron 18 differentially affected luciferase expression in vitro. NIH/Ola-S clones showed an approximate 1.7-fold increased luciferase expression relative to vector alone or the equivalent clones from SPRET/Out-R-R. Furthermore, cells transfected with a portion of the NIH/Ola-S intron induced 2.2-fold increases in Twist1 expression, but the same region from SPRET/Out-R mice resulted in no up-regulation of Twist1. In silico transcription factor analyses identified multiple transcription factors predicted to differentially bind NIH/Ola-S and SPRET/Out-R polymorphic sites. Chromatin immunoprecipitation studies of two transcription factors, Gata3 and Oct1, demonstrated differential binding between NIH/Ola-S and SPRET/Out-R plasmids that corroborated the in silico predictions. Together these studies provide evidence that the murine orthologous region to a human HDAC9 enhancer also acts as a transcriptional enhancer for mouse Twist1. As ectopic sequence variants between NIH/Ola-S and SPRET/Out-R differentially impacted luciferase expression, correlated with Twist1 expression in vitro, and affected Gata3 and Oct1 binding, these variants may explain part of the observed differences in skin tumor susceptibility at Skts5 between NIH/Ola-S and SPRET/Out-R.
Real-time Non-invasive Heat Strain Prediction Model

Core temperature (Tc) is an excellent indicator of heat strain status. A computer model, Initial Capability Decision Aid (ICDA), was developed from existing models and algorithms to predict Tc and other physiological parameters in real-time from noninvasively measured inputs of heart rate (HR) and environment parameters together with the person’s clothing and anthropometrics. The model was validated with laboratory studies. Tc prediction errors were small (0.11~0.31oC). Predictions of sweat rate and physiological strain index also agreed well (p>0.05) with measured values.
Melt-cast microfibers of Cu-based shape memory alloy adopt a favorable texture for superelasticity

Abstract Continuous production of shape memory alloy (SMA) fibers and microfibers is a non-trivial task due to the challenges associated with their undeformed memory and, for many copper-based SMAs, brittleness in non-engineered forms. Here we demonstrate the direct continuous casting of super-meter-scale Cu-based SMA microfibers into a desirable oligocrystalline microstructure that is not brittle. The melt-casting process used here develops a favorable texture as well, leading to large superelastic strains (above 8%), beyond what is typical for non-single-crystal SMAs.
Simplified biased random walk model for RecA-protein-mediated homology recognition offers rapid and accurate self-assembly of long linear arrays of binding sites

Inspired by RecA-protein-based homology recognition, we consider the pairing of two long linear arrays of binding sites. We propose a fully reversible, physically realizable biased random walk model for rapid and accurate self-assembly due to the spontaneous pairing of matching binding sites, where the statistics of the searched sample are included. In the model, there are two bound conformations, and the free energy for each conformation is a weakly nonlinear function of the number of contiguous matched bound sites.
Identifying strategies to improve patient outcomes in total hip replacement

Total hip replacement has been shown to be a highly effective procedure for reducing pain and improving function among patients with disabling arthritis of the hip. However, the success of the procedure varies on the basis of a number of factors related to the patient (e.g., age, activity level, and comorbid conditions), the surgeon (e.g., specialty training, surgical technique, and volume of procedures performed), the hospital (e.g., implementation of standardized clinical care pathways, availability of dedicated staff, and volume of procedures performed), and the implant used (e.g., long-term survivorship). In this article, Katz et al. use administrative data to identify factors that are associated with an increased risk of revision during the first twelve years following primary total hip replacement in Medicare patients. Their analysis is elegant, placing the risk of revision total hip replacement in the context of mortality for the Medicare population. This study has several important implications, particularly regarding the relative importance of interventions that reduce the long-term risk of revision total hip replacement (e.g., enhancements in implant longevity) versus those that result in a reduction in the short-term risk of revision total hip replacement (e.g., implementation of standardized clinical care pathways). Historically, much emphasis has been placed on strategies to improve the long-term survivorship of total hip replacement implants, including evolution in bearings and implant fixation. Katz et al., however, argue that, for the …
Effects of Negative Pressure on Heliothis zea When Used as an Aid in Collecting Pupae

Corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), pupae exposed to negative pressures of 308 and 445 mm Hg were separated from the frass and spent diet with no measurable effect. The older the pupae, the more that floated in water at room pressure. Negative pressure <445 mm Hg produced no visible or detectable deformity in adults emerging from pupae exposed when more than 5 days old. Pupal mortality began at negative pressures of 508 mm Hg and increased with additional negative pressure. Dead and deformed pupae floated without negative pressure. The system described has merit for separating and collecting mass-reared H. zea pupae from spent diet.
Abstract P4-04-05: Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Increase Markers of the Dedifferentiated Cancer Stem Cell Phenotype in Human Breast Cancer Cells

It has been suggested that differentiated cancer cells can de -differentiate into the cancer stem cell phenotype (Meyers et al., 2009; Gupta et al., 2009) and that Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors enable efficient induction of pluripotent stem cells from adult fibroblasts (Huangfu et al., 2009). Moreover, we have recently demonstrated that the HDAC inhibitor valproic acid radiosensitized breast cancer cells grown on plastic with serum while it radioprotected breast cancer cells grown in stem cell promoting culture conditions (Debeb et al., 2010). Based on these data, we hypothesized that HDAC inhibitors increase the cancer stem cell population via dedifferentiation of differentiated cancer cells. To examine our hypothesis, Sum159 breast cancer cells were FACS-sorted based on ALDH activity and subsequently treated with one of two HDAC inhibitors, valproic acid or SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid). After sorting, ALDH-negative cells were treated either with valproic acid, SAHA, or vehicle. After a week, the percentage of ALDH-positive cells (passage 0, P0) was examined with flow cytometry while the remaining cells were passaged and incubated with and without valproic acid or SAHA for a week and the percentage of ALDH-positive cells again evaluated (P1). This was repeated for the third time (P2). Samples from each generation were also collected to examine the protein expression. On average, a 3-fold increase in ALDH positive cells was seen in valproic acid-treated cells (35.6% vs.12.6%) and a 1.5-fold increase in SAHA-treated cells (41% vs. 28%) compared to vehicle-treated controls. This effect was maintained through multiple passages. Moreover, the expression of Beta-catenin and EMT associated genes like vimentin, fibronectin, n-cadherin, which have been implicated in generating cancer stem cells was significantly increased withtreatment in initial and passaged cells. Further functional endpoint studies are needed to validate these in vitro marker-based findings. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-05.
The Science of Marx's Critique of Political Economy Starting Point:"Philosophy of Poverty"

1847 "philosophy of poverty",is Paulding Marx condemn the poor philosophy "and written a controversy of works.This paper based on the established Marx's historical materialism,on the analysis of Marx's philosophy of poverty",in the process,unscramble a Marx mainly for Paulding reverse the understanding of the economic category and social existing relationship,metaphysics to understand the essence of dialectics,idealism to understand social development power three critical.Marx Paulding from the three aspects of the critical process,and can see the philosophy of poverty,is a Marxist philosophy theory and political and economic boundary theory.This is not only for their boundary Marx just establishment of the new historical materialism validation use and enrich and develop,and the more fundamental Marx in just establishment of the new historical materialism started under the guidance of critique of political economy critique of course,therefore,the philosophy of poverty,also is the science of Marx's critique of political economy starting point.
Ditching the ‘Disposal Plan’: Revisiting Miranda in an Age of Terror

In addition to raising doubts about the fairness and legitimacy of the U.S. detainee policies, torturing suspected terrorists poses the more immediate problem of, as former CIA chief of European operations Tyler Drumheller phrased it: “[w]hat are you going to do with these people?” If a detainee is prosecuted, the accused will argue that his confession and any corroborating evidence elicited through torture should be excluded. Consequently, CIA interrogators have little incentive to keep terror suspects alive after their intelligence value has been exhausted. Moreover, a living victim of CIA interrogation methods is a prospective witness in the potential criminal prosecution of the CIA agent who performed the interrogation. The fear of prosecution for violating federal torture statutes is so real for CIA interrogators that many of them have purchased professional liability insurance to offset the costs of any legal fees associated with their criminal defense. For any agent, a tempting solution is “the disposal plan,” a euphemism for the extrajudicial killing of terror suspects.
Acetazolamide Intervention for Technetium-99m HMPAO SPECT Brain Imaging

This is the third article in a series of four on interventional nuclear medicine. Upon completion, the technologist will be able to (1) discuss the purpose of using acetazolamide with technetium-99m HMPAO brain imaging, (2) describe the imaging parameters, and (3) list the interpretation criteria.
Age-related differences in anxiety-like behavior and amygdalar CCL2 responsiveness to stress following alcohol withdrawal in male Wistar rats

Behavioral and neuroimmune vulnerability to withdrawal from chronic alcohol varies with age. The relation of anxiety-like behavior to amygdalar CCL2 responses following stress after withdrawal from chronic intermittent alcohol (CIA) was investigated in adolescent and adult rats. Adolescent and adult Wistar rats were exposed to CIA (three 5-day blocks of dietary alcohol separated by 2 days of withdrawal) at concentrations that created similar blood alcohol levels across age. Twenty-four hours into the final withdrawal, half of the rats were exposed to 1 h of restraint stress. Four hours post-stress, rats were used for behavior or tissue assays. Anxiety-like behavior was increased versus controls by CIA in adolescents and by CIA + stress in adults. CCL2 mRNA was increased versus controls by CIA in adolescents and by CIA and CIA + stress in adults. CCL2 co-localization with neuronal marker NeuN was decreased versus controls by CIA in adolescents and by CIA + stress in adults. CCL2 co-localization with astrocytic marker GFAP was decreased versus controls by CIA and CIA + stress in adolescents, but experimental groups did not differ from controls in adults. CCL2 co-localization with microglial marker Iba1 was decreased versus controls by stress alone in adolescents and by CIA + stress in adults. Changes in CCL2 protein might control behavior at either age but are particularly associated with CIA alone in adolescents and with CIA + stress in adults. That the number of CeA neurons expressing CCL2 was altered after CIA and stress is consistent with CCL2 involvement in neural function.
Health information and consumer learning in the bottled water market

Abstract This paper examines the impact of health information in different media outlets on bottled water consumption through consumer learning. We develop a random coefficient discrete choice model with Bayesian learning process to capture consumers’ learning of health information and changes in their beverage choices over time. Consumers are assumed to have initial prior beliefs about the health effect of different beverages and to update their beliefs using health information received from different media types. Empirical results show that consumers’ perceived quality of bottled water kept increasing during our sample period, and this learning process accounted for 24.44% of the industry’s revenue, which is about 4.8 billion dollars per year. Comparing the effectiveness of different media outlets, we find that the sales impact of traditional media (TV and radio) is greater than online sources. Our findings highlight the contribution of health information to the bottled water industry and provide policy makers with a new direction to reduce high-calorie food consumption and improve public health.
Teaching racial microaggressions: implications of critical race hypos for social work praxis

This article provides a conceptual understanding of racial microaggressions from a critical race theoretical (CRT) perspective, as relevant to the field of Social Work. To do this, we utilize Criti...
"DUDE UR GUNNA BE A GREAT TEACHER YO": Cultivating Diverse Englishes through Chatroom Discussions between Preservice Teachers and Urban High School Youth.

ABSTRACTThis article examines the potential for creating an alternative learning context using digital tools in English classrooms to better support the identities and language practices of diverse learners. We explore the role language plays in the relationships between preservice teachers in central Illinois and their 10th-grade partners in Los Angeles. Through discourse analysis of online chatroom transcripts, we found that intertextuality and persona building through intentional language use were 2 tactics participants used to shape power dynamics in their relationships. This study provided preservice teachers with opportunities to build relationships with students different from themselves, gain a deeper understanding of the language practices of youth, and explore power structures in schools.
Applying ISO RM-ODP in the Specification of CORBA® Interfaces and Semantics to General Ledger Systems

This chapter describes how the ISO Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (ISO RM-ODP) was successfully used in the specification of an internationally agreed standard for software interfaces to the General Ledger component of Financial Accounting business systems. This standard, called the General Ledger Facility, is currently in the latter stages of formal adoption by the Object Management Group (OMG) and will become part of its global CORBA standard. Technology submissions to OMG typically represent only a fragment (with minimal emphasis on semantics) of the ISO RM-ODP Computational Viewpoint. In some cases, these can be incomplete and difficult to understand, particularly if the reader is not familiar with the default assumptions surrounding the subject matter. The approach described was used to enhance understandability and precision insupport of the goals of creating long-lived and widely applicable domain specifications. The OMGGeneral Ledger Facility specification incorporates all five RM-ODP viewpoints: Enterprise, Information, Computational, Engineering and Technology.
Demographic Trends in Consumer E-Health Adoption: Analysis of NCI HINTS 2003 and 2005 National Surveys

It has become common for healthcare providers to offer e-health services to patients and other consumers. Experts suggest these services are desired by users, and this has been confirmed generally through empirical research. However, most empirical studies of e-health adoption have focused on demographically homogeneous populations and have been implemented through cross-sectional designs. This study applies data from two administrations of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) conducted by the U.S. National Cancer Institute to develop an analysis of adoption trends that crosses time (2003-2005) and also addresses effects of gender, age, socio-economic status, and race/ethnicity on e-health use. The analysis is further developed to distinguish differences in adoption of informational e-health services vs. transactional e-health services. Key findings of the analysis are that e-health use is increasing but usage is much higher for informational than for transactional uses. Informational e-health use is found to be significantly associated with gender, age, and race/ethnicity demographics. Transactional e-health use is significantly associated only with race/ethnicity and gender measures.
The Biology and Therapeutic Implications of HDACs in the Heart

The heart responds to stresses such as chronic hypertension and myocardial infarction by undergoing a remodeling process that is associated with myocyte hypertrophy, myocyte death, inflammation and fibrosis, often resulting in impaired cardiac function and heart failure. Recent studies have revealed key roles for histone deacetylases (HDACs) as both positive and negative regulators of pathological cardiac remodeling, and small molecule HDAC inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in animal models of heart failure. This chapter reviews the functions of individual HDAC isoforms in the heart and highlights issues that need to be addressed to enable development of novel HDAC-directed therapies for cardiovascular indications.
Construction of the relational meaning in life questionnaire: An exploratory and confirmatory factor-analytic study of relational meaning

The present research examined the factor structure and test-retest reliability of the Relational Meaning in Life Questionnaire (RMLQ), a measure modified from the widely used Meaning in Life Questionnaire to assess for one’s sense of meaning in life that comes from their relationships with others. An exploratory factor analysis among 278 undergraduate students supported a 2-factor model (i.e., RMLQ-Presence & RMLQ-Searching) and was further confirmed with a confirmatory factor analysis among 260 undergraduate students. A prospective study design involving 103 community adults across a 5–6 week indicated that the RMLQ subscales are reliable. Additionally, results indicate that RMLQ and MLQ subscale scores are positively related, but not redundant. Results of the present study support the structure and reliability of the RMLQ.
Assessing the Accuracy of Diagnostic Tests

Gold standard tests are usually used for diagnosis of a disease, but the gold standard tests may not be always available or cannot be administrated due to many reasons such as cost, availability, ethical issues etc. In such cases, some instruments or screening tools can be used to diagnose the disease. However, before the screening tools can be applied, it is crucial to evaluate the accuracy of these screening tools compared to the gold standard tests. In this assay, we will discuss how to assess the accuracy of a diagnostic test through an example using R program.
Joint Block Low Rank and Sparse Matrix Recovery in Array Self-Calibration Off-Grid DoA Estimation.

This letter addresses the estimation of directions-of-arrival (DoA) by a sensor array using a sparse model in the presence of array calibration errors and off-grid directions. The received signal utilizes previously used models for unknown errors in calibration and structured linear representation of the off-grid effect. A convex optimization problem is formulated with an objective function to promote two-layer joint block-sparsity with its second-order cone programming (SOCP) representation. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by numerical simulations and compared with the Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB), and several previously proposed methods.
Entrepreneurs' Courage, Psychological Capital, and Life Satisfaction.

Entrepreneurship involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Positive psychological resources such as courage, as well as confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience (collectively referred to as psychological capital), can be valuable for entrepreneurs. This study examines that relationship between entrepreneurs’ courage, psychological capital, and life satisfaction. Results show that entrepreneurs’ courage is related to their life satisfaction, even after accounting for various characteristics of the entrepreneur (demographics and human capital) and the venture (venture size and survival). Moreover, psychological capital fully mediates the relationship between courage and life satisfaction. This is the first study to investigate courage empirically in the context of entrepreneurship, and one of a few studies to apply PsyCap in the entrepreneurial context. It is also the first study to jointly examine courage, PsyCap, and life satisfaction. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
The Effect of Anticoagulants, Temperature, and Time on the Human Plasma Metabolome and Lipidome from Healthy Donors as Determined by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry is commonly used to identify and quantify metabolites from biological samples to gain insight into human physiology and pathology. Metabolites and their abundance in biological samples are labile and sensitive to variations in collection conditions, handling and processing. Variations in sample handling could influence metabolite levels in ways not related to biology, ultimately leading to the misinterpretation of results. For example, anticoagulants and preservatives modulate enzyme activity and metabolite oxidization. Temperature may alter both enzymatic and non-enzymatic chemistry. The potential for variation induced by collection conditions is particularly important when samples are collected in remote locations without immediate access to specimen processing. Data are needed regarding the variation introduced by clinical sample collection processes to avoid introducing artifact biases. In this study, we used metabolomics and lipidomics approaches paired with univariate and multivariate statistical analyses to assess the effects of anticoagulant, temperature, and time on healthy human plasma samples collected to provide guidelines on sample collection, handling, and processing for vaccinology. Principal component analyses demonstrated clustering by sample collection procedure and that anticoagulant type had the greatest effect on sample metabolite variation. Lipids such as glycerophospholipids, acylcarnitines, sphingolipids, diacylglycerols, triacylglycerols, and cholesteryl esters are significantly affected by anticoagulant type as are amino acids such as aspartate, histidine, and glutamine. Most plasma metabolites and lipids were unaffected by storage time and temperature. Based on this study, we recommend samples be collected using a single anticoagulant (preferably EDTA) with sample processing at <24 h at 4 °C.
Simulation of Dimensionality Effects in Thermal Transport

The discovery of nanostructures and the development of growth and fabrication techniques of one- and two-dimensional materials provide the possibility to probe experimentally heat transport in low-dimensional systems. Nevertheless measuring the thermal conductivity of these systems is extremely challenging and subject to large uncertainties, thus hindering the chance for a direct comparison between experiments and statistical physics models. Atomistic simulations of realistic nanostructures provide the ideal bridge between abstract models and experiments. After briefly introducing the state of the art of heat transport measurement in nanostructures, and numerical techniques to simulate realistic systems at atomistic level, we review the contribution of lattice dynamics and molecular dynamics simulation to understanding nanoscale thermal transport in systems with reduced dimensionality. We focus on the effect of dimensionality in determining the phononic properties of carbon and semiconducting nanostructures, specifically considering the cases of carbon nanotubes, graphene and of silicon nanowires and ultra-thin membranes, underlying analogies and differences with abstract lattice models.
A Model Hierarchy for Psychological Science

Lee et al. (2019) provided a comprehensive list of recommendations for modelers that aims at improving the robustness of their results. Drawing from the literature on philosophy of science, the present commentary argues for a broader view of modeling that considers the different roles that they play in our scientific practices. Following Suppes (1966), I propose a model hierarchy and discuss the distinct issues that arise at each of its levels. The benefit of a hierarchy of this kind is that it can aid researchers in better understanding the different challenges that they face.
Training in Group Psychotherapy: Residency Experience, Use in Practice and Self-Perception of Competence

The authors report the responses of psychiatrists in North Carolina to mail questionnaire regarding the roles of didactic preparation, experience as a group member, and experience as a leader in group therapy training. The role of these training factors in the practice of group therapy after the residency was sought. One-quarter of the respondents had led a therapy group during their residency; of these, over 80% had less than 20 hours of didactic preparation and 20 hours membership experience. Those who went on to practice group psychotherapy were more likely to have been members of a training group and to have led a group, while there was no difference associated with hours of didactic exposure. Didactic content of the training program did not influence practitioner’s perceptions of their adequacy to lead groups or refer group patients; however. hours of experience as a group leader and membership in a training group were positively associated with practitioner’s self-perceptions. These findings affirm the need for prospective study of the impact of training on later practice behavior. The adequacy of typically brief training experiences must also be assessed.
Vitamin D, Marine n-3 Fatty Acids, and Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Current Evidence

Whether marine omega-3 fatty acid (n-3 FA) or vitamin D supplementation can prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general populations at usual risk for this outcome is unknown. A major goal of VI...
Prehistoric Warfare and Violence: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches

This volume belongs to the series Quantitative Methods in the Humanities and Social Sciences and arises from, but is not limited to, the papers presented at the session Quantitative and Qualitative...
Effect of biosolids characteristics on retention and release behavior of azithromycin and ciprofloxacin

Abstract Azithromycin (AZ) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) are commonly prescribed antibiotics frequently detected in municipal biosolids and identified by the USEPA as contaminants of emerging concern. The land application of municipal biosolids is an agronomically beneficial practice but is also a potential pathway of CIP and AZ release into the environment. Understanding retention-release behavior is crucial for assessing the environmental fate of and risks from land-applied biosolids-borne target antibiotics. Here, we used batch equilibrations to assess retention and release of environmentally relevant concentrations of CIP and AZ in ten different biosolids. The biosolids included Class A and Class B materials with a range of physiochemical characteristics (e.g. pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic matter content (OM), and iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al)) expected to influence retention and release of AZ and CIP. Retention was linear (R2 > 0.99 for AZ and >0.96 for CIP) and sorption coefficients (Kd) ranged from 52 to 370 L kg−1 for AZ and 430–2300 L kg−1 for CIP. Desorption also varied but was highly hysteretic, with hysteresis coefficients (H) ranging 0.01 to 0.15 for AZ and ≤0.01 for CIP, suggesting limited bioaccessibility. The penalized and shrinkage method least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to produce models describing AZ and CIP sorption behavior based on any given biosolids physiochemical characteristics. Multiple linear regression analysis linked AZ sorption behavior to total Fe content, likely due to a predisposition of AZ to participate in reactions with in situ Fe species. CIP sorption behavior was linked to oxalate extractable Al and total phosphorus (P) content, suggesting CIP bonding with amorphous forms of Al and a potential relationship between CIP sorption to biosolids and biosolids production processes, as manifested by correlation of CIP sorption with total P content.
“Be authentic: Be the most authentic ‘you’ you can be”: Consejos from Latina administrative leaders in public higher education

Despite the increasing entry of Latinas into higher education, this group continues to be underrepresented at the level of leadership. Previous studies have indicated Latinas that have achieved aca...