cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dispersion analysis in skin using FEM: Characterizing the effects of the lower boundary material on the propagation of shear waves

Skin represents a complex structure for the quantification of viscoelastic (VE) properties using shear waves. Wave propagation through skin has been modeled as propagating both as a Lamb wave and as a Rayleigh wave, but both assumptions are limited due to the structure of the skin, which is a multi-layered tissue. This complexity of structure makes it difficult to accurately assess the relative contributions of geometry and viscosity to shear wave dispersion. In this study we used finite element modeling (FEM) to simulate the layering and VE properties of skin and subcutaneous tissues to assess characteristics of shear wave propagation through skin. Results were compared to the expected solutions using pure Rayleigh wave or Lamb wave models. From the simulation it was established that under most physiological circumstances the Lamb wave model is more appropriate than the Rayleigh wave model, higher frequencies should be used for viscoelasticity characterization, and imaging thicker regions of skin facilitates higher accuracy for characterizing its VE properties.
Optical modulation of THz plasmonic resonances using perovskites

We introduce a novel approach for photo-induced modulation of THz resonances using organometal trihalide perovskites. In contrast to equivalent devices based on conventional semiconductors or graphene, a wide variety of different perovskites, with tunable chemical compositions, can be either solution processed or thermally deposited on to desired substrates. We demonstrate 100% depth of modulation for THz plasmonic resonances using methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbb) perovskite, where the medium is photo-excited using a standard halogen lamp.
Mathematical investigation of IP3-dependent calcium dynamics in astrocytes

We study evoked calcium dynamics in astrocytes, a major cell type in the mammalian brain. Experimental evidence has shown that such dynamics are highly variable between different trials, cells, and cell subcompartments. Here we present a qualitative analysis of a recent mathematical model of astrocyte calcium responses. We show how the major response types are generated in the model as a result of the underlying bifurcation structure. By varying key channel parameters, mimicking blockers used by experimentalists, we manipulate this underlying bifurcation structure and predict how the distributions of responses can change. We find that store-operated calcium channels, plasma membrane bound channels with little activity during calcium transients, have a surprisingly strong effect, underscoring the importance of considering these channels in both experiments and mathematical settings. Variation in the maximum flow in different calcium channels is also shown to determine the range of stable oscillations, as well as set the range of frequencies of the oscillations. Further, by conducting a randomized search through the parameter space and recording the resulting calcium responses, we create a database that can be used by experimentalists to help estimate the underlying channel distribution of their cells.
Analyzing Rule 40’s Restrictions on Using Athletes in Olympic Sponsorship at Rio 2016

This intervention considers changes to Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter during the 2016 Summer Games. It compares predictions made prior to the Games relating to legal issues in Olympic sponsorship and ambush marketing with what was observed on-site and what occurred online pertaining to legal issues in sponsorship at Rio 2016. Using examples from the United States and efforts by the USOC to enforce Rule 40, the author considers how Olympic officials have shifted their emphasis toward regulatory efforts aimed at athletes, such as through a relaxed Rule 40, rather than via traditional brand-protection efforts. The implications of this change are suggested in the context of the Olympic legal and business environment.
Supplier Resources in the Sharing Economy: Three Regulatory Concerns

This article explores three legal and regulatory concerns that primarily affect the supply side of marketing channels in the sharing economy. The sharing economy depends on resources and relationships between and among numerous networks and actors, including government regulators, emerging businesses, service providers, and end users who interact directly with the supply chain. Although providing economic prospects for companies and contractors, the sharing economy presents a variety of challenges for all parties, including the proper classification of the employment relationship; the use of, and access to, private property; and data privacy and security. The nascent state of theory and regulation means that companies and other stakeholders are potentially and unwarily assuming significant risk in the structure and implementation of the supply chain.
How to do things with emotional expressions: The theory of affective pragmatics.

ABSTRACTIt is widely accepted that emotional expressions can be rich communicative devices. We can learn much from the tears of a grieving friend, the smiles of an affable stranger, or the slamming of a door by a disgruntled lover. So far, a systematic analysis of what can be communicated by emotional expressions of different kinds and of exactly how such communication takes place has been missing. The aim of this article is to introduce a new framework for the study of emotional expressions that I call the theory of affective pragmatics (TAP). As linguistic pragmatics focuses on what utterances mean in a context, affective pragmatics focuses on what emotional expressions mean in a context. TAP develops and connects two principal insights. The first is the insight that emotional expressions do much more than simply expressing emotions. As proponents of the Behavioral Ecology View of facial movements have long emphasized, bodily displays are sophisticated social tools that can communicate the signaler's in...
Boolean Unateness Testing with Õ(n^{3/4}) Adaptive Queries

We give an adaptive algorithm that tests whether an unknown Boolean function f: {0,1}^n -&#x2248; {0, 1} is unate (i.e. every variable of f is either non-decreasing or non-increasing) or &#x2265;-far from unate with one-sided error and O(n^{3/4}/&#x2265;^2) many queries. This improves on the best adaptive O(n/&#x2265;)-query algorithm from Baleshzar, Chakrabarty, Pallavoor, Raskhodnikova and Seshadhri when 1/&#x3b5;
A Bayesian analysis for the Wilcoxon signed-rank statistic

ABSTRACTA Bayesian analysis is provided for the Wilcoxon signed-rank statistic (T+). The Bayesian analysis is based on a sign-bias parameter φ on the (0, 1) interval. For the case of a uniform prior probability distribution for φ and for small sample sizes (i.e., 6 ⩽ n ⩽ 25), values for the statistic T+ are computed that enable probabilistic statements about φ. For larger sample sizes, approximations are provided for the asymptotic likelihood function P(T+|φ) as well as for the posterior distribution P(φ|T+). Power analyses are examined both for properly specified Gaussian sampling and for misspecified non Gaussian models. The new Bayesian metric has high power efficiency in the range of 0.9–1 relative to a standard t test when there is Gaussian sampling. But if the sampling is from an unknown and misspecified distribution, then the new statistic still has high power; in some cases, the power can be higher than the t test (especially for probability mixtures and heavy-tailed distributions). The new Bayesi...
Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Studies of Fast Ion Conductors

Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) is emerging as a computational technique of choice in the study of the kinetics of materials, especially fast ionic conductors that are of immense interest to energy storage and other application. In this chapter, we will first provide an introduction of the theoretical underpinnings of AIMD, including both the Car-Parrinello and Born-Oppenheimer variants and the analysis of such simulations for diffusion properties. As for defects that are frequently introduced via aliovalent doping and are crucial for tuning the ionic conductivity in the conductors, we will briefly discuss the first principles techniques that allow us to measure the dopability of materials. Finally, we will review several application-driven examples, such as electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells and rechargeable alkali-ion batteries, wherein AIMD techniques have provided useful insights for materials design.
Pair-density waves, charge-density waves, and vortices in high- T c cuprates

The authors analyze a recent STM experiment, reporting a period-8 charge density wave (CDW) in the vortex halo in striking contrast to the period-4 CDWs that are commonly observed in the cuprates. Inside the superconducting dome, the observation of CDWs necessarily implies the existence of a pair density wave (PDW) at the same momentum, as suggested by various theoretical proposals. The authors discuss distinct experimental features, which distiguish the case where this newly reported CDW is driven by a PDW and the case where the CDW is the primary order, and suggest follow-up experiments in order to distinguish unambiguously these two scenarios. The PDW-driven scenario is then put into a broader context in relation to the pseudo-gap phenomenology, H${}_{c}$${}_{2}$, and different kinds of CDWs.
High-Contrast Resonance Excitation in Photonic Crystal Nanobeams via Side-Coupling and Wave-Vector Matching

Photonic crystal nanobeams engender exceptional high Q/V devices but suffer broadband signal loss off-resonance and low on-resonance transmission. We demonstrate drastically improved transmission metrics without compromising Q-factor using side-coupled excitation with optical momentum matching.
Translingualism revisited: Language difference and hybridity in L2 writing

Abstract Translingualism has become increasingly popular as a construct that captures the fluid nature of language(s) and writers’ ability to strategically draw from nonstandard language varieties, a practice referred to as “code-meshing.” This critical review reassesses the merits of translingualism in the context of L2 writing. While translingualism has blurred traditional boundaries between L1 and L2 writing, it remains unclear whether and how multilingual students would benefit from translingual pedagogy. Not only does translingualism appear to lack theoretical grounding in previous L2 writing research, scholars have also noted that students may be ill-equipped to engage in code-meshing if they lack proficiency in established varieties of the target language. In addition, it is uncertain whether code-meshing could contribute to more positive self-perceptions among multilingual students, as some practitioner-scholars have suggested. While recognizing code-meshing’s appeal as a strategy of hybridity, this paper concludes that L2 writing educators should therefore avoid uncritically adopting translingual approaches. The paper also makes a significant contribution by considering the differences between spoken and written forms of self-presentation, an overlooked distinction in the debate on language difference. Further research should help determine whether students experience the need or desire to code-mesh and negotiate translingual identities as writers.
{IVR} Junction: Building Scalable and Distributed Voice Forums in the Developing World

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems play an important role in collecting and disseminating information in developing regions. Recently, researchers have used IVR technology to build voice forums, in which callers leave messages that can be heard over the Internet and over the phone. However, despite their appeal, voice forums remain difficult to set up, and difficult to scale due to the overhead of moderating content and the cost of phone calls. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities in creating scalable voice forums. We also present a new open-source system, IVR Junction, that leverages existing free services and commercial tools to simplify the process of creating a voice forum. IVR Junction utilizes familiar cloud-based services to provide free content hosting and moderation, as well as a novel mechanism for automatically synchronizing content across geographically-dispersed offices, thereby enabling local access points with decreased calling costs.
Transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate fiducial marker placement for prostate localization during external beam radiotherapy: a safe and reliable procedure

Purpose Fiducial markers may be used to localize the prostate during radiotherapy using portal film and/or cone-beam CT. The purpose of this study is to describe the technique, efficacy, and complications of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate fiducial marker placement by interventional radiology. Materials and Methods With IRB approval, medical records of patients who underwent TRUS-guided prostate fiducial marker placement between 1/2011 and 8/2012 were reviewed. Three gold markers, Visicoil (IBA, Bartlett, TN) or AnchorMarker (Biocompatibles, Oxford, CT), were placed, 1 each in the right and left prostate base as well as right apex (1). Post-procedure frontal and lateral radiographs confirmed placement. An additional marker was placed if malposition was noted. Complications of fiducial placement and need for additional localization modality at radiotherapy were recorded. Results In total 111 men with mean age 69 years (range 52—90), mean PSA 11 (range 1—106), mean Gleason score 7 (range 6—9), and clinical stage T1c—T3b underwent marker placement. Prior TURP was noted in in 6 (5.4%), and cryotherapy in 1 (0.9%). Mean prostate volume was 31.5 mL (range 2—130). In 60 (54%), 1% lidocaine was injected into the neurovascular bundle; 51 (46%) received no lidocaine. Moderate sedation due to anxiety was used in 1 (0.9%) and general anesthesia due to anal canal stenosis was used in 1 (0.9%). Malposition of 1 marker was recognized at US in 4 (3.6%) and on radiograph in 2 (1.8%), necessitating additional fiducial placement. In all cases, the fiducials were still used during radiotherapy. Poor visualization of the fiducial markers required additional prostate localization in 3 patients (2.7%) using B-mode acquisition and targeting US. Post-procedure urinary tract infection requiring oral antibiotics occurred in 1 (0.9%). Urosepsis requiring admission and IV antibiotics occurred in 1 (0.9%). Conclusion TRUS-guided prostate fiducial marker placement is a safe and reliable technique that may be performed by the interventional radiologist for subsequent prostate localization during radiotherapy. Reference 1. Shinohara K, Roach M, 3rd. Technique for implantation of fiducial markers in the prostate. Urology. 2008 Feb;71:196–200.
Cannabidiol Psychoactivity: A Perspective on Claims of US Patent 6630507

The Department of Health and Human Services owns US Patent 6630507 which states that cannabinoids are powerfulantioxidants and have the potential to treat myriad ischemic, age-related, inflammatory, and auto-immune disorders. Thepatent claims cannabinoids are also a natural neuroprotectant which could help treat neurological damage caused bystroke and trauma, as well as other neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Disease, and Multiple Sclerosis.This perspective paper assesses the properties and usefulness of the patented cannabinoid.
Insights into the Speciation of Cu in the Cu-H-Mordenite Catalyst for the Oxidation of Methane to Methanol

The proton form of Cu-exchanged mordenite (Cu-H-MOR) was prepared via ion-exchange, and the nature of the active Cu species in the cyclic oxidation of CH4 to CH3OH was investigated by high-pressure...
Self-regenerating giant hyaluronan polymer brushes

Tailoring interfaces with polymer brushes is a commonly used strategy to create functional materials for numerous applications. Existing methods are limited in brush thickness, the ability to generate high-density brushes of biopolymers, and the potential for regeneration. Here we introduce a scheme to synthesize ultra-thick regenerating hyaluronan polymer brushes using hyaluronan synthase. The platform provides a dynamic interface with tunable brush heights that extend up to 20 microns - two orders of magnitude thicker than standard brushes. The brushes are easily sculpted into micropatterned landscapes by photo-deactivation of the enzyme. Further, they provide a continuous source of megadalton hyaluronan or they can be covalently-stabilized to the surface. Stabilized brushes exhibit superb resistance to biofilms, yet are locally digested by fibroblasts. This brush technology provides opportunities in a range of arenas including regenerating tailorable biointerfaces for implants, wound healing or lubrication as well as fundamental studies of the glycocalyx and polymer physics.
Determining maternal risk factors for gastroschisis using Colorado's birth registry database.

Abstract Aim of Study Gastroschisis is a congenital abdominal wall defect which results in herniation of abdominal contents. The objective of this study was to determine the maternal risk factors for gastroschisis in Colorado. Methods A case–control study was performed using the Birth Registry database from 2007 to 2016. The outcome was gastroschisis, and the main variable was maternal age which was divided into 30 years of age. Descriptive analysis, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression was performed. Results There were 236 cases of gastroschisis compared to 944 controls. Maternal age did vary significantly between groups (23.4 ± 5 years (cases) vs. 28.7 ± 5.9 years (controls); p 30 years of age. Independent risk factors for gastroschisis were exposure to prenatal and first trimester cigarettes, prenatal and first trimester alcohol, and chlamydia infection. The odds (4.41, 95% CI 1.36–14.26) of gastroschisis were highest in those with first trimester cigarette exposure and young maternal age (p = 0.03). Conclusions Young maternal age, cigarette exposure, alcohol exposure, and chlamydia infection increase the odds of gastroschisis. The interaction between young maternal age and first trimester cigarette exposure significantly increases the odds of gastroschisis. Type of Study Prognosis Study. Level of Evidence Level III.
A pilot study augmenting cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder with attention bias modification: Clinical and psychophysiological outcomes.

Abstract Background and objectives Studies show that attentional bias towards threat is a key maintenance factor for panic disorder (PD). Attentional bias may be an important mechanism of symptom reduction, and thus, a useful target for optimizing outcomes. The current study examined whether an attention bias modification (ABM) task enhanced CBT outcomes. Multiple methods for assessing PD were used, including physiological measurement and clinician-rated assessment. Methods Adults with panic disorder (N = 24) received seven sessions of CBT with either ABM or sham attention tasks. Psychophysiological reaction to a loud tones startle paradigm was assessed before and after treatment. Results Across both groups, panic symptom severity decreased with CBT. The ABM group showed greater reductions in PD symptoms compared to the placebo group. Notably, however, changes in attentional bias were not associated with symptom reductions across groups. No significant group differences on psychophysiological assessment were observed. Limitations This study is limited by the small sample size, which rendered our power to investigate mediators and moderators insufficient. More research is needed to validate the effect of attention bias modification on attentional bias to threat. Conclusions This pilot study suggests that future research should investigate attentional bias in conjunction with CBT. A larger sample would provide opportunity to further investigate the mechanisms through which ABM works, along with potential moderating factors and the use of psychophysiological measurements in panic disorder.
The study on molecular evolution of influenza virus B isolated in Shenzhen from 1994 to 2006

Objective To study the prevalence and variation of influenza B viruses of Shenzhen. Methods Fifty strains influenza B viruses in Shenzhen from 1994 to 2006 were selected. HA1 gene were amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of HA1 was conducted by MEGA program. Results The influenza B viruses of Shenzhen were divided into Yamagata and Victoria lineage. The two lineages prevailed respectively in different years from 1994 to 2006. The variance of glycosylation site and some mutations of antigenic determinants were detected in the two lineages. Conclusion The viruses of Yamagata and Victoria lineage prevailed respectively in different years in Shenzhen but the mutation rates of the two lineages were slowly. Key words: Influenza virus B; Phyletic evolution; Molecular mutation 25627964
Deep Parametric Mixtures for Modeling the Functional Connectome.

Functional connectivity between brain regions is often estimated by correlating brain activity measured by resting-state fMRI in those regions. The impact of factors (e.g., disorder or substance use) are then modeled by their effects on these correlation matrices in individuals. A crucial step in better understanding their effects on brain function could lie in estimating connectomes, which encode the correlation matrices across subjects. Connectomes are mostly estimated by creating a single average for a specific cohort, which works well for binary factors (such as sex) but is unsuited for continuous ones, such as alcohol consumption. Alternative approaches based on regression methods usually model each pair of regions separately, which generally produces incoherent connectomes as correlations across multiple regions contradict each other. In this work, we address these issues by introducing a deep learning model that predicts connectomes based on factor values. The predictions are defined on a simplex spanned across correlation matrices, whose convex combination guarantees that the deep learning model generates well-formed connectomes. We present an efficient method for creating these simplexes and improve the accuracy of the entire analysis by defining loss functions based on robust norms. We show that our deep learning approach is able to produce accurate models on challenging synthetic data. Furthermore, we apply the approach to the resting-state fMRI scans of 281 subjects to study the effect of sex, alcohol, and HIV on brain function.
Intelligent Classifiers on the Construction of Pollution Biosensors Based on Bivalves Behavior

The aquatic environment is subject to a series of contaminants resulting from anthropogenic activity which may compromise biota health and the quality of water resources. There is an imperative need for cost-effective, accurate and online solutions for monitoring aquatic environments. The present work proposes the construction of aquatic pollution biosensors for detecting both petrochemical and anti-fouling paint compounds based on the behavioral analysis of Perna perna mussels through multiple classifier systems. Networks of mussels instrumented with Hall effect sensors and magnets were exposed to Water-Accommodated Fraction of diesel and micro-particles of anti-fouling paint. The hourly behavioral parameters average amplitude, transition frequency and amount of motion reversals were used to infer the contamination status (polluted or not) through voting classifiers. Results presented high accuracy (95.8%) in predicting diesel pollution and non-pollution while lack of data and intrinsic characteristics of anti-fouling paints provided less significant results for detecting its compounds. This paper has demonstrated a promising use of artificial intelligence in the construction of aquatic pollution biosensors using behavioral analysis of bivalves mollusks.
3D Transformative Routing for UAV Swarming Networks: A Skeleton-Guided, GPS-Free Approach

A challenging issue for a three-dimensional (3D) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network is addressed in this paper - how do we efficiently establish and maintain one or multiple routes among swarm regions (i.e., groups of UAVs), during the dynamic swarming process? Inspired by the human nervous system which can efficiently send brain signals to any tissue, we propose a 3D transformative routing (3D-TR) scheme, which consists of three novel designs: (1) Proactive routing skeleton establishment: 3D-TR first identifies the skeleton of the UAV network, which has a trunk-stem-stemlet (TSS) structure. The trunk is located in the relatively stable area of the network (i.e., the central area), and stems/stemlets reside in the outer areas with more swarming movements. Such a TSS skeleton enables the easy establishment of the path(s) with low end-to-end delay and a high packet delivery rate. (2) Reactive, transformative path selection: The 3D-TR scheme can smoothly adapt to the formation changes through dynamic TSS adjustments. (3) Bottleneck-aware route maintenance: We propose an efficient scheme to recognize the bottleneck nodes in each path and build the diversified routing pipes with different thickness/stability levels. The proposed routing scheme is distributed (only uses local message exchanges among 1-hop neighbors) and does not require the GPS (global positioning system) positions of the UAVs. Extensive simulations are conducted to validate the performance of the proposed 3D-TR scheme during the dynamic UAV swarming process.
Liver Disease and HPLC Quantification of Disialotransferrin for Heavy Alcohol Use: A Case Series

Background: It had previously been suggested that individuals with cirrhosis may have a pattern of transferrin glycosylation that interferes with the interpretation of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) testing for heavy alcohol use. The goal of this case series was to evaluate the prevalence of liver disease among individuals with poor resolution of transferrin glycoforms by high performance liquid chromatography. Methods: We reviewed the electronic medical records of 35 consecutive patients with poor chromatographic resolution of disialotransferrin from trisialotransferrin and recorded information on diagnosed liver disease, liver function testing, and other factors. Results: Thirty of the 35 subjects with poor chromatographic resolution of the transferrin glycoforms had sufficient data in the medical record for some estimation of liver function. Of these 30 subjects, 25 had previously diagnosed liver pathology. Of the remaining 5 subjects, 2 had liver imaging results suggestive of benign tumor; the remaining 3 had mildly elevated bilirubin and aminotransferase activity, and low albumin. Conclusions: Liver abnormalities, but not necessarily cirrhosis, are common in individuals with poor chromatographic separation of transferrin glycoforms, which might lead to false-positive results on CDT testing. However, the chromatographic-based assay can detect this issue, minimizing the reporting of false positives, but not necessarily assisting in valid detection of heavy drinking.
Diffusion Dynamics in European and Latin American Democratization

Surprisingly, the cross-national diffusion of contention over political regimes has slowed down greatly over the last 200 years. Yet at the same time, its rate of success in triggering democratic transitions has increased as clearly. What accounts for these inverse trends and the negative correlation underlying them? After refuting arguments that highlight modernization and globalization, the rise of nationalism, rational learning, and the appeal of norms and values, this paper develops a novel explanation that rests on cognitive-psychological insights and invokes secular organizational developments. In the 19th century, before political parties had arisen, it fell to common people to decide on whether to join challenges to established autocrats. Short on reliable information and political experience, these citizens relied on inferential shortcuts that induced them to follow external precedents of successful regime changes rashly; yet this very rashness, which bred challenges in unfavorable situations, led to limited success. After the rise of parties, by contrast, common people take cues from organizational leaders, who command more information and experience. Before emulating an external precedent and challenging their own rulers, leaders therefore wait for propitious circumstances. For this reason, regime contention in the 20th century diffuses more slowly yet attains higher rates of success. The paper documents these arguments by analyzing the spread of the 1848 revolutions, the impact of the Russian Revolutions of 1917, and the third wave of democratization, exemplified by Chile’s transition to democracy during the 1980s.
Parenting changes in adults with cancer.

BACKGROUND Children whose parents have cancer are at risk for psychosocial difficulties; however, the mechanisms are not well understood. This cross-sectional study sought support for a model connecting parental cancer to child distress through its impact on parenting self-efficacy beliefs and parenting behaviors by examining relations among parental illness, quality of life/parent functioning, parenting efficacy beliefs, and concerns about children's emotional distress. METHODS One hundred ninety-four adult oncology outpatients with children who were 18 years old or younger completed questionnaires assessing their health-related quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–General), depression and anxiety symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), overall distress (Distress Thermometer), and parenting efficacy beliefs and parenting concerns (Parenting Concerns Questionnaire). RESULTS Parenting efficacy scores for parents and coparents declined significantly after diagnosis. This decline correlated with more visits to a medical clinic, treatment with intravenous chemotherapy in the past month, poorer health-related quality of life, and more depression and distress. Parents experiencing the most concern about the impact of mood, physical limitations, and changes in routines on their children experienced the biggest declines in their own sense of efficacy as parents and in their belief in their coparent's efficacy. Finally, declines in parenting efficacy beliefs correlated with parental concerns about children's emotional distress about aspects of the parent's illness. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the importance of identifying and addressing parenting concerns to alleviate patient distress, and it may help to guide future intervention efforts. Cancer 2015;121:3435–43. © 2015 American Cancer Society.
Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, and Phobic Disorders

Anxiety and phobic disorders are among the most prevalent, distressing, and disabling of psychosocial problems. They are problems that have long fascinated psychological theorists, and were the first phenomena to which self-efficacy theory was applied (Bandura, 1977; Bandura & Adams, 1977; Bandura, Adams, & Beyer, 1977). Since that initial work, considerable additional research has addressed how people’s views of their own coping abilities bear on diverse adjustment problems (Maddux, 1991). This chapter reviews the status of self-efficacy perceptions as causes of anxiety and phobia, and whether self-efficacy theory is heuristic in developing improved treatments. The focus is on current causation rather than historical etiology. The aim is not to systematically address every constellation of responses that might be labeled an anxiety disorder*, but to examine the influence of self-efficacy perceptions on the functional impairment, scary thoughts and feelings, and physiological arousal that characterize anxiety-related problems.
Retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) high risk gross tumor volume boost (HR GTV boost) contour delineation agreement among NRG sarcoma radiation and surgical oncologists

Purpose Curative intent management of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) requires gross total resection. Preoperative radiotherapy (RT) often is used as an adjuvant to surgery, but recurrence rates remain high. To enhance RT efficacy with acceptable tolerance, there is interest in delivering “boost doses” of RT to high-risk areas of gross tumor volume (HR GTV) judged to be at risk for positive resection margins. We sought to evaluate variability in HR GTV boost target volume delineation among collaborating sarcoma radiation and surgical oncologist teams.
Mass isotopomer analysis: Theoretical and practical considerations

A theory of mass isotopomer analysis based on the well-known principle of isotope dilution mass spectrometry is reviewed. An algorithm for the determination of isotope incorporation into a metabolic substrate from a labeled precursor using mass isotopomer analysis is presented. The steps include the determination of the contribution of the derivatization reagent to the observed spectrum of the derivatized substrate and the correction of contribution from 13C natural abundance using multiple linear regression analysis. Examples of the application of this theory to determine the spectrum of the trimethylsilyl derivative of the 'pure unlabeled' or mononuclidic cholesterol, and the calculation of mass isotopomer distribution in cholesterol due to tracer incorporation using this 'pure unlabeled' spectrum, are also provided.
A Theory for the Tropical Tropospheric Biennial Oscillation.

The key questions of how the tropospheric biennial oscillation (TBO) maintains the same phase from northern summer in South Asia to southern summer in Australia, and how the reversed phase can last through three locally inactive seasons to the next monsoon, are studied by a simple tropical atmosphere‐ocean‐land model. The model has five boxes representing the South Asian and Australian monsoon regions and the equatorial Indian and western and eastern Pacific Oceans. The five regions interact with each other through the SST‐ monsoon, evaporation‐wind, monsoon‐Walker circulation, and wind stress‐ocean thermocline feedbacks. A biennial oscillation emerges in a reasonable parameter regime, with model SST and wind variations resembling many aspects of the observed TBO. Warm SST anomalies (SSTA) in July in the equatorial Indian Ocean cause an increase of surface moisture convergence into South Asia, leading to a stronger monsoon. The monsoon heating on one hand induces a westerly wind anomaly in the Indian Ocean, and on the other hand intensifies a planetary-scale east‐west circulation leading to anomalous easterlies over the western and central Pacific. The westerly anomaly over the Indian Ocean decreases the local SST, primarily by evaporation‐wind feedback. The easterly anomaly in the central Pacific causes a deepening of the ocean thermocline in the western Pacific therefore increasing the subsurface and surface temperatures. In addition, a modest easterly anomaly in the western Pacific opposes the seasonal mean westerlies so evaporation is reduced. These effects overwhelm those of the cold zonal advection and anomalous upwelling. The net result is warm SSTA persisting in the western Pacific through northern fall, leading to a stronger Australian monsoon. Meanwhile, the warming in the western Pacific also induces a stronger local Walker cell and thus a surface westerly anomaly over the Indian Ocean. This westerly anomaly helps the cold SSTA to persist through the succeeding seasons, leading to a weaker Asian monsoon in the following summer. During northern winter the westerly anomaly associated with the stronger Australian monsoon, through anomalous ocean downwelling and reduction of evaporation (when the seasonal mean wind is easterly), reinvigorates the warm SSTA in the western Pacific, which has been weakened by the slow cold advection from the eastern Pacific. This further intensifies the eastern Walker cell and helps to keep the eastern Pacific cold. The authors’ theory indicates that the TBO is an inherent result of the interactions between northern summer and winter monsoon and the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. Thus, it is an important component of the
Automation, decision support, and expert systems in nephrology.

Increasing data suggest that errors in medicine occur frequently and result in substantial harm to the patient. The Institute of Medicine report described the magnitude of the problem, and public interest in this issue, which was already large, has grown. The traditional approach in medicine has been to identify the persons making the errors and recommend corrective strategies. However, it has become increasingly clear that it is more productive to focus on the systems and processes through which care is provided. If these systems are set up in ways that would both make errors less likely and identify those that do occur and, at the same time, improve efficiency, then safety and productivity would be substantially improved. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are active knowledge systems that use 2 or more items of patient data to generate case specific recommendations. CDSSs are typically designed to integrate a medical knowledge base, patient data, and an inference engine to generate case specific advice. This article describes how automation, templating, and CDSS improve efficiency, patient care, and safety by reducing the frequency and consequences of medical errors in nephrology. We discuss practical applications of these in 3 settings: a computerized anemia-management program (CAMP © , Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI), vascular access surveillance systems, and monthly capitation notes in the hemodialysis unit.
Effect of mineralocorticoids on spontaneous sodium chloride appetite of adrenalectomized rats

Abstract Administration of graded dose levels of either d-aldosterone or desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) to adrenalectomized rats given choice between water and 0.15 M NaCl solution to drink yielded a U-shaped dose-response relationship between percent change in intake of NaCl solution and dose of hormone administered. The greatest reduction in intake of NaCl solution occurred when either 32 μg/day of aldosterone (8–11 μg/100 g body wt per day) or 400 μg/day of DOCA (100–120 μg/100 g body wt per day) was administered. Doses of the hormones greater than these returned percent change in NaCl intake either to the level, or beyond that, of untreated adrenalectomized rats. The percent change in water intake tended generally to be the mirror image of NaCl intake. The effect of graded doses of mineralocorticoids on spontaneous NaCl intake appeared to be relatively specific in that graded doses of either cortisone acetate, estrone or testosterone propionate were without effect. Hence, blood level of mineralocorticoid may play a specific and important physiological role in regulation of spontaneous NaCl intake in rats.
Relationships Among Private Speech and Creativity Measurements of Young Children

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among thought processes represented in young children's private speech and creativity assessments of the same children. A secondary purpose was to study the role of affective private speech and its association with creativity measures. The sample was 42 preschool and kindergarten children on whom creativity measures were obtained using the Torrance Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement (TCAM) assessment instrument. Private speech was collected from the same children. Each private speech utterance was coded into one of five levels: (a) task irrelevant speech (T-1); (b) nonfacilitative, task relevant speech (T-2); (c) task relevant speech (T-3); (d) coping/reinforcing speech (T-4); and (e) solving speech (T-5). Statistical analysis revealed significant positive relationships among creativity measures, solving speech, and coping/reinforcing speech. Furthermore, coping and reinforcing private speech were consistently linked with high creativity measu...
Ligand Design by Ionomers. ESR of MoV in Perfluorinated Ionomer Supports

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of Mo5+ in perfluorinated membranes (Nafion) neutralized by MoCl5 suggest that the ionomer acts as an ion-selective medium and replaces the chlorine ligands of the molybdenum center by oxygen ligands from the sulfonic groups. This conclusion is based on an analysis of the ESR parameters that characterize the paramagnetic center and is supported by the detection of only one major paramagnetic molybdenum site, Mo(A) in the bulk ionomer, in the absence of solvents. Ligand design via the ionomer was thus achieved. We propose that the main molybdenum species is MoO(SO3-)5, where the unique oxygen ligand is from an SO group of the sulfonic moiety. Exposure of Mo/Nafion to water (up to 5 Torr) has no significant effect on the ESR parameters and on the intensity of the ESR signal. Exposure to 25 Torr of water leads to the reversible disappearance of the ESR signal. Brief exposure of Mo/Nafion to gaseous acetonitrile (as CD3CN) results in the appearance of two new Mo species, ...
A convenient, reproducible two-step synthesis of 6,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]heptane-2,4-dione

Abstract A convenient, reproducible two-step method for preparing 6,6-dimethylbicyclo[3.1.1]heptane-2,4-dione is described. The method involves isomerizing the double bond of commercially available (−)-verbenone as previously described, followed by ozonolysis to give the desired product in good yield.
Umbilical blood flow, fetal oxygen consumption and placental diffusion clearance of antipyrine in the baboon.

Abstract Umbilical blood flow in the baboon fetus near term was measured using the antipyrine diffusion method. The mean umbilical blood flow for seven fetuses of five mothers was 104.2 ± 32.2 ml/min/kg. The mean fetal oxygen consumption was 5.7 ± 2.0 ml/min/kg. The mean placental diffusion clearance of antipyrine was 54.5 ± 15 ml/min/kg. The baboon fetuses had significantly lower umbilical blood flows than rhesus monkey fetuses (Behrman, Peterson and deLannoy, 1969) under the same conditions of an acute experimental protocol using general anesthesia for the mothers; oxygen consumption and antipyrine diffusion clearances were similar for both species. The lack of a significant difference in oxygen consumption despite a lower umbilical blood flow in the baboon fetuses may be related to the difference in position of the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve and or the greater extraction of oxygen by the baboon placenta and fetus. The antipyrine diffusion clearance data were consistent with the oxygen consumption data and suggest greater efficiency of placental transfer of antipyrine as well as oxygen across the baboon placenta compared to the rhesus monkey placenta.
Optimal classification methods for mapping agricultural tillage practices

Abstract The classification of agricultural tillage systems has proven challenging in the past using traditional classification methods due to the similarity of spectral reflectance signatures of soils and senescent crop residues. In this study, five classification methods were examined to determine the most suitable classification algorithm for the identification of no-till (NT) and traditional tillage (TT) cropping methods: minimum distance (MD), Mahalanobis distance, Maximum Likelihood (ML), spectral angle mapping (SAM), and the cosine of the angle concept (CAC). A Landsat ETM+ image acquired over southern Michigan and northern Indiana was used to test these classification methods. Each classification method was validated with 293 ground truth sampling locations collected commensurate with the satellite overpass. Classification accuracy was then assessed using error matrix analysis, Kappa statistics, and tests for statistical significance. The results indicate that of the classification routines examined, the two spectral angle methods were superior to the others. The cosine of the angle concept algorithm outperformed all the other classification routines for tillage practice identification and mapping, yielding an overall accuracy of 97.2% (Kappa=0.959).
Chronotropic Incompetence The Implications of Heart Rate Response to Exercise (Compensatory Parasympathetic Hyperactivity

The report in this issue by Lauer et al1 provides more fascinating data on the possible predictive value of a reduced response of the sinus node to exercise. They exploited the opportunity to study this important response in 1575 healthy participants in the Framingham Offspring Study who had exercise tests on entry in the 1970s. The mortality and morbidity of the men in this study were extracted from the Framingham follow-up data as well as during follow-up examinations 8, 12, and 16 years after their entry. These investigators correlated the mortality and incident coronary disease with the subject’s ability or failure to reach 85% of maximum predicted heart rate, actual increase in heart rate from rest to maximum, and a ratio of heart rate to metabolic reserve achieved by stage 2 of the Bruce exercise protocol. This ratio compensates for the differences in age and physical fitness and provides a chronotropic index. During a mean follow-up of 7.7 years, the inability to achieve the target heart rate in 21% of the subjects was correlated with total mortality and with the incidence of coronary disease including myocardial infarction. Similar correlations occurred with a reduced heart rate increase with exercise and with the chronotropic response index calculated as previously mentioned. The data suffer from the fact that exercise was arbitrarily terminated at 85% of age-predicted heart rate, a highly artificial value that had considerable adherence in the 1970s. However, previous work suggests that if their patients had been exercised to a symptom-limited end point, the correlations with coronary events would have been even stronger. The reason the magnitude of the increase in heart rate during an exercise test would be predictive of subsequent events and mortality is an intriguing one. Lauer and colleagues’1 report reaches the same …
Matrimid® derived carbon molecular sieve hollow fiber membranes for ethylene/ethane separation

Abstract Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes have shown promising separation performance compared to conventional polymeric membranes. Translating the very attractive separation properties from dense films to hollow fibers is important for applying CMS materials in realistic gas separations. The very challenging ethylene/ethane separation is the primary target of this work. Matrimid® derived CMS hollow fiber membranes have been investigated in this work. Resultant CMS fiber showed interesting separation performance for several gas pairs, especially high selectivity for C2H4/C2H6. Our comparative study between dense film and hollow fiber revealed very similar selectivity for both configurations; however, a significant difference exists in the effective separation layer thickness between precursor fibers and their resultant CMS fibers. SEM results showed that the deviation was essentially due to the collapse of the porous substructure of the precursor fiber. Polymer chain flexibility (relatively low glass transition temperature (Tg) for Matrimid® relative to actual CMS formation) appears to be the fundamental cause of substructure collapse. This collapse phenomenon must be addressed in all cases involving intense heat-treatment near or above Tg. We also found that the defect-free property of the precursor fiber was not a simple predictor of CMS fiber performance. Even some precursor fibers with Knudsen diffusion selectivity could be transformed into highly selective CMS fibers for the Matrimid® precursor. To overcome the permeance loss problem caused by substructure collapse, several engineering approaches were considered. Mixed gas permeation results under realistic conditions demonstrate the excellent performance of CMS hollow fiber membrane for the challenging ethylene/ethane separation.