cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A STUDY OF ZINC DEFICIENCY AND COPPER EXCESS IN THE SCHIZOPHRENIAS

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses zinc deficiency and copper excess in the schizophrenias. Zinc and copper are well-known biological antagonists. Schizophrenics may have low levels of zinc, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum but may also contain high levels of copper, iron, cadmium, and mercury. Plasma zinc levels are significantly reduced in acute liver diseases, active tuberculosis, indolent ulcer, myocardial infarction, Down's syndrome, cystic fibrosis, growth retardation, pregnancy, and oral contraceptive therapies. Hypoglycemias occur frequently in psychic disorders and are misdiagnosed as schizophrenias. Human brain appears to contain more than one type of copper protein, and the one so far isolated has been designated as cerebrocuprein. Its physical properties are almost identical to the copper protein isolated from human liver and from human erythrocytes. Its physiological significance has not been assessed. Copper is an essential trace element and is necessary for supporting life, but an excess in the body can be toxic because the copper ions can inactivate enzymes by reacting with their sulfhydril groups. Porphorins act as chelating agents to increase urinary excretion of both copper and zinc.
Enforcing coherency in droop-controlled inverter networks through use of advanced voltage regulation and virtual impedance

There is an increasing need to model large networks of inverter-based distributed generation due to the limits of existing simulation tools. A deliberate enforcement of intra-feeder coherency between adjacent droop-controlled inverters is a worthwhile objective, as phase angle coherency will allow for a deliberate partitioning of fast and slow dynamics within the network. This partitioning, in turn, results in simpler and more tractable reduced-order network dynamics that are easier to model. This paper presents the adaptation of the generalized eigenvalue perturbation approach to the identification of coherent groups within grid-forming, droop-controlled inverter networks. For many networks, a rigorously-derived condition of coherency can be difficult to achieve, given the expected range of L-C-L filter and grid-tie impedances. To remedy this limitation, this paper investigates the use of multi-loop voltage regulation and virtual impedance to enforce the conditions that allow for coherency, and thereby more rigorously justify the use of simple nonlinear aggregate inverter models to accurately model large sections of the inverter network.
Application Aware Workload Allocation for Edge Computing-Based IoT

Empowered by computing resources at the network edge, data sensed from Internet of Things (IoT) devices can be processed and stored in their nearby cloudlets to reduce the traffic load in the core network, while various IoT applications can be run in cloudlets to reduce the response time between IoT users (e.g., user equipment in mobile networks) and cloudlets. Considering the spatial and temporal dynamics of each application’s workloads among cloudlets, the workload allocation among cloudlets for each IoT application affects the response time of the application’s requests. While assigning IoT users’ requests to their nearby cloudlets can minimize the network delay, the computing delay of a type of requests may be unbearable if the corresponding virtual machine of the application in a cloudlet is overloaded. To solve this problem, we design an application aware workload allocation scheme for edge computing-based IoT to minimize the response time of IoT application requests by deciding the destination cloudlets for each IoT user’s different types of requests and the amount of computing resources allocated for each application in each cloudlet. In this scheme, both the network delay and computing delay are taken into account, i.e., IoT users’ requests are more likely assigned to closer and lightly loaded cloudlets. Meanwhile, the scheme will dynamically adjust computing resources of different applications in each cloudlet based on their workloads, thus reducing the computing delay of all requests in the cloudlet. The performance of the proposed scheme has been validated by extensive simulations.
EFFECTS OF A POWER PLANT EFFLUENT ON INTERTIDAL ORGANISMS AT HUMBOLDT BAY, CALIFORNIA

The heated water discharged by coastal power plants alters local ecosystems. Effects on an intertidal biological community at Humboldt Bay have been measured. Species composition in the lower intertidal macroalgal community changes by about 6% for each centigrade, degree rise in average temperature. Similar but smaller changes occur in the lower intertidal animal community. In the high intertidal, the water temperature changes have little effect on either algae or animals.
Small-scale crack blunting at a bimaterial interface with Coulomb friction

The deformation field near the tip of a tensional crack impinging upon a normally loaded bimaterial frictional interface is studied. By allowing the two materials to slide with respect to each other along the interface the high stresses around the crack tip are relaxed. The region of slip as well as the stress distribution inside the slip zone is obtained as a function of the far field loading parameter.
Use of Twitter in classroom attendance and participation in a Microbiology & Immunology course

The use of social media in education has become increasingly prominent in recent years by educators in an attempt to improve students’ learning and to increase interaction in large classroom lectures. Among the popular social networking websites, Twitter is of particular interest due to its ease of use, micro blogging and hash tag capabilities. The objective of this study was to assess the use of Twitter in classroom attendance among professional first-year students. This study is distinguished by its focus on the pharmacy curricula, and among first year pharmacy students at CSU College of Pharmacy. All students enrolled in Microbiology and Immunology in the spring semester were included in the study. Students were permitted to use mobile devices in class and were recommended to create a Twitter account and add fellow colleagues and the course coordinator to participate in the study. Data from attendance was collected and analyzed according to the number of students that were present at the beginning of lecture, the number of students that were present until the end of lecture, the number of students that tweeted, the number of students that missed the tweet, and the number of students that tweeted their presence but were not actually in class. Since the study was voluntary, a total of 72 students signed a consent form to participate. An average of 59 students were present at the beginning and stayed until the end of lecture for the duration of the study. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was used to assess for differences in attendance at the beginning of class and at the end of class. This study demonstrates that the use of Twitter to take classroom attendance is more useful compared to traditional methods of roll call and sign-in sheets and announcements.
Developing and Applying an Undergraduate Cross-course Team Assignment

This Innovative Practice work in progress paper presents the efforts to integrate a group assignment between two construction related courses (one related to mechanical construction and the other to construction plans and measurements). With the increase in collaborative based project delivery in the US construction market and the acknowledgement that communication and collaboration are key to successful projects, the need arises for the use of student projects with an emphasis on these collaborative skills. However, experiences in cross-course assignments, or shared activities between courses are still scarce throughout the curriculum with few reported experiences in the technology and engineering technology fields. In this paper, the authors present a pilot experience in developing and piloting a cross-course collaborative, student centric project that raises awareness of the importance for teamwork during problem solving situations in the construction industry. The creation, roll-out and assessment of this assignment will be outlined in the paper, as well as potential steps and suggestions for improvements to this project or similar assignments in the future so that other instructors considering cross-course projects may take these suggestions into consideration.
ANCA vasculitis presenting with acute interstitial nephritis without glomerular involvement

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with renal involvement typically causes pauci-immune glomerulonephritis. We present a case of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) as the sole renal lesion without glomerulonephritis with myeloperoxidase (MPO) AAV. A 45-year-old female with history of Crohn’s disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with Barrett’s esophagus, pulmonary embolism, and polyarthralgias was evaluated in nephrology clinic in 2018. AIN without glomerulonephritis was first diagnosed in 2011 on renal biopsy. p-ANCA was positive with MPO titer of > 100 U/mL. Serum creatinine improved from 2.1 to 0.9 mg/dL with prednisone and azathioprine. Repeat biopsy in 2013 for worsening renal function showed AIN without glomerular involvement. Serum creatinine improved from 1.9 to 1.2 mg/dL with prednisone and cyclosporine. Crohn’s disease was diagnosed in 2014. AIN was attributed to Crohn’s, and cyclosporine was stopped in 2016. Adalimumab was started in 2016, without improvement in renal function or urine sediment. Attempt was made to switch proton pump inhibitor (PPI) to H2-blocker, but the latter was not tolerated. Repeat biopsy in 2/2018 showed AIN with severe fibrosis and tubular atrophy and glomerulosclerosis but no active glomerular disease. MPO titers remained high at 132 U/mL. Mycophenolic acid and prednisone were started without response, followed by rituximab for AAV-associated AIN. Serum creatinine worsened to 6.0 mg/dL in 9/2018, with plan to start peritoneal dialysis. AAV may present with isolated AIN without glomerular involvement. The rarity of this presentation may contribute to delay in appropriate management. Alternative explanations for AIN, such as Crohn’s disease or PPI use should be considered with caution in the setting of high-titer ANCA positivity.
Parental perceptions about the use of Metered dose inhaler vs Nebulizer in children with acute asthma exacerbation

Purpose:Metered-dose inhalers (MDI) with a spacer are as good as, or better than, nebulizers for the management of children with asthma exacerbation. Numerous randomized controlled trials that compared outcomes such as hospital admission rates, asthma severity scores, and pulmonary function scores has shown this. Despite these many parents of asthmatic patients still prefer to use nebulizers. The fact is that the MDI is portable, easier to use, have fewer side effects, …
Excess brain age in the sleep electroencephalogram predicts reduced life expectancy.

Abstract The brain age index (BAI) measures the difference between an individual's apparent “brain age” (BA; estimated by comparing EEG features during sleep from an individual with age norms), and their chronological age (CA); that is BAI = BA–CA. Here, we evaluate whether BAI predicts life expectancy. Brain age was quantified using a previously published machine learning algorithm for a cohort of participants ≥40 years old who underwent an overnight sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) as part of the Sleep Heart Health Study (n = 4877). Excess brain age (BAI >0) was associated with reduced life expectancy (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.12, [1.03, 1.21], p = 0.002). Life expectancy decreased by −0.81 [−1.44, −0.24] years per standard-deviation increase in BAI. Our findings show that BAI, a sleep EEG-based biomarker of the deviation of sleep microstructure from patterns normal for age, is an independent predictor of life expectancy.
Evaluation of Colposcopy and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) in A Rural Mobile Cervical Cancer Screening Unit in West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT Background In recent years there are many attempts to see accuracy of colposcopy in poor resource setting where ‘see and treat’ approach is used. Sensitivity and specificity for colposcopy in India is not determined accurately so far because of poormethodology of experiments. Objectives Hence, in a cervical cancer screening and management project for rural poor women in West Bengal province of India we tried to calculate specificity and sensitivity of colposcopy based on management by LEEP. Methods VIA combined with colposcopy and LEEP using mobile van is planned in a biotechnology based programme for women under Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India where efficacy of colposcopy was assessed by camp approach in rural area of a remote district. We used video colposcopy as triage and managed positive cases by LEEP. We randomly selected 50 cases that wereColposcopy negative & 50 cases with CIN I and did biopsy cervix on all of them. We thus evaluated our early screeningand management to detect sensitivity & specificity of Colposcopy in this rural setting. Results A total of 2836 women participated in our rural camp for screening during this period. We could detect 415 VIA positive cases. In this gold standard test we saw 12 cases of false positive. Only 14 cases of false negative that then underwent LEEP. Thus colposcopy in our series had 60% sensitivity and 63% positive predictive value while 87.7% specificity and 86% negative predictive value. Complication Rate was 3 percent (14 cases). Conclusion In our series sensitivity of colposcopy was comparatively low. Main confounding variable producing false positive result was inflammation of cervix which seems to be a cause of concern in our country. However, obustness of VIA needs to be calculated in a bigger study to find out efficacy of such screening. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Early Stage Prediction of US County Vulnerability to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Key Points: Question: What are key factors that define the vulnerability of counties in the US to cases of the COVID-19 virus? Findings: In this epidemiological study based on publicly available data, we develop a model that predicts vulnerability to COVID-19 for each US county in terms of likelihood of going from no documented cases to at least one case within five days and in terms of number of occurrences of the virus. Meaning: Predicting county vulnerability to COVID-19 can assist health organizations to better plan for resource and workforce needs. Abstract Importance: The rapid spread of COVID-19 means that government and health services providers have little time to plan and design effective response policies. It is therefore important to rapidly provide accurate predictions of how vulnerable geographic regions such as counties are to the spread. Objective: Developing county level prediction around near future disease movement for COVID-19 occurrences using publicly available data. Design: Original Investigation; Decision Analytical Model Study for County Level COVID-19 occurrences using data from March 14-31, 2020. Setting: Disease spread prediction for US counties. Participants: All US county level granularity based on data fused from multiple publicly available sources inclusive of health statistics, demographics, and geographical features. Exposure(s) (for observational studies): Daily county level reported COVID-19 occurrences from March 14-31, 2020. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): We developed a 3-stage model to quantify, firstly the probability of COVID-19 occurrence for unaffected counties using XGBoost classifier and secondly, the number of potential occurrences of a county via XGBoost regression. Thirdly, these results are combined to compute the county level risk. This risk is then used as an estimated after-five-day-vulnerability of the county. Results: Using data from March 14-31, 2020, the model shows a sensitivity over 71.5% and specificity over 94%. Conclusions and Relevance: We found that population, population density, percentage of people aged 70 or greater and prevalence of comorbidities play an important role in predicting COVID-19 occurrences. We found a positive association between affected and urban counties as well as less vulnerable and rural counties. The developed model can be used for identification of vulnerable counties and potential data discrepancies. Limited testing facilities and delayed results introduces significant variation in reported cases and produces a bias in the model. Trial Registration: Not Applicable
Machine Learning Applications in the Evaluation and Management of Psoriasis: A Systematic Review.

Background:Machine learning (ML), a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that aims to teach machines to automatically learn tasks by inferring patterns from data, holds significant promise to aid...
Training with tarantulas: A randomized feasibility and acceptability study using experiential learning to enhance exposure therapy training

Abstract Background Although exposure is a key evidence-based intervention for anxiety, it is infrequently used in clinical settings. This study employed a novel training strategy, experiential learning, to improve exposure implementation. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of experiential training and preliminary training effectiveness. Methods Participants were 28 therapists who were randomized to (a) training-as-usual or (b) experiential training (training-as-usual plus a one-session treatment for fear of spiders). Workshops lasted one day and were followed by three months of weekly consultation. Results Experiential training was viewed as feasible and acceptable. Participants, including those who were fearful of spiders, had a positive response to the training and reported it to be useful. There was a significant increase in the number of exposures used by therapists receiving experiential training compared to training-as-usual at 1-month follow-up. Conclusions A one-day training resulted in significant improvements in knowledge, attitudes toward exposure, and self-efficacy in using exposure. Preliminary findings suggest that experiential training resulted in greater use of exposure post-training compared to training-as-usual. Results provide evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of experiential training as a strategy to increase the use of evidence-based interventions.
Bridging Causes and Outcomes of Cyber Incidents

Cyber insurance market has been through a long time of development, yet it is still in its infancy stage. Due to the lack of reliable risk assessment metrics, many businesses hesitate to purchase cyber insurance products as they often have little knowledge of which cyber coverages will suit the needs. Surveys suggest that insurers also have problem with cyber insurance pricing and underwriting. Understanding the outcomes of cyber incidents can help both insureds and insurers better prepare for the potential losses. This paper particularly focuses on the relationship between the causes of incidents, or “perils”, and the outcomes in terms of the types of losses, such as financial damages and costs or liabilities generated from lawsuits. Clustering methods are used to categorize perils based on their loss patterns and the correlation structures are explored within loss patterns. We find that the intent matters in data breach incidents as it affects the types of losses. In addition, although some perils like data breaches and IT errors have similar probabilities of resulting in certain losses, these losses are differently correlated in regard to their occurrences.
American Inequality Meets COVID-19: Uneven Spread of the Disease across Communities

The United States is bearing the brunt of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The spatially uneven viral spread and community inequality will jointly bring about worse consequences. The combined e...
Arthroscopic Versus Open Tenodesis: Which Patients Need Which?

The long head of the biceps tendon and the biceps-labral complex are common sources of shoulder pain and can be treated with a biceps tenodesis after failed nonoperative treatment. The tendon can be tenodesed either proximally by arthroscopic techniques or distally by open techniques. An arthroscopic tenodesis may be favored in the setting of adjunct arthroscopic shoulder procedures (thus avoiding the need for an additional incision), for cosmetic reasons, or when there is poor bone quality that would not be favorable for bony fixation, whether it is due to severely osteoporotic bone, tumor, bone cysts, or the presence of humeral implants. An open tenodesis may be favored in cases where the biceps pathology is further distal to that which can be addressed arthroscopically, such as tendon lesions or ruptures at or distal to the proximal edge of the pectoralis major, or persistent pain following a previous biceps tenotomy or tenodesis. Many of the indications for a biceps tenodesis however can be treated with either an arthroscopic or open approach, including SLAP lesions, partial LHBT tears, LHBT instability, or chronic tenosynovitis. Many studies have compared the outcomes following these two techniques but have not yet found any clinically significant differences between the two methods.
Inter-relationships between water depletion and temperature differential in row crop canopies in a sub-humid climate

Abstract Irrigation has a great impact on global food security as it contributes to the majority of the world’s agricultural food supply. It is essential to judiciously utilize water resources through efficient irrigation management since the majority of U.S. groundwater aquifers are rapidly depleting. Thus, quantification of the relationships between water depletion and environmental factors is important for understanding crop response to varying levels of water stresses that depletion can cause. The objectives of this research were to: 1) investigate the relationship between root zone water depletion (Drw) and canopy temperature differential (ΔT) at different ranges of Drw; and 2) develop upper (water stressed) and lower (non-water stressed) baselines for quantification of crop water stress index (CWSI) in a sub-humid climate. The research was conducted over maize and soybean during 2018, 2019, and 2020 growing seasons. Sensor node stations comprising of an infrared thermometer and three soil water sensors were installed at various sites over maize and soybean fields. ΔT tends to increase with the increase in Drw when the range of Drw includes values greater than 170 mm for maize and values greater than 160 mm for soybean. The results indicate that ΔT and Drw are unrelated until a soil-water depletion threshold is attained, and these Drw threshold values could be considered as indicators to trigger irrigation for efficient agricultural water management. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the research is the first to develop upper and lower CWSI baselines for east-central Nebraska. The baselines developed in this study could facilitate the quantification of CWSI for irrigation scheduling of maize and soybean in east-Central Nebraska. Future work should aim to investigate the potential in using Drw and/or ΔT to determine efficient water allocation and if a threshold CWSI could be used for timing of irrigation to prevent yield loss.
Optimizing Electronic Health Records Through Readability

Medical professionals engage in an enormous and ever-increasing amount of reading in Electronic Health Records (EHRs), which may have adverse impacts on patient care. Personalized readability forma...
Quantitative sequencing clarifies the role of disruptor taxa, oral microbiota, and strict anaerobes in the human small-intestine microbiome

BACKGROUND Upper gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and abdominal pain afflict between 12 and 30% of the worldwide population and research suggests these conditions are linked to the gut microbiome. Although large-intestine microbiota have been linked to several GI diseases, the microbiota of the human small intestine and its relation to human disease has been understudied. The small intestine is the major site for immune surveillance in the gut, and compared with the large intestine, it has greater than 100 times the surface area and a thinner and more permeable mucus layer. RESULTS Using quantitative sequencing, we evaluated total and taxon-specific absolute microbial loads from 250 duodenal-aspirate samples and 21 paired duodenum-saliva samples from participants in the REIMAGINE study. Log-transformed total microbial loads spanned 5 logs and were normally distributed. Paired saliva-duodenum samples suggested potential transmission of oral microbes to the duodenum, including organisms from the HACEK group. Several taxa, including Klebsiella, Escherichia, Enterococcus, and Clostridium, seemed to displace strict anaerobes common in the duodenum, so we refer to these taxa as disruptors. Disruptor taxa were enriched in samples with high total microbial loads and in individuals with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Absolute loads of disruptors were associated with more severe GI symptoms, highlighting the value of absolute taxon quantification when studying small-intestine health and function. CONCLUSION This study provides the largest dataset of the absolute abundance of microbiota from the human duodenum to date. The results reveal a clear relationship between the oral microbiota and the duodenal microbiota and suggest an association between the absolute abundance of disruptor taxa, SIBO, and the prevalence of severe GI symptoms. Video Abstract.
Diffusion of computer-mediated communication in a graduate social work class: lessons from “the class from hell”

Abstract Diffusion of innovation denotes the spread of new ideas, information, and inventions within a social system. Yet, resistance to an innovation does occur and sometimes a diffusion attempt fails completely. This article examines the attempted diffusion of the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) using electronic mail (e-mail) in a graduate social work class on organizational theory. Using an interpretive interactionist approach, this paper describes how latent meanings of the CMC innovation emerged and the impact these meanings had on students' acceptance of CMC as an innovation. The paper concludes with recommendations for instructors seeking to introduce CMC in their classes.
Furtive Encryption: Power, Trust, and the Constitutional Cost of Collective Surveillance

Recent revelations of heretofore secret U.S. government surveillance programs have sparked national conversations about their constitutionality and the delicate balance between security and civil liberties in a constitutional democracy. Among the revealed policies asserted by the National Security Agency (NSA) is a provision found in the “minimization procedures” required under section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. This provision allows the NSA to collect and keep indefinitely any encrypted information collected from domestic communications — including the communications of U.S. citizens. That is, according to the U.S. government, the mere fact that a U.S. citizen has encrypted her electronic communications is enough to give the NSA the right to store that data until it is able to decrypt or decode it.Through this provision, the NSA is automatically treating all electronic communications from U.S. citizens that are hidden or obscured through encryption — for whatever reason — as suspicious, a direct descendant of the “nothing-to-hide” family of privacy minimization arguments. The ubiquity of electronic communication in the United States and elsewhere has led to the widespread use of encryption, the vast majority of it for innocuous purposes. This Article argues that the mere encryption by individuals of their electronic communications is not alone a basis for individualized suspicion. Moreover, this Article asserts that the NSA’s policy amounts to a suspicionless search and seizure. This program is therefore in direct conflict with the fundamental principles underlying the Fourth Amendment, specifically the protection of individuals from unwarranted government power and the establishment of the reciprocal trust between citizen and government that is necessary for a healthy democracy.
Expression and Localization of Total Akt1 and Phosphorylated Akt1 in the Rat Seminiferous Epithelium

Akt1 is a survival factor that is believed to play a role in the transcriptional modulation of a subset of genes associated with cell growth, proliferation, and apoptosis. We have explored in detail the expression of total Akt1 and phosphorylated Akt1 in the developing and adult rat testis. Throughout testis postnatal development, the expression of total Akt1 protein exhibited a mainly cytoplasmic localization within both the germ cells and the supporting Sertoli cells. In contrast, phosphorylated Akt1 staining demonstrated a mainly nuclear localization within germ cells. In the developmental sequence of germ cells, phosphorylated Akt1 stained the nuclei of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and round spermatids. During spermiogenesis, phosphorylated Akt1 staining decreased in the nucleus and became localized to a bright spot at the base of the nucleus in elongate spermatids. Of interest, total Akt1 was found to localize to the perinuclear region of germ cells and the supranuclear region of Sertoli cells, depending on fixation. Further analysis demonstrated this staining to be associated with the Golgi complex in both germ and Sertoli cells.
A pilot study on acupuncture for lower urinary tract symptoms related to chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain

The etiology and treatment of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) remain poorly understood. Pain, lower urinary tract voiding symptoms and negative impact on quality of life (QOL) are the most common complaints. Acupuncture, which has been widely used to treat painful and chronic conditions, may be a potential treatment to alleviate the constellation of symptoms experienced by men with CP/CPPS. The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of standardized full body and auricular acupuncture in men refractory to conventional therapies and collect pilot data to warrant further randomized trials. Ten men diagnosed with category IIIA or IIIB CP/CPPS >6 months, refractory to at least 1 conventional therapy (antibiotics, anti-inflammatory agents, 5-α reductase inhibitors, α-1 blockers) and scoring >4 on the pain subset of the NIH-CPSI were prospectively analyzed in an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved, single-center clinical trial (Columbia University Medical Center IRB#AAAA-7460). Standardized full body and auricular acupuncture treatment was given twice weekly for 6 weeks. The primary endpoints were total score of the NIH-CPSI and assessment of serious adverse events. The secondary endpoints were individual scores of the NIH-CPSI and QOL questionnaire scores of the short-form 36 (SF-36). The median age of the subjects was 36 years (range 29–63). Decreases in total NIH-CPSI scores (mean ± SD) after 3 and 6 weeks from baseline (25.1 ± 6.6) were 17.6 ± 5.7 (P < 0.006) and 8.8 ± 6.2 (P < 0.006) respectively and remained significant after an additional 6 weeks of follow-up (P < 0.006). Symptom and QOL/NIH-CPSI sub-scores were also significant (P < 0.002 and P < 0.002 respectively). Significance in 6 of 8 categories of the SF-36 including bodily pain (P < 0.002) was achieved. One regression in the SF-36 vitality category was observed after follow-up. There were no adverse events. The preliminary findings, although limited, suggest the potential therapeutic role of acupuncture in the treatment of CP/CPPS. Data from this and previous studies warrant randomized trials of acupuncture for CP/CPPS and particular attention towards acupuncture point selection, treatment intervention, and durability of acupuncture.
Multifocal Motor Neuropathy

Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is a relatively recently recognized clinical entity that was formally described by Parry and Clark in the mid-1980s (1,2). The clinical presentation in each of the patients in this original series had suggested a diagnosis of motor neuron disease, but nerve conduction studies showed multifocal conduction block in motor nerves. The recognition that this syndrome represented a form of a chronic demyelinating neuropathy has spawned much debate regarding its relationship to other chronic demyelinating neuropathies such as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) and the Lewis-Sumner syndrome, and has also raised the possibility that patients with the disorder might respond to immunosuppressive therapy. What are the clinical and electrophysiological features of MMN, and how does it differ from other chronic demyelinating neuropathies? What is the diagnostic accuracy of anti GM1 antibodies? Do patients with MMN respond to immunosuppressive therapy, and what is the long term prognosis for patients with this disorder? These and other questions are the focus of this chapter.
Secret ambitions and public performances: The effects of anonymity on reward allocations made by men and women

Abstract The degree of equality or equity in reward allocations made by men and women is explored in three studies. Study 1 was a classroom survey which was administered after the members had completed a series of team assignments. When asked to indicate anonymously whether they would share some points with team members who had earned fewer, the men more often said yes and the women no, contradicting the patterns found in much of the literature. Studies 2 and 3 examined the hypothesis that under public conditions men and women would behave as tradition and the previous literature suggest, allocating rewards equitably and equally, respectively. In private, however, they would reverse themselves, each preferring the otherwise forbidden option. The results confirmed the prediction: when anticipating disclosure of their decisions, men chose to divide credits equitably and women equally between themselves and a less deserving partner, but when assured of anonymity, men chose more equal and women more equitable allocations. The results are discussed in light of both childhood socialization and adult constraints on sex role performances.
Lethal injuries and time to death in a level I trauma center

Abstract Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the causes and time to death of all trauma victims who died at a level I trauma center during an 11-year period. Study Design: Autopsies were performed on all patients who died secondary to trauma. Retrospective review of these autopsies was carried out and appended to existing trauma registry data. Standard definitions were used to attribute the cause of death in each case. Preventable deaths were determined by a standardized peer review process. Results: Between January 1985 and December 1995, a total of 900 trauma patients died. This represented 7.3% of all major trauma admissions (12,320). Seventy percent of these patients died within the first 24 hours of admission. Thoracic vascular and central nervous system (CNS) injuries were the most common causes of death in the first hour after admission to the hospital. CNS injuries were the most common causes of death within the 72 deaths after admission. Acute inflammatory processes (multiple organ failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and pneumonia) and pulmonary emboli were the leading causes of death after the first 72 hours. Overall, 43.6% (393 of 900) of all trauma deaths were caused by CNS injuries, making this the most common cause of death in our study. The preventable death rate was 1%. Conclusions: The first 24 hours after trauma are the deadliest for these patients. Primary and secondary CNS injuries are the leading causes of death. Prevention, early identification, and treatment of potentially lethal injuries should remain the focus of those who treat trauma patients.
Hair Matrix Differentiation in a Trichogenic Adnexal Neoplasm.

Pilomatricoma is a distinctive tumor characterized by a dual population of proliferating germinative cells and shadow cells and is beleived to derive from the hair matrix. Rarely, benign and malignant adnexal tumors can show pilomaticoma-like or hair matrix differentiation. We present a 69-year-old man with a ruptured cystic nodule of the left cheek. Histology revealed a dermal tumor composed of nests of basaloid cells which manifested peripheral palisading and abortive hair papilla formation with a modified stroma and pilomatricoma-like areas. This lesion shares features of a trichogenic adnexal neoplasm with those of a tumor having hair matrical differentiation, and has been rarely reported under the designation “follicular” basal cell carcinoma (BCC). This case illustrates an example of this unusual occurrence of hair matrix differentiation in a benign basaloid adnexal neoplasm as characterized by the presence of basaloid and shadow cells; the absence of individual cell necrosis and mitotic activity prompts us to doubt that it represents a form of nodular BCC, but rather it more likely reflects a hamartoma of the follicular anlage.
Semantics and Mathematics of Scientific Data Sampling

Data sampling is the first step in the process of scientific data analysis. This paper focuses on some mathematical aspects of data sampling. From this perspective, data are viewed as mathematical functions instead of just values. We show that continuity is the single most important quality of data (viewed as functions) which makes scientific data analysis and visualization meaningful and/or possible. By separating issues related to data functions from those related to the domains of data functions, we are able to define continuous data in two distinct contexts. This paper also provides a framework and the necessary mathematical language for the modeling and description of data.
Finding Parallels: The Experiences of Clinical Social Workers Providing Attachment-Based Treatment to Children in Foster Care

Clinical practice with children in foster care often focuses on the attachment-based trauma experienced by many children who enter the foster care system. Attachment-based treatment requires that the clinician be able to form relationships with both the child and caregivers, including foster and biological parents. Given the complex nature of the relational matrix that surrounds children in foster care, clinicians providing attachment-based treatment may have experiences of helplessness and hopelessness that parallel those of the children whom they are treating. This exploratory qualitative study surveyed 42 clinical social workers regarding their experiences of providing attachment-based treatment to children in foster care. Findings indicate that such clinicians do have experiences of helplessness and hopelessness that parallel those of the children in foster care and that such experiences are attributed to issues surrounding relationships with caregivers as well as interagency collaboration and communication between clinicians and child welfare professionals. Such findings suggest specific practice implications for clinicians providing attachment-based treatment to children in foster care including the increased involvement of biological and foster care parents in the treatment context and more systematic means of establishing collaborative relationships between clinicians, foster care and child welfare workers, and the court system.
Examining Elementary School Students’ Mental Models of Sun-Earth Relationships as a Result of Engaging in Engineering Design

Current reform efforts in science education in the United States call for students to learn science through the integration of science and engineering practices. Studies have examined the effect of engineering design on students’ understanding of engineering, technology, and science concepts. However, the majority of studies emphasize the accuracy of students’ scientific thinking instead of what students’ conceptions are. The aim of this study was to examine elementary school students’ conceptions of sun-Earth relationships as a result of engaging in an engineering design-based science task. Two independent fifth grade classrooms were identified. Each classroom teacher had 2 groups of students: 1 group engaged in traditional science lessons (control) and 1 group engaged in engineering design-based science lessons (treatment). Data were collected via multiple choice knowledge assessments, a draw-and-explain item, and semi-structured interviews designed to elicit students’ working mental models of the relationship between the sun and Earth. Results indicated a range of five different mental models expressed by students in both the control and treatment groups. These findings suggest that students still harbor alternate conceptions and possibly conflicting ideas regarding various sun-Earth relationships. If teachers are expected to implement science and engineering practices, attention must be given to not only what students’ misconceptions are but, more importantly, how best to implement design-based science lessons that facilitate students’ application and understanding of related science concepts.
Nerve-dependent recovery of metabolic pathways in regenerating soleus muscles.

The metabolic recovery potential of muscle was studied in regenerating soleus muscles of young adult rats. Degeneration was induced by subfascial injection of a myotoxic snake venom. After regeneration for selected periods up to 2 weeks, samples of whole muscle were analysed for hexokinase (EC 2.7.1.1), phosphofructokinase (EC 2.7.1.11), lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.11.27), adenylokinase (EC 2.7.4.3), creatine kinase (EC 2.7.3.2), malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.11.37), citrate synthase (ED 4.1.3.7) and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.35). Lactate dehydrogenase, adenylokinase, malate dehydrogenase and β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase were also measured in individual fibres of muscle regenerating up to 4 weeks. We found that in the presence of nerve there was complete recovery of muscle metabolic capacity. However, there were differences in the rate of recovery of the activity of enzymes belonging to different energy-generating pathways. Lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme representing glycolytic metabolism, reached normal activity immediately upon myofibre formation, only 3 days after venom injection, while oxidative enzymes required a week or more to reach normal activity levels. The delay in oxidative enzyme recovery coincided with physiological parameters of reinnervation. Therefore, to further test the role of nerve on the metabolic recovery process, muscle regeneration was studied following venom-induced degeneration coupled with denervation. In the absence of innervation, most enzymes failed to recover to normal activity levels. Lactate dehydrogenase was the only enzyme to achieve normal levels, and it did so as rapidly as in innervated-regenerating soleus muscles. The remainder of the glycotytic enzymes and the high energy phosphate enzymes recovered only partially. Oxidative enzymes showed no recovery and were severely reduced in the absence of reinnervation. Thus, it appears that enzymes of oxidative metabolism are more dependent upon innervation than enzymes of glycolytic metabolism for full expression in regenerating soleus muscle.
Nuclear structure as a source of cancer specific biomarkers

There are few biomarkers that have been developed which have proven clinical utility for the detection and prognosis of cancer. Cancer is diagnosed today, in large part, by examining cells under the microscope and determining the shape and texture of the nucleus. The molecular underpinnings of this hallmark of cancer are the components of the nuclear matrix. Utilizing proteomics focused on this subset of proteins, biomarkers have been identified that are specific for cancer types including prostate, colon and bladder cancer. These cancer biomarkers now serve as the basis of assays which can specifically identify individuals with cancer by sampling their blood and/or urine. In addition, these may serve as potential therapeutic targeting or imaging approaches.
The Interaction of Instruction and Learner-Internal Factors in the Acquisition of L2 Morphosyntax

This study considers the role of instruction, second language (L2) input, first language (L1) transfer, and Universal Grammar (UG) in the development of L2 morphosyntactic knowledge. Specifically, it investigates the acquisition of the Spanish morpheme se by English-speaking adult learners. Participants included 91 university students and 30 Spanish native-speaker controls. Learners received form-focused, communicative instruction on se for one week and were tested before, immediately following, and 24 days after the treatment period. Assessment consisted of a grammaticality judgment task and two production tasks using se in a variety of verb classes. The results showed that se had been added to many learners' grammars, but also that L1-derived forms and overgeneralization errors had not been completely preempted. These findings are taken as evidence that the development of L2 grammars is affected by a number of independent, yet cooperating, knowledge sources, which thus supports a modular account of L2 acquisition.
Inflammatory Mediators of Endothelial Injury in Sickle Cell Disease

Inflammation plays a critical role in the complex pathophysiology of sickle cell disease and drives both the acute and chronic processes leading to vascular injury. Mediators of inflammation, such as cellular adhesion molecules, cytokines, leukotrienes, and nuclear factor κB signaling factors, represent potential therapeutic targets in sickle cell disease.
Comparison of fifty-two spectrophotometric methods for the determination of nitrite

Abstract This paper can be considered as a concise source of spectrophotometric methods for the determination of nitrite. Fifty-two methods, of which about 36 are new, are compared with respect to molar absorptivity, selectivity, sensitivity, simplicity, colour stability, and conformity to Beer's law. A new type of spectrophotometric procedure—autocatalytic in principle—is introduced; a molar absorptivity of 620,000 is obtained. Over 20 new methods have been shown to give higher molar absorptivities with nitrite than any of the Griess type of reagents. Consequently they are worthy of further investigation in respect of their application to the analysis of nitrites and nitrite precursors.
The effect of involvement on visual attention and product choice

Our study examined the effect of consumers' level of involvement on visual attention to product, information sign and price sign guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). We also investigated the relationship between visual attention captured by eye fixation on information and price sign and product choice for garden plants. Using a Tobii X1 light eye tracking device, we obtained data from 101 respondents in Texas and Michigan. We found that participants who had high (vs. low) product involvement paid more attention to the product and its information as demonstrated through higher fixation count (FC), longer total fixation duration (TFD), and total visit duration (TVD). We also found highly involved participants processed price information as a central rather than a peripheral cue. In addition, total visit duration (TVD) on an information sign was found as the strongest predictor of product choice.