cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wireless capsule endoscopy in the investigation of intestinal Behçet's syndrome

Objective Intestinal Behcet's Syndrome (BS) is a difficult diagnosis to establish. We describe the use of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) in the investigation of 11 patients with suspected intestinal BS. Methods Out of 11 patients, 10 with suspected intestinal BS were found to have small intestinal ulcers on capsule endoscopy. Each case was retrospectively assessed for symptoms, signs, anaemia, other investigations, treatment and complications. Results All 11 patients had established diagnoses of BS as defined by the International Study Group criteria. Central abdominal pain and change in bowel habit were the predominant symptoms, both occurring in seven patients. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy and colonoscopy identified duodenitis, ileitis and colitis in three patients. Barium studies and CT were normal in all cases. WCE revealed small intestinal ulcers throughout the ileum in five patients and ulcers located either in the proximal and/or distal ileum in five other patients. One patient had significant symptoms, signs and ulcers leading to a change in treatment to infliximab, and this resulted in resolution of symptoms and ulcers. Ten age- and sex-matched controls investigated for unexplained GI symptoms had no intestinal lesions on capsule endoscopy. Conclusion WCE is useful in the investigation of GI symptoms in BS. It is particularly helpful in those patients in whom conventional investigations have been normal or fail to account for symptoms and signs. This technique may guide treatment and provide a better understanding of intestinal pathology in BS.
Adaptive Data Compression in Wireless Body Sensor Networks

This paper introduces an innovative data compression methodology in an adaptive way guaranteeing signal interpretation quality and energy efficiency in wireless body area sensor network. The approach is based on the discrete cosine transform. Under different channel conditions, the resulting wavelet coefficients are thresholded adaptively to match a user-specified percentage of root-mean-square difference. The nonzero coefficients of the thresholded vector are quantized adaptively by the linear quantizer of the lowest possible resolution. Signal interpretation quality and energy consuming are influenced by threshold Th, quantization length Q, and modulation method M which can be taken as a discrete optimization problem. A specific case study is designed to achieve better energy efficiency and guaranteed signal interpretation quality than typical efforts. The simulation results show that the proposed compression scheme can achieve considerable gains for ECG signals in wireless body area sensor networks.
The Calcium Conundrum. Both Versatile Nutrient and Specific Signal

Versatility and specificity are usually mutually exclusive terms. However, as we discuss calcium's role in plant nutrition, we are obliged to contrast the plethora of general housekeeping functions of this element against the ability of calcium (Ca2+) to impart signaling specificity during
Polyolefin properties for rigid food packaging

Polyolefins are used in many rigid plastic packages that are developed for food applications. Generally, the polyolefins used are selected for a balance of cost, ease of molding, and performance properties in a finished package. In this paper some of the physical and sorption properties of polyolefins that are critical to rigid plastic packages are discussed. Initially, a brief review of the performance requirements of plastic food packages will be presented. This is followed by discussions of specific properties of polyolefins such as impact resistance, adhesion and thermal resistance, and how they may be enhanced by coextrusion. Additionally, the sorption of food components such as flavors into polyolefin walls of packages is discussed. Here, the applicable theoretical considerations for sorption and their value for analyzing experimental data are presented. Finally, specific sorption properties of d-limonene in ethylene-propylene copolymers and their effects on package performance and design are reported and discussed.
SenQ: a scalable simulation and emulation environment for sensor networks

Although there is growing interest in the use of physical testbeds to evaluate the performance of applications and protocols for sensor platforms, such studies also encounter significant challenges that include the lack of scalability and repeatability, as well as the inability to represent a diverse set of operational scenarios. On the other hand, simulators can typically address the preceding problems but often lack the high degree of fidelity available to the analysts with physical testbeds. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of SenQ - an accurate and scalable evaluation framework for sensor networks that effectively addresses the preceding challenges. In particular, SenQ integrates sensor network operating systems with a very high- fidelity simulation of wireless networks such that sensor network applications and protocols can be executed, without modifications, in a repeatable manner under a diverse set of scalable environments. SenQ extends beyond the existing suite of simulators and emulators in four key aspects: first, it supports emulation of sensor network applications and protocols in an efficient and flexible manner; second, it provides an efficient set of models of diverse sensing phenomena; third, it provides accurate models of both battery power and clock drift effect which have been shown to have a significant impact on sensor network studies; and finally it provides an efficient kernel that allows it to run experiments that provide substantial scalability in both the spatial and temporal contexts.
Circulating Mitochondrial DNA in Patients in the ICU as a Marker of Mortality: Derivation and Validation

Background: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a critical activator of inflammation and the innate immune system. However, mtDNA level has not been tested for its role as a biomarker in the intensive care unit (ICU). We hypothesized that circulating cell-free mtDNA levels would be associated with mortality and improve risk prediction in ICU patients. Methods and Findings: Analyses of mtDNA levels were performed on blood samples obtained from two prospective observational cohort studies of ICU patients (the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Registry of Critical Illness [BWH RoCI, n=200] and Molecular Epidemiology of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome [ME ARDS, n=243]). mtDNA levels in plasma were assessed by measuring the copy number of the NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene using quantitative real-time PCR. Medical ICU patients with an elevated mtDNA level ($3,200 copies/ml plasma) had increased odds of dying within 28 d of ICU admission in both the BWH RoCI (odds ratio [OR] 7.5, 95% CI 3.6–15.8, p=1610 27 ) and ME ARDS (OR 8.4, 95% CI 2.9–24.2, p=9610 25 ) cohorts, while no evidence for association was noted in non-medical ICU patients. The addition of an elevated mtDNA level improved the net reclassification index (NRI) of 28-d mortality among medical ICU patients when added to clinical models in both the BWH RoCI (NRI 79%, standard error 14%, p,1610 24 ) and ME ARDS (NRI 55%, standard error 20%, p=0.007) cohorts. In the BWH RoCI cohort, those with an elevated mtDNA level had an increased risk of death, even in analyses limited to patients with sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Study limitations include the lack of data elucidating the concise pathological roles of mtDNA in the patients, and the limited numbers of measurements for some of biomarkers. Conclusions: Increased mtDNA levels are associated with ICU mortality, and inclusion of mtDNA level improves risk prediction in medical ICU patients. Our data suggest that mtDNA could serve as a viable plasma biomarker in medical ICU patients. Please see later in the article for the Editors’ Summary. Citation: Nakahira K, Kyung S-Y, Rogers AJ, Gazourian L, Youn S, et al. (2013) Circulating Mitochondrial DNA in Patients in the ICU as a Marker of Mortality:
Critical net routing

A critical net has been routed traditionally by interconnecting its terminals with a minimum length rectilinear Steiner tree (MRST). A novel interconnection form, the maximum performance tree (MPT), that better approximates an interconnection with optimal circuit performance is proposed. In addition, a heuristic approach is presented that quickly generates MPTs, and the quality of these trees is compared with MRSTs for several net instances. >
The Comparative Effectiveness of Videotape, Audiotape, and Telelecture in Delivering Continuing Teacher Education

Providing higher education for nontraditional students has become a point of interest for many colleges and universities (McMeen 1984). In urban areas it may be accomplished in a traditional manner through regularly scheduled afternoon, evening, or weekend courses. In rural areas the only choice available may be a specialized program or curriculum at a distant institution. Yet, evening or weekend courses may be impractical because of the travel time involved. Shortages in certain licensure fields, new certification requirements, and salary incentives have all contributed to a growing need for alternative methods of continuing teacher education. The use of audio and video technology in distance education, continuing education, and teacher training has been advocated since the late 1960s (Fraser 1985), but administrators have been reluctant to use technology in delivering what has traditionally been classroom-based instruction. This reluctance has been based on concerns over expense, as well as a lack of knowledge concerning the efficacy of such programs (Chang 1983). Thorman and Amb (1974) demonstrated equal learning by teacher education students receiving audiotape instruction versus live instruction. DeMuth (1979) reported that 94 percent of offcampus students felt audiotape instruction was a valuable experience. Ainsworth (1986) discussed the advantages of videotape instruction in higher education but did not present data to support its efficacy. Whittington (1987) conducted a review of literature concerning the instructional use of television, and concluded that it may be an effective medium, despite a lack of controlled research concerning its efficacy.
Muscle satellite cell heterogeneity and self-renewal

Adult skeletal muscle possesses extraordinary regeneration capacities. After muscle injury or exercise, large numbers of newly formed muscle fibers are generated within a week as a result of expansion and differentiation of a self-renewing pool of muscle stem cells termed muscle satellite cells. Normally, satellite cells are mitotically quiescent and reside beneath the basal lamina of muscle fibers. Upon regeneration, satellite cells are activated, and give rise to daughter myogenic precursor cells. After several rounds of proliferation, these myogenic precursor cells contribute to the formation of new muscle fibers. During cell division, a minor population of myogenic precursor cells returns to quiescent satellite cells as a self-renewal process. Currently, accumulating evidence has revealed the essential roles of satellite cells in muscle regeneration and the regulatory mechanisms, while it still remains to be elucidated how satellite cell self-renewal is molecularly regulated and how satellite cells are important in aging and diseased muscle. The number of satellite cells is decreased due to the changing niche during ageing, resulting in attenuation of muscle regeneration capacity. Additionally, in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, the loss of satellite cell regenerative capacity and decreased satellite cell number due to continuous needs for satellite cells lead to progressive muscle weakness with chronic degeneration. Thus, it is necessary to replenish muscle satellite cells continuously. This review outlines recent findings regarding satellite cell heterogeneity, asymmetric division and molecular mechanisms in satellite cell self-renewal which is crucial for maintenance of satellite cells as a muscle stem cell pool throughout life. In addition, we discuss roles in the stem cell niche for satellite cell maintenance, as well as related cell therapies for approaching treatment of DMD.
Is There a Center to American Religious History

Over the past few years I have been dealing with a narrow version of this question, as it has applied to the history of Protestantism in the twentieth century. In our book, Re-Forming the Center: American Protestantism, 1900 to the Present , Douglas Jacobsen and I argued that the two-party model of Protestantism in the United States—conservative vs. liberal, fundamentalist vs. modernist, and so on—does not take into account the remarkable complexity and diversity of the Protestant religious experience in America, and in some sense presents distorted picture of that reality. There were scholars—including Martin Marty, who generously contributed a dissenting essay to our volume—who felt that we had overstated our brief against the two-party paradigm. More relevant for our purposes this evening, there were a number of reviewers who agreed with our critique of the two-party paradigm, but who also expressed disappointment that we provided only the barest outlines of a new or better metaphor or model to explain twentieth-century American Protestantism. While I had not gone into this project thinking that we would end the day with a new interpretive paradigm, I certainly was not surprised by this critique. The very first time I gave a paper on some of our preliminary findings, there was a scholar of U.S. religious history in the audience who squirmed throughout the entirety of my remarks; when I finished, before I had the chance to ask for questions, she blurted out: “I find your argument pretty convincing, but if you can't give me a new model to replace the old one, how am I supposed to teach my course on the history of American Protestantism?” Well, we broaden the topic from Protestantism in the United States to religion in the United States, it would seem that, in many ways, this is the issue we are addressing this evening.
Protamine induces endothelium-dependent vasodilatation of the pulmonary artery

Background. Protamine sulfate, which is used for heparin neutralization, has been reported to induce catastrophic pulmonary vasoconstriction after infusion. However, in the systemic circulation, protamine infusion induces hypotension due to peripheral vasodilatation. Methods. To determine whether protamine also could induce vasodilatation in the pulmonary circulation, third-order canine pulmonary artery segments were studied in vitro in organ chambers. Results. In pulmonary artery segments that were caused to contract with phenylephrine (10 −5 mol/L), protamine sulfate (40 to 400 μ g/mL, final organ bath concentration) produced concentration-dependent relaxation in canine pulmonary artery segments with endothelium (to 74% ± 7% of the initial contraction to phenylephrine) that was significantly greater ( p N G -monomethyl-l-arginine (10 −5 mol/L), the competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis from l-arginine, did not change tension of arterial segments, but N G -monomethyl-l-arginine attenuated the relaxation to protamine. The inhibitory effect of N G -monomethyl-l-arginine could be reversed by the addition of l-arginine (10 −4 mol/L) but not d-arginine (10 −4 mol/L). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation to protamine (40 to 400 μ g/mL) also could be inhibited by heparin (8 U/mL, final organ bath concentration). However, the inhibitory effect of heparin could be overcome by adding higher concentrations of protamine. Conclusions. Protamine-mediated pulmonary vasodilatation could be an important mechanism to protect against the constrictive effects of autocoids generated during heparin neutralization. Such a mechanism might be dysfunctional in certain persons and put them at risk for pulmonary vasoconstriction after protamine infusion.
Image frequency suppression in frequency-scanned direction-of-arrival estimation systems

A novel signal processing approach to the problem of image frequency suppression in wide-band frequency-scanned radio frequency (RF) receiving arrays that employ digital signal processing (DSP) techniques to estimate the direction of arrival (DOA) of incoming radiation has been presented. The conventional approach to image rejection in RF receivers is to employ a front-end RF tuner before downconversion to the intermediate frequency. As DOA processing employs a separate receiver channel for each array element, an RF tuner would be needed behind each element. Clearly for scanned systems at microwave frequencies, this is not a viable option where the tuners would generally have to be implemented in RF hardware. The need for RF tuners can be eliminated by downconversion down to baseband and employing I&Q mixers, which provide an intrinsic image rejection capability. Unfortunately, such a solution requires two analog-to-digital (A/D) converters per array element. An alternative approach is to use image rejection mixers in which case only one A/D converter per array element is needed. The approach also requires only one A/D per array element but achieves the image rejection through a DSP implementation. As a result, use of relatively expensive image rejection mixers is avoided without sacrificing performance. Experimental results are presented that validate the theoretical predictions.
NMR Structures of the Second Transmembrane Domain of the Human Glycine Receptor α1 Subunit: Model of Pore Architecture and Channel Gating

Glycine receptors (GlyR) are the primary inhibitory receptors in the spinal cord and belong to a superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels (LGICs) that are extremely sensitive to low-affinity neurological agents such as general anesthetics and alcohols. The high-resolution pore architecture and the gating mechanism of this superfamily, however, remain unclear. The pore-lining second transmembrane (TM2) segments of the GlyR 1 subunit are unique in that they form functional homopentameric channels with conductance characteristics nearly identical to those of an authentic receptor (Opella, S. J., J. Gesell, A. R. Valente, F. M. Marassi, M. Oblatt-Montal, W. Sun, A. F. Montiel, and M. Montal. 1997. Chemtracts Biochem. Mol. Biol. 10:153-174). Using NMR and circular dichroism (CD), we determined the high-resolution structures of the TM2 segment of human 1 GlyR and an anesthetic-insensitive mutant (S267Y) in dodecyl phosphocholine (DPC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles. The NMR structures showed right-handed -helices without kinks. A well-defined hydrophilic path, composed of side chains of G2 ,T 6, T10, Q14, and S18, runs along the helical surfaces at an angle 10-20° relative to the long axis of the helices. The side-chain arrangement of the NMR-derived structures and the energy minimization of a homopentameric TM2 channel in a fully hydrated DMPC membrane using large-scale computation suggest a model of pore architecture in which simultaneous tilting movements of entire TM2 helices by a mere 10° may be sufficient to account for the channel gating. The model also suggests that additional residues accessible from within the pore include L3 ,T 7, T13, and G17. A similar pore architecture and gating mechanism may apply to other channels in the same superfamily, including GABAA, nACh, and 5-HT3 receptors.
A study of online exams procrastination using data analytics techniques

Procrastination appears to be an inevitable part of daily life, especially for activities that are bounded by deadlines. It has implications for performance and is known to be linked to poor personal time management. Although research related to procrastination as a general behavior has been well established, studies assessing procrastination in the context of online learning activities are scarce. In the exploratory investigative phase of this study, advanced data analytic techniques were used to gather information about online exams. The dataset included 1,629 online exam records over a period of five terms in an academic institution in the southeastern United States. The online exams were provided during a weeklong timeframe where students were asked to take them based on material they studied the previous week. Task performance time and task performance window were fixed for all records extracted. Results of this study indicate that when it comes to online exams, over half (58%) of the students tend to procrastinate, while the rest (42%) stage their work to avoid procrastination. However, those who procrastinated appeared to perform significantly lower than those who staged their work. Clear trends were also observed based on whether the students attempted exams in the morning or the evening, their academic level, and gender.
Cytogenetic profile of a thymoma. A case report and review of the literature.

c Cytogenetic analysis of mixed lymphocyte and epithelial thymoma in a nonmyasthenic female patient revealed deletion of part of the short arm of chromosome 6. To our knowledge, this cytogenetic abnormality in a benign thymoma has not been previously described in the literature, which is reviewed. (Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2000;124:1714‐1716)
Results in Treatment of 374 Mann-Williamson Dogs

Summary The average survival time of our control (untreated) Mann-Williamson series was 63 days. All died of ulcer. The longest survival was 135 days. Eight per cent of the ulcers showed epithelization. With these data as a base line, our results are as follows: (1)Best results were obtained by daily injections of commercial human pregnancy urine extract (Antuitrin-S). Inactivating this by heat destroyed much of its potency. Marked benefit was obtained from extracts of normal male and normal female urine (parenteral administration) which did not contain the anterior pituitary-like hormone. Extracts made from urine of ulcer patients, administered parenterally, had very much less, if any, activity. (2)Oral administration of a human pregnancy urine extract, in small doses, failed to prolong the survival time, but it stimulated epithelization in a significant number of the ulcers. (3)The follicle-stimulating hormone from pregnant mare's serum (Gonadogen) was definitely beneficial (parenteral therapy). (4)Parenterally, the posterior pituitary extract (surgical pituitrin) was of no benefit. A combination of the posterior pituitary extract (pituitrin) and the anterior pituitary-like or luteinizing hormone (Antuitrin-S) failed to prolong the survival time but a significant number of the animals died without ulcer. (5)Estrone (Theelin) administered by injection, failed to produce any effect. Progesterone (Proluton), also by injection, did not prolong the survival time of the animals but it stimulated epithelization. (6)An extract obtained from urine of patients with inoperable carcinoma of the stomach and an extract prepared from beef heart muscle tissue (each used parenterally) produced some benefit. The number of animals in these two series is too small for definite conclusions. (7)Parenteral administration of a foreign protein from def atted milk (aolan) prolonged the survival time slightly. Not one of the ulcers examined microscopically showed epithelization. (8)Oral enterogastrone was of some benefit. Very little, if any, effect was obtained with the parenterally administered enterogastrone we used. (9)Vagotomy had no beneficial effect. (10)All of our Mann-Williamson animals with total gastrectomy died without ulcer. However, because of the nutritional disturbances that followed, all the animals died within 40 post-operative days.
Gold Nanoparticle Quantitation by Whole Cell Tomography

Many proposed biomedical applications for engineered gold nanoparticles require their incorporation by mammalian cells in specific numbers and locations. Here, the number of gold nanoparticles inside of individual mammalian stem cells was characterized using fast focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy based tomography. Enhanced optical microscopy was used to provide a multiscale map of the in vitro sample, which allows cells of interest to be identified within their local environment. Cells were then serially sectioned using a gallium ion beam and imaged using a scanning electron beam. To confirm the accuracy of single cross sections, nanoparticles in similar cross sections were imaged using transmission electron microscopy and scanning helium ion microscopy. Complete tomographic series were then used to count the nanoparticles inside of each cell and measure their spatial distribution. We investigated the influence of slice thickness on counting single particles and clusters as well as nanoparticle packing within clusters. For 60 nm citrate stabilized particles, the nanoparticle cluster packing volume is 2.15 ± 0.20 times the volume of the bare gold nanoparticles.
THE INHERITANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NAIL-PATELLA SYNDROME

1. A genetic and orthopaedic analysis of a family of seventy members exhibiting the nail-patella syndrome is described. 2. The disorder is found to be determined by a simple dominant autosomal gene with complete penetrance, but displaying variable expressivity and great pleomorphism. 3. In the family reported all ten of the affected individuals whose blood was typed belonged to group O, demonstrating the adjacent chromosomal position of the nail-patella gene and the ABO blood group locus. 4. The pathogenesis is one of hypoplasia of the nail beds, but hyperplasia in mesodermal tissue as shown by the formation of iliac horns. 5. The skeletal changes are ascribed to a functional disturbance in the development of the traction epiphyses rather than to a primary teratogenic effect.
Other Effects of Rotation on Flow and Natural Convection in Porous Media

Combined gravity and centrifugal buoyancy due to thermal gradients are introduced in this chapter, followed by onset of convection in a binary mixture saturating the rotating porous layer. Effects of lack of local thermal equilibrium or local thermal non-equilibrium are then discussed. The case when the porous medium is anisotropic and the resulting effects on convection are then introduced. Applications of rotating porous media to nanofluids and solidification of binary alloys conclude this chapter.
First-Principles Studies of Li Nucleation on Graphene

We study the Li clustering process on graphene and obtain the geometry, nucleation barrier, and electronic structure of the clusters using first-principles calculations. We estimate the concentration-dependent nucleation barrier for Li on graphene. While the nucleation occurs more readily with increasing Li concentration, possibly leading to the dendrite formation and failure of the Li-ion battery, the existence of the barrier delays nucleation and may allow Li storage on graphene. Our electronic structure and charge transfer analyses reveal how the fully ionized Li adatoms transform to metallic Li during the cluster growth on graphene.
Output-Boundary Regulation: High-Speed AFM Imaging Application

This article addresses output-boundary regulation for high-scan-frequency Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) imaging of soft samples. The main contribution of this article is to use the causal inverse for nonminimum phase systems to rapidly transition an output away from a specified boundary whenever the output approaches the boundary due to unknown disturbances. The proposed feedforward-based control technique overcomes both: (i) lack of preview information of the disturbances; and (ii) performance limitations of feedback-based control methods for non-minimum phase systems. Simulation results for an example AFM are presented to illustrate the approach.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Some Relationships between Behavioral and Evolutionary Archaeologies

Diversity in archaeology's social theories is desirable, but factioning of the discipline into antagonistic, paradigm-based camps undermines the scientific enterprise. In order to promote efforts at building bridges between different theoretical programs, this paper examines relationships between behavioral archaeology and evolutionary (selectionist) archaeology. Potential common ground is brought to light, incompatibilities are critically examined, and possible synergies are explored. It is concluded that there is no fundamental reason why these two programs cannot work in concert to achieve the goal of explaining behavioral (or evolutionary) change in human societies. Whether productive relationships can be established between other programs remains to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Effects of delayed acaricide treatment in honey bee colonies parasitized by Varroa jacobsoni and a late-season treatment threshold for the south-eastern USA.

SUMMARYWe set up 72 colonies of honey bees (Apis mellifera) in the piedmont region of Georgia and South Carolina, USA (2 states × 6 apiaries per state × 6 colonies per apiary) in April 1995. Colonies were individually housed in single-chamber Langstroth hive bodies and one honey super, started with standard mail-order 0.9 kg (2lb) packages of bees containing small incipient populations of the parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni, and managed optimally as for honey production. Within each state, each apiary was assigned one of the following treatments: (1) treatment with Apistan acaricide in June, (2) treatment in August, (3) treatment in October, or (4) no treatment By December, colony bee populations were optimum in August-treated apiaries. Month of treatment did not affect bee body weight. There were treatment by state interactions for number of sealed brood cells, colony mite populations, and percentage of brood cells with disease-like symptoms. Our data suggest that late-season acaricide treatments in firs...
New Romanticist Creation in the New Era Comes First in Literature of West China

At the beginning of the new era, the realistic spirit of Chinese literature has been restored and carried forward step by step but the romanticist spirit still lags behind. The literature of West China hoisted, in the earliest time, the sail of the modern romanticism. With the "remoteness", "wonderfulness" and all the hidden imageries are created the west romanticist works of four types, namely, the romantic nature, romantic fables, remote romantic villages and ideal characters. This is the tide sound of the modern romanticist literature in West China.
Characterizing implementation strategies using a systems engineering survey and interview tool: a comparison across 10 prevention programs for drug abuse and HIV sexual risk behavior

Although many behavioral interventions have proven to be efficacious, new methodologies are required beyond efficacy trials to understand how to adopt, implement with fidelity, and sustain behavioral interventions in community settings. In this paper, we present a new approach, based on systems engineering concepts and methods, for characterizing implementation strategies that are used to deliver evidence-based behavioral interventions in health and social service settings. We demonstrate the use of this approach with implementation strategies, used or being used for broader dissemination of 10 evidence-based prevention program projects focused on the prevention of drug or HIV sex risk behaviors. The results indicate that there are wide variations in intervention approaches and that there are challenges in program implementation including maintaining program fidelity, serving community needs, and adequate resources. The results also indicate that implementation requires a committed partnership between the program developers, implementation researchers, and community partners. In addition, there is a need for adaptability within programs to meet community needs, resources, and priorities while maintaining program fidelity. Our methodological approach enabled us to highlight challenges associated with the community implementation of health risk prevention interventions. We also demonstrate how comprehensive descriptions of interventions facilitate understanding of the requirements of program implementation and decisions about the feasibility of implementing a program in community settings.
Treatment of cerebral ischemia with vasoactive drugs.

Carbon dioxide has long been used in the treatment of stroke syndromes, and numerous other potent vasodilators are available which may be of benefit in some cases. Considering what has been learned about the cerebral circulation and the response to ischemia, however, other approaches to therapy seem to be indicated, one being induction of vasoconstriction to shift blood to ischemic tissue. The so-called intracerebral steal phenomenon is a potential hazard in the use of carbon dioxide.
The effect of video-game playing on overweight/obese adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

O is a problem of epidemic proportions for children, and children with developmental disorders, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), are at higher risk (30.4%) than the general population (23.6%). Although numerous studies have addressed adolescent obesity in the typically developing population, none exists for adolescents with ASD. The ongoing dissertation research incorporates physical activity through video gaming that should appeal to the adolescent. A single subject, multiple baseline design will be used to determine if inactive and active video gaming has an effect on weight, BMI, waist-to-neck ratio, and triceps skinfold as well as self-reported stress and anxiety. Parental satisfaction will assessed to help determine the social validity of the intervention for improving health outcomes.
Abstract # 1781 Relationship between cortisol, endocannabinoids, PTSD and depression immediately and six months after traumatic injury

Purpose Over 1 in 5 people who are severely injured will develop PTSD and depression. However, it is not well understood in the immediate aftermath of injury who is at risk for this chronic pathology. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the role of early (within 2 days) endocannabinoid and cortisol functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression 6 months following traumatic injury. Methods 31 participants who had experienced a traumatic injury requiring hospitalization underwent a blood draw early after trauma, as well as an assessment of PTSD and peritraumatic emotion regulation. At 6-months post-injury subject PTSD and depression symptoms were assessed, and another blood draw was completed. Pearson correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relationship between cortisol, 2-AG, and AEA and the symptom clusters of PTSD (avoidance, intrusions, hyperarousal, negative alterations in mood and cognitions), depression, stress, anxiety, and emotion regulation. These are preliminary analyses of a large scale study evaluating the endocannabinoid system as a marker for PTSD. Results Significant correlations were found between baseline 2-AG, AEA, and cortisol and peritraumatic emotionality and previous trauma history, as well as 6 month scores of hyperarousal, negative alterations in mood, and stress scores. Summary These preliminary data suggest a relationship between cortisol and the endocannabinoid system early after trauma that may play a role in emotional reactivity and psychological distress outcomes.
Autism Spectrum Disorders and Communication Disorders: Influences of Advanced Parental Age and Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology

Research suggests that two prenatal factors, advanced parental age and use of assisted reproductive technology (ART), may independently increase the likelihood for the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Our study evaluated the effect of advanced maternal and paternal ages (i.e., ages 35 and over) at the time of conception with and without the use of ART on the incidence of ASD and communication disorders (CD). We hypothesized that advanced parental age would be the strongest independent risk factor for the incidence of ASD and/or CD in offspring compared to younger parental age and use of ART. Information on 122 children was obtained through confidential survey. Parental ages at time of conception, diagnoses, use of ART, and infertility were considered. Results indicated that the risk of having a child with a CD increased significantly with either advanced maternal or paternal age. The risk of having a child diagnosed with ASD and/or CD was significantly higher for couples of advanced age, and the risk was significantly decreased for younger couples. Mothers of advanced age used ART at a significantly higher rate; however, this risk of having a child diagnosed with ASD and/or CD was not increased. Identification of risk factors (particularly combinations of risk factors) is essential for early detection of ASD and CD. The findings of our study, combined with other epidemiological data, may help to guide the development of prenatal screening tools and procedures. Implications are discussed.
The Effects of Faculty Status, Faculty Gender, Field of Study, and Class Size on the Use of Blogs, Wikis, and Discussion Boards

This study examined faculty's use of time intensive Web 2.0 technologies blogs, discussion forums, and wikis in teaching during a university's quest for higher research productivity and higher ranking in the Carnegie Classification. Results show there was a difference in using Web 2.0 technologies in teaching between faculty with different status tenure track and non-tenure track, male and female instructors, and among faculty members in different disciplinary areas. The study also reports how class sizes impacted faculty's use of time-consuming technologies in teaching across disciplines. Findings indicate the importance of planning and building technological changes and integration into an organizational strategic planning process to ensure continuing and effective integration of technology in teaching.
Using vegetation management and LiDAR-derived tree height data to improve outage predictions for electric utilities

Abstract The interaction of severe weather, overhead electric infrastructure and surrounding vegetation contributes to power outages. Given that 90% of storm outages in Connecticut are tree-related, accurate modeling of power outages before a storm arrives could result in improved pre-staging of crews and equipment resulting in improved electric reliability. The authors have generated a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data product that provides a 1-m resolution measurement of vegetation that is tall enough to strike overhead distribution powerlines, called “ProxPix”. These data, along with other vegetation management (e.g. tree trimming) and infrastructure data were evaluated for their improvement an outage prediction model over eastern Connecticut during Hurricane Sandy. A random forest model utilizing a repeated balanced sampling (RBS) approach with 10,000 iterations was used to evaluate which model forcing data accurately predicted the occurrence of a power outage in a 0.5 km grid cell. The authors found that models inputted with infrastructure, vegetation management, ProxPix, performed up to 5–13% better than simpler models depending on model evaluation criteria and input data; and that the model forced with utility infrastructure and ProxPix had the best overall performance. The ProxPix data created for this study have application to other research topics such as prioritizing areas for vegetation management near utilities and providing data on potential tree threats to roads, railways, or other infrastructure networks.
Bayesian model updating of a full-scale finite element model with sensitivity-based clustering

Summary Model updating based on vibration response measurements is a technique for reducing inherent modeling errors in finite element (FE) models that arise from simplifications, idealized connections, and uncertainties with regard to material properties. Updated FE models, which have relatively fewer discrepancies with their real structural counterparts, provide more in-depth predictions of the dynamic behaviors of those structures for future analysis. In this study, we develop a full-scale FE model of a major long-span bridge and update the model to improve an agreement between the identified modal properties of the real measured data and those from the FE model using a Bayesian model updating scheme. Sensitivity-based cluster analysis is performed to determine robust and efficient updating parameters, which include physical parameters having similar effects on targeted natural frequencies. The hybrid Monte Carlo method, one of the Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling methods, is used to obtain the posterior probability distributions of the updating parameters. Finally, the uncertainties of the updated parameters and the variability of the FE model's modal properties are evaluated.
Psychiatric diagnoses and medication treatment among patients presenting for paediatric weight management: associations with adiposity, aerobic fitness and cardiometabolic health.

We compared anthropometry, cardiometabolic risk and aerobic fitness among obese youth in weight management who were diagnosed with one or more psychiatric disorders (PD), with (PD+M) or without (PD-M) a prescribed psychotropic medication with those with no PD (NPD). Physical measures were evaluated at baseline, and psychiatric diagnoses and related medications were identified from medical records. Of 99 patients 64 (65%) had a diagnosed PD, and of those, 23 (36%) had a related medication (PD+M). Compared to NPD, PD-M had a higher body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.003), BMI z-score (P = 0.015), percent body fat (P = 0.005) and waist circumference (P < 0.001), after adjusting for age, but PD+M did not. Cardiometabolic risk did not differ between groups, but aerobic fitness was lower among PD-M (P = 0.001) and PD+M (P = 0.008) compared to NPD. Obese youth in weight management exhibit high rates of psychiatric diagnoses that are associated with lower fitness and higher adiposity and may impact treatment efficacy.
Which factors to induce hearing loss in professional musicians? Extensive literature review and histopathology findings can answer it

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the determining factors of noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in professional musicians (PMs).Methods: An extensive review using Pubmed, Medscape and Google scholar research was performed and studies with the following keywords were selected: ‘hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, music, classical music, rock music, pop music, musicians, orchestra, music student, professional musician, non-professional musician, music exposure and temporary hearing loss’. A histopathology study from individuals who during life were musician in orchestra was described.Results: Eighty to ninety per cent of PMs are affected from noise-induced SNHL at 3000–8000 Hz frequencies. The range of the frequency of SNHL was correlated with the frequency of the specific frequency of the musical instrument and to the sound intensity which they were exposed. The two temporal bones studied, showed a severely loss hair cells at the basal turn of both cochleae and moderate loss of hair cells in med...
Realism, horror and the Gothic in Dracula and Thomas Hardy’s “The fiddler of the reels”

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) and Bram Stoker (1847–1912) were contemporaries as well as members of the same literary circles (Hardy often attended performances at the Lyceum Theater, which Stoker managed). The two are rarely compared, however, because Hardy is generally regarded as a writer of realistic fiction and as a poet while Stoker is remembered as the writer of Dracula as well as other Gothic works even though he actually wrote more romances. Realism, Horror and the Gothic in Dracula and “The Fiddler of the Reels” points to the fact that these two works are representative of the kinds of fiction created at the end of the nineteenth century and that both writers comment on the times in which they live. Specifically, both adapt a trope from traditional balladry, The Daemon Lover, to reveal that the forces of the primitive past continue to lurk beneath their progressive and confident present and emerge to influence the present. Their emphasis on the continued power of the past serves to criticize the overconfidence that was common at the turn of the twentieth century when England dominated the world in science, economics and industry. What the two writers created, however, is quite different, and exploring Hardy’s “The Fiddler of the Reels” and Dracula moves beyond these two works to reveal the extent to which the realistic fiction of the nineteenth century came to incorporate Gothic tropes and materials without becoming fully Gothic, as well as the fact that the Gothic often explores real social problems. Moreover, examining these two works also reveals how knowledge of science led to the emphasis on horror rather than terror in the Gothic of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Of particular relevance to students of the Gothic is the way this article explores a critical period in the evolution of the Gothic and points to the fact that the Gothic became increasingly domesticated at this time, a trend that continues to the present day. Students of Hardy’s fiction will be especially interested to read this exploration of a story that is rarely discussed even by Hardy experts, and students of Dracula will gain an additional appreciation of the fact that Stoker was influenced by what was happening around him when he wrote his best-known novel.
Facility disparities in reporting comorbidities to the National Trauma Data Bank.

Abstract Background The National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) includes patient comorbidities. This study evaluates factors of trauma centers associated with higher rates of missing comorbidity data. Methods Proportions of missing comorbidity data from facilities in the NTDB from 2011 to 2014 were evaluated for associations with facility characteristics. Proportional impact analysis was performed to identify potential policy targets. Results Of 919 included facilities, 85% reported comorbidity data in 95% or more cases; only 31.3% were missing no data. Missing rates were significantly different based on most facility categories, but independently associated only with hospital size, region, and trauma center level. Only 15% of centers were responsible for over 80% of cases missing data. Conclusions There is significant nonrandom variation in reporting trauma patient comorbidities to the NTDB. Missing data needs to be recognized and considered in studies of trauma comorbidities. Targeted intervention may improve data quality.