cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smoke and Vapor: Exploring the Terminology Landscape among Electronic Cigarette Users.

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are electronic nicotine delivery systems that rely on battery power and use a heating element to atomize liquid containing nicotine to produce an aerosol. Consumers often view these products as a less harmful alternative to traditional combustible cigarettes1 and an effective method to reduce or quit smoking.2 Although these devices constitute only a small proportion of the overall tobacco market in the United States (US), sales doubled every year between 2008 and 2014. In 2014, sales reached $2.5 billion.3,4 The growth in the number and variety of e-cigarette products has had a parallel surge. Between August 2012 and January 2014 more than 460 different brands of e-cigarettes and almost 7800 different flavored e-cigarette liquids were available for sale online; an average of 10.5 brands and 242 flavors were introduced each month.5 As demand for these products increases, the varieties have expanded from the first generation of products that look like traditional cigarettes (ie, cigalikes) to later generation products that include vape pens, e-hookahs, hookah pens, vape pipes, personal vaporizers, mods, e-cigars, and e-gos.6–8 This increase in new varieties coincides with a surge in awareness and ever-use of e-cigarette products. 9 From 2010 to 2013, awareness of e-cigarettes increased from 40.9% to 79.7%, and ever-use of e-cigarettes increased from 3.3% to 8.5% among US adults.9 In 2014, 12.6% of adults reported ever having used an e-cigarette.10 The increased use and proliferation of these novel products requires understanding how consumers discuss and differentiate these products and the language and culture surrounding them. Surveillance efforts, policy development, health communication messaging, and future research will need to keep pace with a changing landscape of terminology, and reflect the appropriate use of language as understood by consumers. A number of studies have examined e-cigarettes using qualitative methods; however, the majority of these have examined consumers’ attitudes and beliefs about the products.11–13 In contrast, limited qualitative research exists on the terminology used by consumers to discuss these products and their use.14 This study explores the terminology that adult e-cigarette users employ. The study was guided by 2 main research questions: (1) How do adult e-cigarette users identify various types of e-cigarette products? and (2) How do e-cigarette users understand and describe terminology and language specific to e-cigarettes?
Mortality risk and perceived quality of life as a function of waking time in discretionary movement-based behaviors: isotemporal substitution effects.

Previous research has examined associations of sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and mortality. However, most of these studies have been limited to examining their potential “independent” effects, as opposed to whether mortality risk and HRQOL vary as a function of waking time in these discretionary movement-related behaviors, which was this study’s purpose. Data from the 2003–2006 NHANES were employed, with follow-up mortality assessed through 2011 (5377 adults 20–85 years). HRQOL was assessed via survey, with physical activity assessed using an accelerometer over a 7-day monitoring period. Isotemporal substitution analyses were employed. Participants engaged in little MVPA during their monitored waking time and higher mortality risk appeared to cluster more so among those spending a greater proportion of their day in SB with less LIPA engagement. Substituting 30 min/day of SB with MVPA would be expected to reduce mortality risk by 81 % (HRadjusted = 0.19; 95 % CI: 0.06–0.60; P = 0.006) and reduce worse HRQOL by 72 % (OR = 0.28; 95 % CI: 0.13–0.58; P = 0.001). Allocation of waking time in movement-based behaviors is associated with all-cause mortality and HRQOL. Thus, clinicians should encourage their patients to substitute SB with reasonable amounts of LIPA and MVPA.
Preparing the next generation for the cognitive era

After decades of data scarcity, we are finally arriving in the era of data abundance. Cognitive systems such as IBM’s Watson, a cloud-based cognition service platform, can help us utilize all the data available to make better decisions in business, society, and our personal lives. But even with the help of cognitive assistants, data literacy will be a key new skill for students and professionals, as data transforms industries and occupations, and creates enormous entrepreneurial and startup opportunities. This brief paper highlights some current data-driven innovations.
Tuning of Multiple Parameters With a BIST System

This paper presents a low-power built-in self-test system to compensate for mismatch and variations in CMOS IC. The system is designed and compiled on a low-power field programmable analog array (FPAA) fabricated on a 350-nm CMOS process. A second-order bandpass filter is used as a device under test. A set of 12 parallel filter banks are compiled on three different FPAA chips and compensated for local mismatch and variations in the bias current, and mismatch in parasitic and routing capacitances. The bandpass filters are biased in subthreshold regime and the system of 12 parallel filter banks consumes a power of $7.072~\mu \text{W}$ . The proposed tuning algorithm reduces variation in center frequency to 5.07% compared with a variation of 10.16% when they are not tuned, variation in quality factor to 8.52% from 13.86%, and variation in the gain at the center frequency to 3.83% from 21.04%. These values are deviation of the parameters from its mean for the data taken from three different FPAA chips fabricated on the same wafer.
Application of Differential Pulse Voltammetry to Determine the Efficiency of Stripping Tocopherols from Commercial Fish Oil

There has been an increase in the use of electrochemical methods for monitoring antioxidant levels in a variety of disciplines due to the sensitivity, low detection limits, ease of use, low cost and rapid analysis time offered by these techniques. One technique that has received specific attention is differential pulse voltammetry. We describe a novel application of differential pulse voltammetry to quantitatively and qualitatively determine the efficiency of removing tocopherols from commercial fish oil via column chromatographic separation. The relative limits of detection and quantitation of differential pulse voltammetry are compared to HPLC for determining the removal of tocopherols from commercial fish oil. It was determined that differential pulse voltammetry can monitor the separation of commercially added antioxidants from the bulk sample via a decrease in antioxidant oxidation currents. Furthermore, the limits of detection and quantitation were found to be comparable with values obtained using HPLC for tocopherol identification and quantitation.
Diversity in Social Work Doctoral Programs: Mapping the Road Ahead

Students of color (SOC) face multiple barriers to being admitted and retained in social work doctoral programs. We describe these hurdles and propose approaches to circumvent them. Admission challenges include a lack of guidance, financial hurdles, underpreparedness, and racism directed at applicants. Retention challenges include a dearth of mentorship, financial hardship, lack of academic support, and discrimination experienced by students. We propose institutional and structural responses to these challenges. Programs should recruit from milieus marked by diversity, de-emphasize standardized scores and blind reviews in admissions, increase faculty of color numbers, establish crosscutting mentorship networks, and expand academic and financial support. At the structural level, teaching credentials for core classes should be reconsidered, research and publication reimagined, and community engagement emphasized. Finally, moves like the replacement of tenured with adjunct faculty and the initiation of doctor...
Understanding the Relationships between Diverse Family Structures and the Development of Emotion Regulation of Mexican-Origin Children: Population-Based Estimates

Emotion regulation is the earliest indicator of self-regulation and can affect the subsequent development of other self-regulation behaviors. Thus, understanding how children of immigrants develop emotional regulation is imperative as it has important implications for their life course. Using a nationally representative sample of children in 2001 from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), the study investigates the relationship between family structures – both nuclear and extended family structures – and child’s emotional regulation for Mexican-origin children. The study finds that the influences of family structures on children’s emotion regulation across racial and ethnic groups differ. Specifically, for U.S.-born children of Mexican immigrant parents, residing in vertically extended family structures (i.e., with grandparents) is negatively associated with children’s emotion regulation whereas residing in horizontally extended family structures (i.e., with aunt or uncle) is positively associated with children’s emotion regulation. However, the significant relationships between family structures and children’s emotion regulation disappear when controlling for parental sensitivity towards children.
The Role of Cell Adhesion Molecule Genes Regulating Neuroplasticity in Addiction

A variety of genetic approaches, including twin studies, linkage studies, and candidate gene studies, has established a firm genetic basis for addiction. However, there has been difficulty identifying the precise genes that underlie addiction liability using these approaches. This situation became especially clear in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of addiction. Moreover, the results of GWAS brought into clarity many of the shortcomings of those early genetic approaches. GWAS studies stripped away those preconceived notions, examining genes that would not previously have been considered in the study of addiction, consequently creating a shift in our understanding. Most importantly, those studies implicated a class of genes that had not previously been considered in the study of addiction genetics: cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). Considering the well-documented evidence supporting a role for various CAMs in synaptic plasticity, axonal growth, and regeneration, it is not surprising that allelic variation in CAM genes might also play a role in addiction liability. This review focuses on the role of various cell adhesion molecules in neuroplasticity that might contribute to addictive processes and emphasizes the importance of ongoing research on CAM genes that have been implicated in addiction by GWAS.
Stress Response Modulation Underlying the Psychobiology of Resilience

This review focuses on the relationship between resilience and the ability to effectively modulate the stress response. Neurobiological and behavioral responses to stress are highly variable. Exposure to a similar stressor can lead to heterogeneous outcomes—manifesting psychopathology in one individual, but having minimal effect, or even enhancing resilience, in another. We highlight aspects of stress response modulation related to early life development and epigenetics, selected neurobiological and neurochemical systems, and a number of emotional, cognitive, psychosocial, and behavioral factors important in resilience. We also briefly discuss interventions with potential to build and promote resilience. Throughout this review, we include evidence from recent preclinical and clinical studies relevant to the psychobiology of resilient stress response modulation. Effective modulation of the stress response is an essential component of resilience and is dependent on a complex interplay of neurobiological and behavioral factors.
Thymoma: Surgical Management

Although the term thymoma technically applies to any tumor arising within the thymus gland, it has come to mean a tumor of thymic epithelium only [1]. In their 1976 Atlas of Tumor Pathology, Rosai and Levine [2] proposed “that the designation of thymoma be restricted to neoplasms of the thymic epithelial cells, regardless of the presence or absence of a lymphoid component.” They delegated originality for this concept to Bell [3], who wrote in 1917, “A thymoma may now be defined as a tumor, benign or malignant, probably derived from the thymic epithelium.” How one defines the specific phrase “benign or malignant” has remained to this day the premier issue for pathologists and therapists alike.
Artificial sensory feedback for bionic hands

Abstract The dexterous manipulation of objects relies not only on a sophisticated motor system to move the arm and hand but also on a barrage of sensory signals that convey information about the consequences of those movements. To develop a dexterous bionic hand thus requires the restoration of both the control and the sensory signals. In this chapter, we discuss efforts to create artificial sensory feedback through electrical stimulation of the nerves for amputees or electrical stimulation of the brain for tetraplegic patients. We describe technologies developed to sense the state of the hand and contact with objects and those designed to interface with the peripheral and central nervous systems. Artificial sensory feedback, while still early in its development, already confers greater dexterity to bionic hands, but ongoing efforts to increase the naturalism of the artificial sensations show promise for further improvements.
Play Outcomes and Satisfaction with Toys and Technology of Young Children with Special Needs

This study examined parental preference of play outcomes and selection of toys and assistive technology used in meeting the identified outcomes for children, birth to 3, with developmental delays. Additionally, parent satisfaction related to how well selected materials assisted their child in meeting play outcomes was measured. Participants included families receiving assistive technology services to support play as part of an Early Intervention Program. Parents most often stated an interest in increasing play options as a play outcome for their child. Additionally, parents most often chose low-tech, off-the-shelf toys that encouraged functional play to help their child meet identified play outcomes, although no difference in satisfaction levels by type of toy was noted. Conclusions point to a need for interventionists and parents to encourage a variety of play through a variety of toys for children with special needs.
A Deterministic Theory for Exact Non-Convex Phase Retrieval

In this paper, we analyze the non-convex framework of Wirtinger Flow (WF) for phase retrieval and identify a novel sufficient condition for universal exact recovery through the lens of low rank matrix recovery theory. Via a perspective in the lifted domain, we show that the WF iterates converge to a true solution with fully deterministic arguments under a single condition on the lifted forward model. To this end, a geometric relationship between between the accuracy of spectral initialization and the validity of the regularity condition is derived. In particular, we determine that a certain concentration property on the spectral matrix must hold uniformly with a sufficiently tight constant. This culminates into a sufficient condition that is equivalent to a restricted isometry-type property over rank-1, positive semi-definite matrices, and amounts to a less stringent requirement on the lifted forward model than those of prominent low-rank-matrix-recovery methods in the literature. We characterize the performance limits of our framework in terms of the tightness of the concentration property via novel bounds on the convergence rate and on the signal-to-noise ratio such that the theoretical guarantees are valid using the spectral initialization at the proper sample complexity.
Outcomes of treatment with paclitaxel-coated devices for peripheral arterial disease

Abstract Objective The treatment of femoropopliteal peripheral artery disease (PAD) using paclitaxel-coated devices (PCDs) has been shown to improve patency in several randomized trials. However, a recent meta-analysis of trial data suggested an increased risk of mortality with PCD usage. Although subsequent studies have found no association with mortality, the subject has remained controversial. Thus, the aim of the present study was to further investigate the outcomes and causes of mortality for patients treated with PCDs. Methods Patients who had undergone endovascular interventions for PAD from 2013 to 2016 at a single institution were reviewed. The patients were stratified by the use of PCDs, which included drug-coated balloons and drug-eluting stents. The cumulative dose of paclitaxel was calculated for the patients who had received multiple interventions. The causes of mortality were identified and compared between the two groups. Results Of the 366 included patients, 138 (38%) had received a PCD and 228 (62%) had received a non–drug-coated (NDC) device. Patients treated with PCDs were less likely to have undergone open surgery compared with patients treated with NDC devices. No differences were found in the indications or 30-day outcomes between the two groups. After a mean follow-up of 3.1 ± 1.8 years, no differences were found in the primary patency, reintervention rate, mean number of reinterventions, major amputation (5% vs 4%; P = .465), or mortality (16% vs 20%; P = .363) between the PCD and NDC groups. Also, no overall difference was found in the cause of mortality with and without PCD use or in the Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Furthermore, PCD use was not associated with an increased risk of mortality in Cox regression analysis. The cumulative dose of paclitaxel in patients treated with PCDs ranged from 383 to 49,259 μg (median, 7561 μg). A comparison of the patients treated with a cumulative dose of paclitaxel in the upper 50th percentile compared with the lower 50th percentile showed no significant differences in mortality (13% vs 19%; P = .333). Conclusions PCD use was shown to be safe and not associated with an increased risk of long-term mortality in the present study. Continued monitoring of PCD use is warranted to ensure the safety of this technology.
The Role of Women in Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart portrays Igbo society right before the onset of the colonial era. Achebe unveils a great deal about this culture. This chapter seeks to show the pivotal roles played by Igbo women in Things Fall Apart. These include, but are not limited to, educational, religious, and socioeconomic roles.
Coordination-driven self-assembly of multi-chromophoric architectures using photoactive building blocks

Coordination-driven self-assembly is a synthetic method that uses metal-ligand bonding as the driving force for the formation of polynuclear metallacycles and cages. These discrete molecules may exhibit so-called emergent properties, wherein the proximity of building blocks results in novel electronic structure and related photophysical properties. Selfassembly reactions using iridium complexes as metal nodes and organic molecules as linkers generates a library of metallacycles and cages containing multiple chromophores. These architectures preserve the promising photochemistry of the monomeric Ir centers found at the nodes in the context of organic light-emitting diodes and non-linear optical applications such as reverse saturable absorption. The design and characterization of a small library of platinum and iridium assemblies is presented with an emphasis on understanding the differences between the properties of the independent building blocks and those of the assemblies.
Pearls and Pitfalls in the Imaging of Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer

Most lung cancers are diagnosed at advanced stage when the cancer has metastasized outside the lung. These patients are not eligible for curative surgery or radiation therapy and treated with systemic therapy. Advances in the understanding of the biology of lung cancer has resulted in the development of targeted therapy aimed at specific genetic mutations identified with non-small cell lung cancer and immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognize tumors as foreign, stimulates the immune system, and removes the inhibition that allows growth and spread of cancer cells. Tumors treated with targeted or immunotherapies respond differently when compared with traditional chemotherapy and not captured by conventional response criteria such as the World Health Organization criteria and Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Therefore, several modified criteria have been developed to appropriately address the treatment response when using these novel agents. Numerous treatment-related side effects have been described that are important to recognize to avoid misinterpretation as worsening tumor and to ensure appropriate management.
Commodity Price Dynamics: A Structural Approach

Preface 1. Introduction 2. Storables modeling basics 3. Continuously produced commodity price dynamics 4. Empirical performance of the two-factor model 5. Stochastic volatility 6. Seasonal commodities 7. Carbon markets 8. Non-storable commodities.
Self-Selected Versus Imposed Exercise Intensities

The traditional method of prescribing the intensity of exercise is based on the scientific evidence that has shaped national PA guidelines regarding the overload training stimulus necessary to elicit health-fitness benefits. In this prescriptive paradigm, the health-fitness professional uses a GXT to determine target HR(s) or RPE(s) corresponding to a specific physiological threshold, such as the VT, or a range based on %VO2max. The individual is instructed to self-regulate exercise at the prescribed intensity. This procedure can be termed imposed exercise because the individual does not choose the intensity. This paradigm ignores an individual’s exercise intensity preference and may result in negative emotions that could decrease adherence. Allowing individuals to choose their own exercise intensity (i.e., perform self-selected exercise) has the potential to improve PA participation. In addition, research has shown that many individuals will choose to exercise at an intensity near the VT. Self-selected exercise may be an important link in the chain between the adoption and maintenance of regular PA that elicits both psychological and physiological benefits.
ACTIVATION OF SEROTONERGIC NEURONS IN THE RAPHE MAGNUS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR MORPHINE ANALGESIA

A wealth of pharmacological and behavioral data suggests that spinally projecting serotonergic cells mediate opioid analgesia. A population of medullary neurons, located within raphe magnus (RM) and the neighboring reticular nuclei, contains serotonin and is the source of serotonin in the spinal dorsal horn. To test whether serotonergic neurons mediate opioid analgesia, morphine was administered during recordings from medullary cells that were physiologically characterized as serotonergic (5HT p ) by their slow and steady discharge pattern in the lightly anesthetized rat. Selected 5HT p cells ( n = 14) were intracellularly labeled, and all contained serotonin immunoreactivity. The discharge of most 5HT p cells was not affected by an analgesic dose of systemic morphine. In a minority of cases, 5HT p cells either increased or decreased their discharge after morphine administration. However, morphine altered the discharge of some 5HT p cells in the absence of producing analgesia and conversely did not alter the discharge of most 5HT p cells in cases in which analgesia occurred. RM cells with irregular discharge patterns and excitatory or inhibitory responses to noxious tail heat were classified as on and off cells, respectively. All on and off cells that were intracellularly labeled ( n = 9) lacked serotonin immunoreactivity. All on cells were inhibited, and mostoff cells were excited by systemic morphine. Because 5HT p cells do not consistently change their discharge during morphine analgesia, they are unlikely to mediate the analgesic effects of morphine. Instead, nonserotonergic cells are likely to mediate morphine analgesia in the anesthetized rat. In light of the sensitivity of morphine analgesia to manipulations of serotonin, serotonin release, although neither necessary nor sufficient for opioid analgesia, is proposed to facilitate the analgesic effects of nonserotonergic RM terminals in the spinal cord.
An Economic Analysis of the Kyoto Protocol

Global climate change represents a serious im pending issue that must be addressed in the present, not the distant future, in order to avoid irreversible, adverse consequences. Due to externalities— intertemporal and locational—markets will not reach an efficient outcome. Present generations bear the cost of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and do not experience the negative repercussions of global climate change, while future generations reap the benefits of avoiding global warming without enduring the initial monetary cost of emission reductions. Also, since the stratosphere is a public good for the entire world, the free rider problem occurs on a global scale (Rao, 2000). Each country has an enticing incentive to allow other nations to reduce GHG emissions without contributing to emission reduction efforts themselves. Due to these inevitable externalities, government intervention and international cooperation is not only justifiable but a necessity. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol10/iss1/19
Systemic Candidiasis in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants (<1,500 Grams)

Previous reports in the literature have documented that systemic infection with Candida albicans in very premature infants is frequently fatal (54%) or associated with significant morbidity in survivors (25%). Five patients with a mean birth weight of 829 g had a diagnosis of systemic candidiasis during their stay in a newborn intensive care unit. All infants survived with minimal sequelae following aggressive early treatment with amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine. A review of these five extremely premature infants and 26 previously reported patients suggests the following: (1) disseminated candidiasis is common in the absence of positive findings in blood, CSF, and/or urine cultures; (2) transient candidemia rarely resolves without therapy; (3) meningitis and osteoarthritis occur more frequently than in older patients with disseminated disease; and (4) premature infants tolerate amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine well. Infants who are found to have systemic cultures positive for candidiasis should be treated by (1) removing all factors that predispose to systemic candidiasis (eg, indwelling catheters, broad-spectrum antibiotics); (2) early initiation of systemic antifungal therapy with amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine; and (3) searching for additional foci of disease. After the disease is recognized and treatment is prompt and aggressive, outcome can be substantially improved.
Questioning trust in the era of big (and small) data

EDITOR'S SUMMARY Information policy extends to our acknowledgements of website statements about data privacy and sharing, as we routinely check a box to gain access to a site. Users rarely give much thought to whether they can trust the site sponsor to protect personal information. While privacy is often the chief concern in discussions of gathering, storing and using information, trust in the sponsor, whether governmental or corporate, is crucial. Governing bodies recognize democracy, fairness and a right to information, covering both access and privacy, as part of a social and political contract. Yet with data being collected on a massive scale, legitimate concerns about data misuse can undermine our trust in such fundamental understandings, leaving transparency as a critical element. The ASIS&T Special Interest Group/Information Policy (SIG/IFP) will explore the issue of trust during a workshop at the 2014 Annual Meeting, considering its foundations and evolution and questioning its justification in the age of big data.
lambda-Red genetic engineering in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

The use of the recombination system from bacteriophage lambda, lambda-Red, allows for PCR-generated fragments to be targeted to specific chromosomal locations in sequenced genomes. A minimal region of homology of 30 to 50 bases flanking the fragment to be inserted is all that is required for targeted mutagenesis. Procedures for creating specific insertions, deletions, and site-directed changes are described.
Exact solutions of the Einstein–Maxwell equations with linear equation of state

Two new classes of solutions of the Einstein–Maxwell field equations are obtained by substituting a general linear equation of state into the energy–momentum conservation equation. We have considered static, anisotropic, and spherically symmetric charged perfect fluid distribution of matter with a particular form of gravitational potential. Expressions for the mass–radius ratio, the surface, and the central red shift horizons are given for these solutions.
Scaleable check node centric architecture for LDPC decoder

Low density parity check codes are a popular class of linear block codes for forward error correction in communication channels. Recent years have seen a lot of work towards the development of decoding architectures for these codes. The architectures range from completely parallel to completely serial. While the parallel architectures have a high throughput, they have a large hardware resource requirement. On the other hand, although the serial architectures are very efficient in terms of hardware requirement, they suffer from low throughput. This paper presents a novel scalable check node centric architecture with a 1.5 Gbps throughput. The throughput may be further increased by using more readily scalable data-paths which have a individual throughput of 0.5 Gbps.
Exploiting Prior Knowledge in the Recovery of Non-Sparse Signals from Noisy Random Projections

This paper illustrates that exploiting the source statistics in the recovery process results in significant performance gains, even if the signal is reconstructed in a basis in which it does not admit a sparse representation. Successful recovery will depend on the capability of exploiting all available a priori information in the basis where reconstruction is performed. The proposed framework is similar to joint source-channel coding schemes in digital communications, but applies on the analog domain.
Relations and positivity results for the derivatives of the Riemann ξ function

We present and evaluate the integer-order derivatives of the Riemann xi function. These derivatives contain logarithmic integrals of powers multiplying a specific Jacobi theta function and as such can be alternatively viewed as certain Mellin transforms at integer argument. We describe how the derivatives at s = 0, s = ½, and s = 1 can be evaluated exactly. We further show, based upon a novel representation, that the even order derivatives at s= ½ are all positive, as are all derivatives at s = 1. An expression is presented for the derivatives on the critical line, which may be useful in studying the zeros of the function Ξ(t) = ξ(½ + it).
Fast Photochemical Oxidation of Proteins for Epitope Mapping

The growing use of monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics underscores the importance of epitope mapping as an essential step in characterizing antibody-antigen complexes. The use of protein footprinting coupled with mass spectrometry, which is emerging as a tool in structural biology, offers opportunities to map antibody-binding regions of antigens. We report here the use of footprinting via fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP) with OH radicals to characterize the epitope of the serine-protease thrombin. The data correlate well with previously published results that determined the epitope of thrombin. This study marks the first time oxidative labeling has been used for epitope mapping.
Adolescents' and adults' understanding of probability expressions.

Abstract Purpose: To examine whether there are differences between adolescents and adults in their interpretation of probability terms. Methods: Participants were 20 fifth graders, 54 seventh graders, 45 ninth graders, and 34 young adults (mean adult age = 26.24 years, standard deviation = 2.09) from the San Francisco Bay area. They completed a self-administered survey asking them to assign percentage estimates (0% to 100%) to 30 randomly ordered probability terms. Results: Significant age differences in the mean percentage estimates for 8 of the 30 terms were shown. Moreover, we found large variation in the interpretation of most probability terms studied, with larger variation among the adolescents than adults. Finally, all age groups had some difficulty correctly differentiating between “possibly” and “probably.” Conclusions: Owing to wide variation in the interpretation of probability terms, both within and across age groups, we suggest health practitioners use percentages rather than probability terms to convey risk to both adolescents and adults.
Creating New Nonprofit Organizations as Response to Social Change: HIV/AIDS Organizations in New York City

This article offers a critique of Alexis DeTocqueville's observation that Americans have a tendency to “constantly form associations” and suggests that the process is considerably more complex. Portraits of newly created New York City nonprofit organizations developed in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic suggest that the pace of forming organizations might be particularly high during periods of cultural and social change and that the nonprofit sector responds to social change by creating new organizations.
Validation of Furchgott's method to determine agonist‐dependent A1‐adenosine receptor reserve in guinea‐pig atrium

1. The ubiquitous distribution of A1-adenosine receptors (A1AdoR) represents an impediment to achieve organ and/or response selectivity of A1AdoR agonists. Differential receptor reserve may be exploited to overcome this problem. We hypothesize that A1AdoR reserve is agonist-dependent and can be accurately estimated with Furchgott's method. 2. Concentration-response curves were constructed from measurement of the atrial monophasic action potential duration in guinea-pig, isolated hearts treated with R(-) N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R-PIA) or 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyl-adenosine (CCPA) before and after treatment with the selective, irreversible A1AdoR antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-3-[3-[[4-(fluorosulphonyl)benzoyl]oxy]propyl]-1-prop ylxanthine (FSCPX). Using Furchgott's method, we determined the equilibrium dissociation constant (KA) of R-PIA and CCPA, and the fraction of non-inactivated A1AdoRs remaining after FSCPX treatment (q(functional)). Values of q(functional) were correlated to the fraction of specific binding sites after FSCPX treatment labelled by [3H]-8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine ([3H]-CPX) derived from saturation binding normalized to control (q(binding)). 3. Both R-PIA and CCPA are full A1AdoR agonists, but have significantly different potencies (pD2 [EC50]=6.84+/-0.04 [145 nM] vs 7.36+/-0.04 [44 nM], respectively), receptor affinities (pKA [KA]= 6.54+/-0.10 [288 nM] vs 6.13+/-0.03 [734 nM]), and pharmacological shift ratios defined as KA/EC50 (2.2+/-0.6 vs 15.9+/-1.5). Values for q(functional) and q(binding) were highly correlated (r2=0.96). The ratio between the intrinsic efficacies of CCPA and R-PIA derived from Furchgott's analysis was 5.9, a value similar to the ratio of 6.2-6.6 calculated from previously obtained binding data. 4. Radioligand binding studies validated the use of Furchgott's method to estimate A1AdoR reserve. A1AdoR reserve was agonist-dependent. CCPA was shown to be a high intrinsic efficacy, low affinity agonist, whereas R-PIA was found to be a low intrinsic efficacy, high affinity agonist.
Erythromycin fails to improve feeding outcome in feeding-intolerant preterm infants.

Objective: Approximately half of extremely low birth weight infants have feeding intolerance, which delays their achievement of full enteral feedings. Erythromycin, a motilin receptor agonist, triggers migrating motor complexes and accelerates gastric emptying in adults with feeding intolerance. Few studies have assessed the efficacy of this drug in preterm infants with established feeding intolerance. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of erythromycin in feeding-intolerant infants, as measured by gastric emptying, maturation of gastrointestinal motor patterns, and time to achieve full enteral feedings. Methods: Subjects were 27 preterm infants who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and who did not achieve full enteral feeding volumes (150 mL/kg/day) within 8 days of the initiation of feedings. In a controlled, randomized, double-blinded clinical trial, infants received intragastric erythromycin or placebo for 8 days without crossover. At study entry, the authors recorded motor activity in the antrum and the duodenum during fasting, in response to intragastric erythromycin (1.5 mg/kg) or placebo, and in response to feeding. Gastric emptying at 20 minutes and transit time from duodenum to anus were determined. Each infant then received erythromycin or placebo for 8 days, and feeding characteristics were prospectively tracked. Results: Gastric emptying and characteristics of antroduodenal motor contractions were similar in the two groups, as were the transit times from duodenum to anus. Feeding outcomes were comparable in the two groups. Conclusion: Intragastric erythromycin does not improve feeding tolerance in preterm infants with established feeding intolerance because it fails to improve gastrointestinal function in the short or long term.
Selective Breeding for Acoustic Priming

Data on eight generations of selective breeding for acoustic priming efficacy are reported. The realized heritability of this trait is approximately 0.2–0.3, indicating that the trait is determined in part by genetic factors. Animals selectively bred for acoustic priming do not differ in terms of first-trial (i.e., non-priming-induced) audiogenic seizures. These data suggest that acoustic priming and first-trial audiogenic seizures are controlled by different genetic mechanisms.
Diagrammatic theory of random scattering matrices for normal-metal–superconducting mesoscopic junctions

The planar-diagrammatic technique of large-{ital N} random matrices is extended to evaluate averages over the circular ensemble of unitary matrices. It is then applied to study transport through a disordered metallic {open_quote}{open_quote}grain{close_quote}{close_quote} attached through ideal leads to a normal electrode and to a superconducting electrode. The latter enforces boundary conditions which coherently couple electrons and holes at the Fermi energy through Andreev scattering. Consequently, the {ital leading} {ital order} of the conductance is altered, and thus changes much larger than {ital e}{sup 2}/{ital h} are observed when, e.g., a weak magnetic field is applied. This is in agreement with existing theories. The approach developed here is intermediate between the theory of dirty superconductors (the Usadel equations) and the random-matrix approach involving transmission eigenvalues (e.g.,the Dorokhov-Mello-Pereyra-Kumar equation) in the following sense: Even though one starts from a scattering formalism, a quantity analogous to the superconducting order parameter within the system naturally arises. The method can be applied to a variety of mesoscopic normal-metal{endash}superconducting ({ital N}-{ital S}) structures, but for brevity we consider here only the case of a simple disordered {ital N}-{ital S} junction. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Predicting the Morphologies of Confined Copolymer/Nanoparticle Mixtures

To isolate the factors that control the structure of nanocomposite thin films, we develop a computational model and scaling theory to investigate the behavior of diblock/nanoparticle mixtures that are confined between two hard walls. We find that in such restricted geometries a polymer-induced depletion attraction drives the particles to these walls. If the particles are chemically distinct from the walls, they will effectively modify the chemical nature of these substrates. This change in chemistry, in turn, affects the polymer−wall interactions and consequently the structure of the film. We illustrate this point by considering mixtures of particles and symmetric diblocks and show that the confining walls can be exploited to promote the self-assembly of the system into particle nanowires that extend throughout the films and are separated by nanoscale stripes of polymer domains. Such films constitute vital components in the fabrication of nanoscale devices. Furthermore, the results point to a novel techni...
Non-stop mRNA decay: a special attribute of trans-translation mediated ribosome rescue

Decoding of aberrant mRNAs leads to unproductive ribosome stalling and sequestration of components of the translation machinery. Bacteria have evolved three seemingly independent pathways to resolve stalled translation complexes. The trans-translation process, orchestrated by the hybrid transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) and its essential protein co-factor, SmpB, is the principal translation quality control system for rescuing unproductively stalled ribosomes. Two specialized alternative rescue pathways, coordinated by ArfA and ArfB, have been recently discovered. The SmpB-tmRNA mediated trans-translation pathway, in addition to re-mobilizing stalled translation complexes, co-translationally appends a degradation tag to the associated nascent polypeptides, marking them for proteolysis by various cellular proteases. Another unique feature of trans-translation, not shared by the alternative rescue pathways, is the facility to recruit RNase R for targeted degradation of nonstop mRNAs, thus preventing further futile cycles of translation. The distinct C-terminal lysine-rich (K-rich) domain of RNase R is essential for its recruitment to stalled ribosomes. To gain new insights into the structure and function of RNase R, we investigated its global architecture, the spatial arrangement of its distinct domains, and the identities of key functional residues in its unique K-rich domain. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) models of RNase R reveal a tri-lobed structure with flexible N- and C-terminal domains, and suggest intimate contacts between the K-rich domain and the catalytic core of the enzyme. Alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the K-rich domain, in the region spanning residues 735 and 750, has uncovered the precise amino acid determinants required for the productive engagement of RNase R on tmRNA-rescued ribosomes. Theses analyses demonstrate that alanine substitution of conserved residues E740 and K741 result in profound defects, not only in the recruitment of RNase R to res
Inhibition of Organic Anion Transport in Endothelial Cells by Hydrogen Peroxide

ATP loss is a prominent feature of cellular injury induced by oxidants or ischemia. How reduction of cellular ATP levels contributes to lethal injury is still poorly understood. In this study we examined the ability of H2O2 to inhibit in a dose-dependent manner the extrusion of fluorescent organic anions from bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Extrusion of fluorescent organic anions was inhibited by probenecid, suggesting an organic anion transporter was involved. In experiments in which ATP levels in endothelial cells were varied by treatment with different degrees of metabolic inhibition, it was determined that organic anion transport was ATP-dependent. H2O2-induced inhibition of organic anion transport correlated well with the oxidant's effect on cellular ATP levels. Thus H2O2-mediated inhibition of organic anion transport appears to be via depletion of ATP, a required substrate for the transport reaction. Inhibition of organic anion transport directly by probenecid or indirectly by metabolic inhibition with reduction of cellular ATP levels was correlated with similar reductions of short term viability. This supports the hypothesis that inhibition of organic anion transport after oxidant exposure or during ischemia results from depletion of ATP and may significantly contribute to cytotoxicity.
Home-based Art Therapy for Older Adults

Art therapists are "dedicated to the belief that the creative process in the making of art is healing and enhancing" (Mission Statement, AATA, 2/2000). They work in a variety of settings. One setti...
Toward a General Theory of Creativity in Advertising: Examining the Role of Divergence

Despite the widespread recognition of the importance of creativity in advertising by practitioners and scholars, no systematic research has been conducted to define ad creativity or examine how it ...
P300 reduction and prolongation with illness duration in schizophrenia

Abstract Background: The P300 component of the auditory event-related potential (ERP) is both reduced in amplitude and delayed in schizophrenia. P300 is prolonged and, less consistently, reduced with normal aging. Additional latency delays are observed in neurodegenerative disorders. We asked whether P300 is reduced and delayed with longer illness duration in schizophrenia, consistent with a neurodegenerative process. Methods: P300 amplitude and latency were recorded to infrequent auditory target stimuli from 35 men with schizophrenia (DSM-III-R) and 26 control men. Effects of current age, age of onset, and duration of illness on P300 were assessed using regression analysis. Results: P300 amplitude showed no age-related decrease in either group; however, among schizophrenic participants, P300 amplitude correlated positively with onset age and negatively with illness duration. P300 latency correlated positively with age in schizophrenic participants and also tended to increase with age in controls. Slopes of the latency–age relationships were significantly greater in schizophrenic participants than in control participants. Latency also correlated positively with illness duration but showed no relationship to onset age. Conclusions: P300 amplitude and latency are reduced and delayed with longer illness duration in schizophrenia, consistent with a progressive pathophysiological process. Reduced P300 amplitude may also be a marker of an early onset variant of schizophrenia.
Citizen Involvement in Community Health Promotion: A Role Application of CDC's PATCH Model.

In response to the need for population-based strategies for health promotion, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have been conducting "The Planned Approach to Community Health" (PATCH) since 1984. PATCH is a demonstration process to strengthen the collective capacities of states and communities to plan and deliver community health promotion programs targeted at community-determined priorities. Drawing upon lessons learned from mobilizing citizens in an upstate New York population of 9000 households, the five elements of the PATCH process: 1) coalition building, 2) data collection, 3) problem specification and priority setting, 4) intervention planning and implementation, and 5) evaluation, are illustrated.
CMOS switched capacitor liquid crystal driver

A novel analogue drive circuit for a liquid crystal cell has been designed. The design was realised in a 0.5 µm CMOS process and eight phase-locked channels with independent voltage control were developed. The channels were shown to produce over 5.6π optical phase shift using a ±2.5 V power supply. This drive circuit is proposed for use in portable battery operated applications where optical phase control is desired.