cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MgB2 Josephson junctions produced by focused helium ion beam irradiation

Planar magnesium diboride Josephson junctions are fabricated using focused helium ion beam irradiation. A single track of ion irradiation with a 30 kV He+ beam with nominal beam diameter < 0.5 nm is used to create a normal-metal barrier on a MgB2 film deposited by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition. Josephson coupling is observed below the critical temperature of the electrodes for a He+ doses between 8x1015/cm2 to 4x1016/cm2. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the normal resistance and critical voltage of the junctions shows highly uniform barriers with nearly ideal resistively-shunted junction behavior for higher-dose junctions, while nonequilibrium effects dominate the properties of lower-dose junctions over most of the temperature range. These results demonstrate that focused helium ion beam irradiation can produce high-quality proximity-coupled MgB2 Josephson junctions with tailorable properties, promising for use in superconducting devices and circuits.
miRNA-205 Nanoformulation Sensitizes Prostate Cancer Cells to Chemotherapy

The therapeutic application of microRNA(s) in the field of cancer has generated significant attention in research. Previous studies have shown that miR-205 negatively regulates prostate cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and drug resistance. However, the delivery of miR-205 is an unmet clinical need. Thus, the development of a viable nanoparticle platform to deliver miR-205 is highly sought. A novel magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-based nanoplatform composed of an iron oxide core with poly(ethyleneimine)-poly(ethylene glycol) layer(s) was developed. An optimized nanoplatform composition was confirmed by examining the binding profiles of MNPs with miR-205 using agarose gel and fluorescence methods. The novel formulation was applied to prostate cancer cells for evaluating cellular uptake, miR-205 delivery, and anticancer, antimetastasis, and chemosensitization potentials against docetaxel treatment. The improved uptake and efficacy of formulations were studied with confocal imaging, flow cytometry, proliferation, clonogenicity, Western blot, q-RT-PCR, and chemosensitization assays. Our findings demonstrated that the miR-205 nanoplatform induces significant apoptosis and enhancing chemotherapeutic effects in prostate cancer cells. Overall, these study results provide a strong proof-of-concept for a novel nonviral-based nanoparticle protocol for effective microRNA delivery to prostate cancer cells.
The relative value of firm and nonprofit experience: Tackling large‐scale social issues across institutional contexts

Research Summary Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are often identified as a natural vehicle for the engagement of firms in large‐scale social issues. We evaluate this argument by examining the conditions under which NPO experience is more valuable than firm experience in overcoming the key challenges associated with corporate disaster giving. Findings from a quasi‐experiment across the 4,396 natural disasters worldwide between 2003 and 2015 demonstrate that firms could donate more by implementing the aid through NPOs (on their own) in countries with low (high) institutional development, especially where they lack (have) market operations. However, we also observe that firms more frequently than not opted into the allocation mode that yielded comparatively low aid, raising questions about incentive alignment and communication across the business and nonprofit sectors. Managerial Summary Firms are increasingly tackling social issues across the world. Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are often identified as natural channels for facilitating such engagement, but we have no systematic evidence to confirm this. We tackle this question by outlining the conditions under which allocating company aid for disaster relief and recovery through NPOs results in greater donations than when the firms disburse its aid directly to victims. We analyze all major natural disasters that affected the world between 2003 and 2015 and observe that firms would have donated more through an NPO (directly) in countries with low (high) institutional development where they lacked (had) local operations. Yet, firms frequently chose the channel that yielded lower donations.
NO reduction with CO over HY zeolite-supported rhodium dicarbonyl complexes: giving insight into the structure sensitivity

The activity of Rh(CO)2 complexes supported on HY zeolites with Si/Al ratios of 30 and 2.6 in NO reduction with CO reaction was investigated. Facile exchange between CO and NO ligands occurred under ambient conditions but no activity towards formation of N2, N2O and CO2 was observed. Significant difference in the catalytic performance of both samples was observed at elevated temperatures. When the temperature was increased to 270 °C, an induction period of about 145 minutes was detected for the HY2.6-supported sample where NO conversion increased from approximately 9% to 100% while HY30-anchored Rh(CO)2 species remained inactive. In situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) measurements revealed that the transient period is associated with decomposition of Rh(CO)2/Rh(NO)2 complexes and formation of rhodium particles. These data unambiguously demonstrated that mononuclear Rh(CO)2/Rh(NO)2 species which are stabilized by HY30 zeolite under the reaction conditions do not promote NO reduction with CO but conglomeration of Rh atoms is needed to initiate the catalytic cycle.
Working memory and visual discrimination distraction tasks improve cold pressor pain tolerance in children.

Objective Distraction is a well-established pain management technique for children experiencing acute pain, although the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of distraction are not well understood. It has been postulated that engagement of executive functions, such as working memory, may be a critical factor in attenuating pain via distraction. To test this hypothesis, we compared a 1-back task requiring engagement of working memory with a simple visual discrimination task demanding focused attention, but lower cognitive load (0-back). Method Seventy-nine children (6-12 years old) underwent a baseline cold pressor trial followed by cold pressor trials in which they completed the visual discrimination and 1-back tasks in counterbalanced order. Executive functioning ability was assessed via the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (5th Edition) working memory subscales and by parent report on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, Second Edition (BRIEF®2). Results Children's pain tolerance improved in both the visual discrimination and 1-back conditions though a differential response to the 2 tasks was not observed. Age moderated the relation between executive functioning and response to distraction; older children with better executive functioning skills demonstrated greater improvements in both distraction interventions. Conclusions Findings demonstrate the benefits of both visual discrimination and working memory distraction tasks for elementary-aged children experiencing acute pain. Further research is required in order to elucidate the role of executive functioning skills and cognitive load in enhancing distraction analgesia in children, with particular focus on determining optimal load and task difficulty in light of emerging executive functioning abilities in this age group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Sales, Trade Flows and Marketing Practices within the U.S. Nursery Industry

Abstract This article provides an overview of marketing and production practices of the U.S. nursery and greenhouse industry in 2008, based on information collected through the 2009 National Nurser...
Nasalance in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders.

Purpose: Listener judgments indicate atypical nasal resonance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); however, listener perceptions are susceptible to bias and may give unreliable info...
Segregation or Sanctuary? Examining the Educational Possibilities of Counterpublics for Immigrant English Learners

ABSTRACTExploring critiques of immigrant segregation, this paper considers how schools exclusively serving immigrant EL students are supportive “counterpublics.” Drawing on data from two ethnograph...
Wanted: Angela Davis and a Jury of Her Peers:

In 1972 Angela Davis stood trial on charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder before a White jury. A professor of philosophy, a Communist, and a member of the Black Panther Party, she had no re...
Fever and Gross Hematuria in a Kidney Transplant Recipient

### Case Description A 61-year-old man presented, 7 months after deceased donor kidney transplantation, with 4 days of fever, hematuria, and dysuria. His immunosuppression regimen included tacrolimus 1.5 mg twice daily, prednisone 5 mg daily, and mycophenolate mofetil 500 mg twice daily. He was febrile to 101.6 and had tenderness to palpation in the right lower quadrant over his graft site. His serum creatinine on admission was 1.4 mg/dl from a baseline of 1.0 mg/dl. White blood cell count was 4.4×103/ µ l with 85.9% neutrophils. Tacrolimus trough level was 13.3 ng/ml. Urinalysis demonstrated 100 mg/dl protein, 109 white blood cells per high-power field, 344 isomorphic red blood cells per high-power field, and hyaline casts. Urine and blood …
Full-length IL-33 regulates Smad3 phosphorylation and gene transcription in a distinctive AP2-dependent manner

IL-33 has emerged as a central mediator of immune, inflammatory, and fibrotic responses. Many studies have focused on mature IL-33, but elevated expression of the precursor, full-length IL-33 (FLIL33), has also been implicated in a spectrum of diseases, including tissue fibrosis. We previously reported and now confirmed that overexpression of FLIL33 induced phosphorylation of the key profibrotic signaling mediator of TGF-β, Smad3, in primary human lung fibroblasts from healthy donors and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Presently, we demonstrate that FLIL33-induced Smad3 phosphorylation was not abrogated by anti-TGF-β antibody but was abrogated by ALK5/TGFBR1-specific and Smad3-specific inhibition, indicating that FLIL33 effect was independent of TGF-β but dependent on its receptor, TGFBR. Western blotting analyses revealed that FLIL33 overexpression increased levels, but did not affect subcellular distribution, of the AP2A1 and AP2B1 subunits of the adaptor protein complex 2 (AP2), a known TGFBR binding partner. siRNA-mediated inhibition of these subunits blocked FLIL33-induced Smad3 phosphorylation, whereas AP2 subunit overexpression induced Smad3 phosphorylation even in the absence of FLIL33. RNA-Seq transcriptomic analyses revealed that fibroblast stimulation with TGF-β induced major changes in expression levels of numerous genes, whereas overexpression of FLIL33 induced modest expression changes in a small number of genes. Furthermore, qRT-PCR tests demonstrated that despite inducing Smad3 phosphorylation, FLIL33 did not induce collagen gene transcription and even mildly attenuated TGF-β-induced levels of collagen I and III mRNAs. We conclude that FLIL33 induces Smad3 phosphorylation through a TGF-β-independent but TGF-β receptor- and AP2- dependent mechanism and has limited downstream transcriptomic consequences.
Reunification in Custodial Grandfamilies: An Examination of Resilient Family Processes

Objective This study examined how custodial grandmothers navigated the process of their grandchildren being reunified with a biological parent. Background Prior research has focused on factors associated with unsuccessful reunification instead of resilient family processes that may support successful reunification. How custodial grandfamilies navigate reunification has not been examined, despite their unique relational configuration and grandparents' frequent involvement in raising their grandchildren. Method Guided by Walsh's model of family resilience, semistructured, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of 17 grandmothers whose custodial grandchildren had been reunified with a biological parent. Data analysis was guided by grounded theory methodology. Results Grandmothers believed in parents fulfilling their obligations, prioritizing grandchildren's needs, and coping via their faith. Grandmothers supported reunified parents and children by providing emotional support and instrumental assistance, while maintaining clear role boundaries. Accessing resources and engaging in open family communication were helpful to the reunification, although there were still challenges in navigating family relationships. Conclusion Within custodial grandfamilies, not all reunifications were a positive outcome for the grandchildren. Grandmothers remained heavily involved in supporting and monitoring the reunifications, with the quality of the grandmother-parent relationship being paramount. Implications Practitioners should address family dynamics when working with custodial grandfamilies before, during, and after a reunification.
Accelerating the Design of Photonic Metamaterials by Artificial Intelligence

In this talk, I will discuss how to accelerate the design of novel metamaterials by deep learning, a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that learns multilevel abstraction of data using hierarchically structured layers. Different from the conventional approaches, deep learning can produce fast and accurate designs without the need of case-by-case and time-consuming numerical calculations or optimizations. The results show many exciting opportunities in the areas of optical design, integration and measurements when interfacing photonics with deep learning.
DROP: A Workload-Aware Optimizer for Dimensionality Reduction

Dimensionality reduction (DR) is critical in scaling machine learning pipelines: by reducing input dimensionality in exchange for a preprocessing overhead, DR enables faster end-to-end runtime. Principal component analysis (PCA) is a DR standard, but can be computationally expensive: classically O(dn2 + n3) for an n-dimensional dataset of d points. Theoretical work has optimized PCA via iterative, sample-based stochastic methods. However, these methods execute for a fixed number of iterations or to convergence, sampling too many or too few datapoints for end-to-end runtime improvements. We show how accounting for downstream analytics operations during DR via PCA allows stochastic methods to efficiently terminate after processing small (e.g., 1%) samples of data. Leveraging this, we propose DROP, a DR optimizer that enables speedups of up to 5x over Singular-Value-Decomposition (SVD)-based PCA, and 16x over conventional DR methods in end-to-end nearest neighbor workloads.
Improving the psychosocial environment for older trainees: Technological training as an illustration

Abstract Currently, there is a higher proportion of older workers in the labor force and the applicant pool than there have been in previous generations as a result of the Baby Boomer demographic bubble. Regarding these older workers as a potentially valuable resource and developing their skills accordingly may help employers fulfill their labor needs in an increasingly competitive market. Relative to younger workers, there is limited information in the literature with respect to the design of a psychologically and socially supportive training environment for this particular demographic. Our intent in this review is to provide a research-based framework for understanding the specific psychological and social needs of older trainees. We first examine the impact of ageism and age-related stereotype threat in the learning environment, and ways to reduce their negative influence on training. We then turn to a consideration of the motivational needs of the older trainee, and the unique ways to foster positive levels of training motivation and self-efficacy. At each step of our discussion, we use technological training as a specific example of these training challenges and remedies. This training domain was chosen because of its increasing relevance to job acquisition for older applicants and to the career development of mature employees. Practical implications for theories and practice tailored to older learners are emphasized.
Calcium sulfate applications in dentistry: A literature review

Calcium sulfate (CS) is a ubiquitous compound that has been incorporated in several medical and dental procedures. This can be attributed to its many advantageous characteristics, including being resorbable as well as its biocompatibility. Primarily, it was used to help treat a variety of osseous defects by acting as a bone substitute. Due to its unique properties, other therapeutic applications have been identified. Whilst the outcomes of these applications are varied, they have shown to be beneficial within the disciplines of endodontics, periodontics and oral & maxillofacial surgery. The aim of this review is to thoroughly discuss CS including its characteristics, chemical and physical properties, and known relative indications in dentistry. Clinical studies reporting the outcomes of CS for particular treatment modalities are further analyzed and discussed.
In Vivo Stimulation of α- and β-Adrenoceptors in Mice Differentially Alters Small RNA Content of Circulating Extracellular Vesicles

When myocardial function is compromised as in heart failure (HF), there is activation of the sympathetic nervous system with elevated circulating catecholamine levels. These catecholamines activate cardiac and extra-cardiac adrenergic receptors (ARs). Interest in secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) from the heart is growing and in HF, it is not known whether excessive activation of α- or β-adrenergic receptors (ARs) could induce specific changes in EV content. In this study, we have evaluated, by next generation sequencing, the small RNA content, including micro-RNAs (miRs), of circulating EVs of mice exposed to chronic selective α- or β- AR stimulation. EVs from mouse blood were purified by differential ultracentrifugation resulting in EVs with an average size of 116.6 ± 4.8 nm that by immunoblotting included protein markers of EVs. We identified the presence of miRs in blood EVs using miR-21-5p and -16-5p real-time PCR as known constituents of blood exosomes that make up a portion of EVs. We next performed next generation sequencing (NGS) of small non-coding RNAs found in blood EVs from mice following 7 days of chronic treatment with isoproterenol (ISO) or phenylephrine (PE) to stimulate α- or β-ARs, respectively. PE increased the percent of genomic repeat region reads and decreased the percent of miR reads. In miR expression analysis, PE and ISO displayed specific patterns of miR expression that suggests differential pathway regulation. The top 20 KEGG pathways predicted by differential expressed miRs show that PE and ISO share 11 of 20 pathways analyzed and reveal also key differences including three synapse relative pathways induced by ISO relative to PE treatment. Both α-and β-AR agonists can alter small RNA content of circulating blood EVs/exosomes including differential expression and loading of miRs that indicate regulation of distinct pathways. This study provides novel insight into chronic sympathetic nervous system activation in HF where excessive catecholamines may not only participate in pathological remodeling of the heart but alter other organs due to secretion of EVs with altered miR content.
Impact Accounting for Product Use: A Framework and Industry-specific Models

This handbook provides the first systematic attempt to generate a framework and industry-specific models for the measurement of impacts on customers and the environment from use of products and services, in monetary terms, that can then be reflected in financial statements with the purpose of creating impact-weighted financial accounts. Chapter 1 introduces product impact measurement. Chapter 2 outlines efforts to measure product impact. Chapter 3 describes our product impact measurement framework with an emphasis on the choice of design principles, process for building the framework, identification of relevant dimensions, range of measurement bases and the use of relative versus absolute benchmarks. Chapters 4 to 12 outline models for impact measurement in nine industries of the economy. Chapter 13 describes an analysis of an initial dataset of companies across the nine industries that we applied our models and constructed product impact measurements. Chapter 14 provides a preliminary discussion of the accounting treatment of product impact estimates within impact-weighted accounts. Our overall conclusion is that the measurement of product impact is feasible, scalable and generates important insights for the competitive positioning and strategy of organizations.
A dual lox/cox inhibitor, licofelone, suppresses pancreatic cancer xenografts in athymic nude mice

LB-324 Currently, therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer (PC) are very limited and most of the first-line therapies had limited survival benefit. Eicosanoids generated from 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase (COX)- pathways are involved in tumor promotion, progression and metastasis of several cancers, including PC. Thus, inhibition of both COX and 5-LOX pathways may be an important strategy for the prevention and treatment of PC. In this study, we compared the effect of Licofelone (LF), a 5-LOX/ COX-inhibitor, therapeutic efficacy in comparison to standard therapeutic agents, Gemcitabine (GT) and Oxaliplatin (OP) in PC xenografts. Athymic NCr-nu/nu mice were divided into 4 treatment groups (5/group) and fed AIN-76A diet. LF was administered at 200 ppm in diet, while GT (25mg/Kg BW, twice weekly) and OP (5mg/kg BW, once in 4 weeks) was administered by i.p. All mice were given s.c. injection of BxPC-3 pancreatic cancer cells to initiate xenograft tumors. After 10 weeks of treatment, mice were sacrificed and the final Tumor Volume (TV) and tumor weight were measured. Tumor xenografts were assessed for cell proliferation, apoptosis, expression of COX-2, 5-LOX, and VEGFR-1/2 by western blot and Immunohistochemical (IHC) methods. None of the experimental agents induced any toxicity or weight loss. Treatmentwith GT significantly suppressed TV (37%) and weight (32.4%), whereas OP did not provide any effect. Interestingly, LF showed a very significant decrease in TV (68%) and weight (64%). Further, tumor xenograft treated with GT and LF showed significant suppression of cell proliferation by PCNA staining (66% and 88%, respectively) and induction of apoptosis by TUNEL method (3-fold and 8-fold, respectively) compared to control. IHC & Western blot analysisof tumors from GT and LF treated mice revealed a significant inhibition of COX-2, 5-LOX, and VEGFR-1/2. In summary, our results are the first to show that dietary LF possesses PC inhibitory properties and had better efficacy than GT.
Validating a Model Predicting Retrieval Ordering Performance with Statistically Dependent Binary Features

The Information Retrieval Dependence IRD model predicts retrieval performance, with some or all dependencies and where there are binary features. Simulations with the Information Retrieval Validation IRV software are described that have been used to validate the IRD predictive model, showing that the IRD model accurately or exactly predicts retrieval performance under a variety of conditions. Instead of using traditional research methods using a sample of realistic documents and realistic queries, the authors exhaustively examine all document, query, and relevance combinations within a certain size range. While each of the numbers of components may be small, going through all the permutations of the relevance judgments, terms, and documents produced in one situation 551370 predictions, all of them matching the empirical ordering, suggesting that the predicting method is valid and accurate.
Social science puzzles: a systems analysis challenge

As shown, a common source for a wide range of problems and complexities that arise in the social sciences is an unexpected loss of needed information. This includes concerns from social choice, economics, probability/statistics, etc. But by identifying the content of the lost information, negative assertions may be replaced with positive conclusions; this requires finding ways to reincorporate the missing information.
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged CMS Beneficiaries Do Not Benefit From the Readmission Reduction Initiatives

Abstract We assessed the impact of minority and socioeconomic status on 30-day readmission rates after 3825 primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) and 3118 primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures. Minority patients had higher THA (7.4% vs 3.2%, P =0.001) and TKA (5.4% vs 3.7%, P P P =0.02) readmission rates. Risk reduction initiatives were effective after TKA, but minority status and low socioeconomic status were still associated with higher 30-day readmission rates (4.6% vs 1.8%, P
Matricide and stepmatricide victims and offenders: an empirical analysis of U.S. arrest data

Almost all of the clinical and empirical literature on female parricide victims focuses on mothers killed, with only little information available on stepmothers murdered. This study is the first to compare the victim, offender, and case correlates in incidents when mothers and stepmothers were killed. Supplementary Homicide Report Data for 1976-2007 were used to investigate similarities and differences between the two female victim types in the United States. Similarities between stepmothers and mothers included that more than 70% were White and killed in single victim, single offender incidents. Their killers were adult sons in between 67% and 87% of incidents. Several significant differences emerged with respect to age, involvement in multiple offender incidents, and weapon use. Stepmothers and their stepchildren, relative to mothers and their offspring, were significantly younger. Sixty-four percent of stepchildren, compared with 35% of biological children, were under age 25 at the time of their arrest for murder. A higher percentage of juveniles than adult killers was involved in multiple offender (MO) incidents involving mothers. Relative to their male counterparts, higher percentages of female juveniles were involved in MO incidents involving the deaths of mothers and stepmothers. A higher proportion of female adults, relative to their male counterparts, were involved in MO matricide incidents. Offenders who killed stepmothers, relative to those who killed mothers, were significantly more likely to use guns. Juvenile matricide offenders were significantly more likely to use firearms than their adult counterparts. Possible reasons for the differences are discussed in the conclusion.
A left-handed Solar System?

Why is life left-handed? Protein amino acids on Earth are almost entirely L-enantiomers, rather than right-handed D-enantiomers. When an excess of L-amino acids was discovered on the Murchison meteorite, it seemed that our chemical bias might have had an extraterrestrial origin; but then questions were raised about contamination of the samples. Now the extraterrestrial nature of this excess has been confirmed, re-igniting speculation that an astrophysical process of some sort decided our chemical handedness.
Abstract P384: The Impact of Optimal Therapy on Survival of Hospitalized Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: The ARIC Study

Background: Despite guidelines for the treatment of heart failure (HF), many patients remain undertreated. We hypothesized that patients hospitalized with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) who are prescribed “optimal” or “acceptable” HF therapy will have better overall survival compared to those on a “nonoptimal” medical regimen. Methods: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study conducted comprehensive surveillance of hospitalized HF events (age ≥55 years) in four US communities. “Optimal” pharmacotherapy was defined as ACE inhibitor or ARB, and beta-blocker, and/or aldosterone blocker; “acceptable” therapy was hydralazine and nitrate, and beta-blocker, and/or aldosterone blocker. Hospitalizations for HF from 2005-2011 were identified by ICD-9-CM codes, then validated by standardized physician review of hospital records, yielding 3575 hospitalizations validated as ADHF with left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) data, which corresponded to a weighted sample of 16,659 hospitalizations after accoun...
Are You Imitating Me? Unsupervised Sparse Modeling for Group Activity Analysis from a Single Video

A framework for unsupervised group activity analysis from a single video is here presented. Our working hypothesis is that human actions lie on a union of low-dimensional subspaces, and thus can be efficiently modeled as sparse linear combinations of atoms from a learned dictionary representing the action's primitives. Contrary to prior art, and with the primary goal of spatio-temporal action grouping, in this work only one single video segment is available for both unsupervised learning and analysis without any prior training information. After extracting simple features at a single spatio-temporal scale, we learn a dictionary for each individual in the video during each short time lapse. These dictionaries allow us to compare the individuals' actions by producing an affinity matrix which contains sufficient discriminative information about the actions in the scene leading to grouping with simple and efficient tools. With diverse publicly available real videos, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework and its robustness to cluttered backgrounds, changes of human appearance, and action variability.
Relationship between dysthymia and major depression: an analysis of family study data

Although there is high comorbidity between major depression (MDD) and dysthymia, the nature of this relationship is unclear. An ongoing family study provided an opportunity to examine this relationship. Data are presented on 435 directly interviewed adult first degree relatives of 45 screened normal control probands and 148 probands in three clinical diagnostic groups: panic disorder only, panic disorder plus MDD, and early onset MDD without panic. Many of the psychiatrically ill probands also had comorbid dysthymia. Best estimate diagnoses on all relatives were made blind to proband diagnostic status using direct information obtained with the SADS-LA and/or family history information from multiple informants obtained using a modified version of the FH-RDC. We sought to determine the relationship between DSM-III-R dysthymia and panic disorder and/or MDD and to assess whether or not dysthymia is specifically transmitted within families. Controlling for comorbidity in probands, we found no familial association between panic disorder and dysthymia but we did find an increased risk of dysthymia in relatives of probands with early onset MDD. Additionally we found specific transmission of dysthymia to relatives independent of presence of comorbid panic disorder and/or MDD in probands. These findings support the validity of dysthymia as a specific disorder and suggest as well that dysthymia may be on the spectrum of early onset MDD. Depression 2:252–258 (1994/1995). © 1995 Wley-Liss, Inc.
A perspective on epistasis: Limits of models displaying no main effect

The completion of a draft sequence of the human genome and the promise of rapid single-nucleotide-polymorphism–genotyping technologies have resulted in a call for the abandonment of linkage studies in favor of genome scans for association. However, there exists a large class of genetic models for which this approach will fail: purely epistatic models with no additive or dominance variation at any of the susceptibility loci. As a result, traditional association methods (such as case/control, measured genotype, and transmission/disequilibrium test [TDT]) will have no power if the loci are examined individually. In this article, we examine this class of models, delimiting the range of genetic determination and recurrence risks for two-, three-, and four-locus purely epistatic models. Our study reveals that these models, although giving rise to no additive or dominance variation, do give rise to increased allele sharing between affected sibs. Thus, a genome scan for linkage could detect genomic subregions harboring susceptibility loci. We also discuss some simple multilocus extensions of single-locus analysis methods, including a conditional form of the TDT.
A summer reading/study skills program for black and minority health professions students 1

A brief filed by the Association of American Medical Colleges in the Bakke case said, “Without special admissions programs it is not unrealistic to assume that minority enrollments could return to ...
The carbonisation of anthracene and biphenyl under pressures of 300 MNm (3 kbar)

Anthracene, biphenyl and selected mixtures have been carbonised to a maximum temp, of 600°C, under pressures approaching 300 MNm−2(3 kbar) whilst sealed in gold tubes and contained within a hydrothermal pressure bomb. Resultant carbons were analysed by Stereoscan microscopy, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction techniques and optical microscopy. The carbons were graphitised at 2000† and 2800†C and examined. A new phenomenon was observed, namely the formation of a spherulitic (botryoidal) carbon, about μ-sized, which although intrinsically anisotropic can confer isotropic properties to the bulk graphite. These spheres are essentially the mesophase, the effect of pressure being to prevent their coalescence. Pressure enhances the graphitisibility of the carbons. The addition of biphenyl reduces the graphitisibility of the carbonised anthracene, but a mechanism involving co-condensation of biphenyl and anthracene molecules is not considered to be invoked, rather a dilution of the anthracene, thus preventing mesophase growth.
An evaluation of the distinction in the clinical courseand the treatment of erythroblastosis and icterus gravis

~'~OR many years two separate entities seen in newborn infants were described. ] [ B o t h were usually fatal. Bath were associated with a hemolytic anemia. One was known as icterus gravis. The other was called erythroblastosis fetalis. Diamond and associates 1 in 1932, associated these two diseases in twins and in families so extensively that they concluded that these diseases, as well as hydrops and "anemia of the newborn," were varying stages of the same disease. In 1940 Levine and Katzin 2 demonstrated a relationship between the Rh factor and erythroblastosis fetalis. This bore out Darrow's 3 theory of the possible cause of the syndrome. Since then, many controveries have arisen because of different conceptions or understandings of the disease. Clinicians have made their own decisions in their studies, mostly on a basis of severity, as to which cases might be included in any study of the disease, often disregarding the studies of Diamond and associates, 1 which were by far the most accepted at the time that the Rh factor was introduced to medicine. Pathologists 4, 5 have set up standard requisites for the diagnosis of erythroblastosis fetalis, standards which other pathologists 5, 6 have used to limit Rhnegative incompatible as the etiology. The result haw been varying, credit frequently being given to the Rh factor clinically as the sole etiology of the disease. Since the printed word backed by extensive material has been the accepted authority in medicine to date, we ~ investigated a group of cases, all of which would well fall into the classification of Diamond and associates, 1 and found only 67 per cent of the cases could be demonstrated to have the Rh-negative setup. For this, our work has been questioned by a pathologist 8 with a different set of rules for inclusion or exclusion of cases in this syndrome, in spite of the fact that pathologists 6 constantly bring out pathological findings in newborn infants of erythroblastic excess in the liver and other conditions, which are in no way related to this disease. I t is, therefore, worthy of point today for the benefit of the physician who sees the living patient to give a description of the following two strikingly different syndromes seen in the newborn, which in the majority of cases bear up the Rh syndrome but whose courses, and particularly the treatment and outcome, vary distinctly; two clinical syndromes, which, if proved to be different diseases, would clear up a greatly muddled subject and would go far in truly evaluating the role of the Rh factor.
Assessing Strategy and Equity in the Elimination of Malaria

Naman Shah critiques the malaria elimination agenda, arguing that it may only be feasible and equitable in limited settings.
A MURINE VIRUS (JHM) CAUSING DISSEMINATED ENCEPHALOMYELITIS WITH EXTENSIVE DESTRUCTION OF MYELIN : II. PATHOLOGY.

A description has been given of the pathologic changes produced experimentally in animals by the inoculation of a virus material obtained from a mouse with spontaneous encephalomyelitis. The most distinctive feature of the lesions in the central nervous system is the widespread destruction of myelin. Giant cells derived from a variety of tissue elements characterize the early lesions. The liver in the majority of cases is the seat of focal necrosis. In some mice, infected with large doses by the intravenous route, there is produced massive necrosis of the liver, with fat infiltration and calcification. Giant cells are occasionally found in lymphatic tissue, but no significant changes were noted in other organs. Inclusions or elementary bodies were not demonstrated in the lesions. Similar lesions were produced by the inoculation of mouse virus into hamsters. In rats, the lesions were of a more chronic character. The relation of this disease to other demyelinating diseases of man and animals is discussed.
Botulinum toxin injection for an esophageal muscular A-ring

Coexistence of esophageal varices and achalasia occurs rarely. We are aware of only five cases reported in the English literature, 11, 12 and treatment for achalasia was attempted in only two. These patients were treated surgically, but in both cases the varices had developed in the absence of liver disease. 12 Therapeutic options are limited when achalasia, varices, and liver disease are all present. Cirrhosis greatly increases the morbidity and mortality of esophagogastrectomy, 13 and varices would appear to contraindicate either Heller myotomy or pneumatic disruption of the LES. The case we report suggests that when esophageal varices and achalasia coexist, injection of botulinum toxin into the LES offers another treatment option.
Sequences of silica phase transitions: effects of Na, Mg, K, Al, and Fe ions

Abstract Hydrothermal experiments on silica phase transitions in artificial solutions tested the effects of dissolved aluminum and iron on the evolution of solution composition and the mineral compositions of solid phases, Dissolved aluminum and iron come from detrital aluminosilicate phases, including their coatings. Aluminosilicate phases retard formation of opal-CT, a metastable silica phase, but they may promote transformation of opal-CT to quartz, the stable phase. The four starting solutions all had alkalinity greater than seawater, either 90 or 8 mM. The four solutions were dominated by different cations: one solution contained magnesium ion, one magnesium and sodium ions, one potassium ion, and one sodium ion. Compositions of the solutions changed within 4 weeks. Quartz formed under a higher initial alkalinity of ~90 mM, with or without magnesium. Minor phases, including opal-CT, clay minerals and melanophlogite, were also observed in some experiments. Opal-CT formed in the presence of magnesium and an initial alkalinity above 8 mM. Dissolved aluminum or iron reduced concentrations of dissolved silica, causing precipitation of an initially more ordered opal-CT in the presence of magnesium, and quartz in its absence. These effects influence the rates and sequences of silica diagenesis.
The Black Skyscraper

Brown's essay explores how black modernists W. E. B. DuBois and Wallace Thurman used the skyscraper's abstracted view of the masses to envision raced models of democracy and difference. As urban identity in the 1920s became increasingly associated with ethnic identity, writers used the view from the skyscraper's apex to imagine both utopian and dystopian designs of modern sociality. While lynching and minstrelsy have previously been the primary vehicles for thinking about race, crowds, and visions during the early twentieth century, Thur man and DuBois insist on the significance of skyscraper architecture in creating new racial imaginaries for modern modes of vision.
Implicit Technique for Three-Dimensional Turbulent Magnetoaerodynamics

A high-resolution numerical procedure designed to simulate three-dimensional nonideal magnetogasdynamic (MGD) phenomena on complex cone gurations is extended to enhance computational efe ciency and physical e delity.Alooselycoupledapproximatelyfactoredimplicitmethod isdevelopedtoovercometime-stepsizelimitations of explicit methods. A sub-iteration strategy is included to recover up to second-order time accuracy. Verie cation exercises, covering wave propagation and diffusion phenomena, are presented to demonstrate accuracy and characterize the efe ciency of the numerical procedure. Because the aerodynamic environment will exhibit relatively small electrical conductivities and large compensatory magnetic e elds, a low magnetic Reynolds number Reae formulation and its solution procedure are described and verie ed by considering MGD-control of a compressible, laminar e at-plate boundary layer at different interaction parameters. A two-equation k-≤ turbulence model with low-Reynolds-number near-wall terms is incorporated with additional expressions to reproduce the damping effect of the magnetic e eld. The effect of a magnetic dipole on a supersonic turbulent e at-plate boundary layer is examined. An exploratory study of MGD control of e ow past a classic reentry vehicle cone guration demonstrates the capabilities of the numerical scheme.
Pattern of perceived stress and anxiety in pregnancy predicts preterm birth.

Author(s): Glynn, Laura M; Schetter, Christine Dunkel; Hobel, Calvin J; Sandman, Curt A | Abstract: ObjectiveTo determine whether the pattern of prenatal stress, as compared to prenatal stress assessed at a single gestational time point, predicts preterm delivery (PTD).DesignPerceived stress and anxiety were assessed in 415 pregnant women at 18-20 and 30-32 weeks' gestation.Main outcome measuresGestational length was determined by last menstrual period and confirmed by early pregnancy ultrasound. Births were categorized as preterm (l 37 weeks) or term.ResultsAt neither assessment did levels of anxiety or perceived stress predict PTD. However, patterns of anxiety and stress were associated with gestational length. Although the majority of women who delivered at term exhibited declines in stress and anxiety, those who delivered preterm exhibited increases. The elevated risk for PTD associated with an increase in stress or anxiety persisted when adjusting statistically for obstetric risk, pregnancy-related anxiety, ethnicity, parity, and prenatal life events.ConclusionsThese data suggest that the pattern of prenatal stress is an important predictor of PTD. More generally, the findings support the possibility that a decline in stress responses during pregnancy may help to protect mother and fetus from adverse influences associated with PTD.
Hypothalamo-hypophysial vascular and neurosecretory links in ratfish, Hydrolagus colliei (lay and bennett)

Vascularization of the brain and hypophysical region of chimaeroid Hydrolagus colliei is supplied by the anterior carotid arteries. The Rachendachhypophysis, a detached adenohypophysial component, has an independent blood supply from a branch of the joined internal carotid arteries. The pars distalis has no direct arterial supply. Two hypophysial arteries branch from the anterior carotids and run posteriorly to the neurointermediate lobe, giving off on their way a few small branches which supply the primary capillary plexus of the median eminence which, via portal veins, is the sole source of blood for the pars distalis. The neurointermediate lobe receives an additional supply from the posterior hypophysial arteries. A majority of fibers in the neurosecretory tracts joining the nucleus preopticus with the hypophysis terminate in the neurointermediate lobe. However, some of the neurosecretory axons branch off toward the median eminence and terminate near blood vessels of the primary capillary net. The vascular connections between components of the neurointermediate lobe are characteristic, but not unique: (a) the vascular net is composed of wide, irregular, sinusoid-like capillaries distributed within the cellular cords of the intermediate lobe; (b) the neural lobe itself is avascular; and (c) the neurosecretory axons of the neural lobe enter the intermediate lobe and, passing between the cells of this region, terminate on the walls of blood vessels where large accumulations of neurosecretory substance are to be observed. The staining affinities of the hypophysial cells, as well as of vesicular structures containing colloid-like substance are also described.
Frequency and factors associated with unsuccessful lead (first) coil placement in patients undergoing coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms.

BACKGROUND There is limited knowledge about associated rates, aneurysm characteristics, technical factors, and immediate impact of unsuccessful placement of the lead (first) coil during endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms. OBJECTIVE To determine the rates, associated risk factors, and consequences of lead coil placement failure in consecutive embolization procedures. METHODS We reviewed clinical and procedural aspects of all endovascular coil embolizations performed at our 2 academic centers over a period of 3.5 years (2006-2010). Morphologic characteristics of the aneurysm and technical aspects of the treatment were recorded. We also performed a flow model analysis to assess the relationship between aneurysm dimensions, length of coil, packing density with first coil, and occurrence of lead coil placement failure. RESULTS There were 24 (14%) lead coil placement failure procedures in 172 aneurysm embolization procedures; in 23 of 24 (96%) patients with lead coil placement failure, the failure occurred in aneurysms less than 10 mm in size. The main technical factors associated with lead coil placement failure were related to the coil (length, diameter, and type) followed by microcatheter support failure. Among these patients, 21 (87.5%) required change in the coil length, 17 (70.8%) change in coil diameter, and 10 (41.7%) change in coil type (brand and/or configuration) for successful placement of the lead coil. A total of 4 (16.7%) patients required change in microcatheter, and 6 (24.9%) patients had balloon/stent assistance for successful lead coil placement. Two of 24 (8.3%) patients had rupture of their aneurysms during the attempt to reposition the lead coil. In our flow model, these clinical observations were reproduced with higher risk of lead coil failure in smaller aneurysms. CONCLUSION Lead coil placement failure is not infrequent during embolization of intracranial aneurysms and may increase the risk of complications. Appropriate coil selection, particularly coil length in small aneurysms, may reduce the rate of lead coil placement failure and associated complications.