cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Twitter to Examine Web-Based Patient Experience Sentiments in the United States: Longitudinal Study.

Background: There are documented differences in access to health care across the United States. Previous research indicates that Web-based data regarding patient experiences and opinions of health care are available from Twitter. Sentiment analyses of Twitter data can be used to examine differences in patient views of health care across the United States. Objective: The objective of our study was to provide a characterization of patient experience sentiments across the United States on Twitter over a 4-year period. Methods: Using data from Twitter, we developed a set of 4 software components to automatically label and examine a database of tweets discussing patient experience. The set includes a classifier to determine patient experience tweets, a geolocation inference engine for social data, a modified sentiment classifier, and an engine to determine if the tweet is from a metropolitan or nonmetropolitan area in the United States. Using the information retrieved, we conducted spatial and temporal examinations of tweet sentiments at national and regional levels. We examined trends in the time of the day and that of the week when tweets were posted. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if any differences existed between the discussions of patient experience in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. Results: We collected 27.3 million tweets between February 1, 2013 and February 28, 2017, using a set of patient experience-related keywords; the classifier was able to identify 2,759,257 tweets labeled as patient experience. We identified the approximate location of 31.76% (876,384/2,759,257) patient experience tweets using a geolocation classifier to conduct spatial analyses. At the national level, we observed 27.83% (243,903/876,384) positive patient experience tweets, 36.22% (317,445/876,384) neutral patient experience tweets, and 35.95% (315,036/876,384) negative patient experience tweets. There were slight differences in tweet sentiments across all regions of the United States during the 4-year study period. We found the average sentiment polarity shifted toward less negative over the study period across all the regions of the United States. We observed the sentiment of tweets to have a lower negative fraction during daytime hours, whereas the sentiment of tweets posted between 8 pm and 10 am had a higher negative fraction. Nationally, sentiment scores for tweets in metropolitan areas were found to be more extremely negative and mildly positive compared with tweets in nonmetropolitan areas. This result is statistically significant (P<.001). Tweets with extremely negative sentiments had a medium effect size (d=0.34) at the national level. Conclusions: This study presents methodologies for a deeper understanding of Web-based discussion related to patient experience across space and time and demonstrates how Twitter can provide a unique and unsolicited perspective from users on the health care they receive in the United States.
BMT Program Re-Admissions – the Need to Monitor and Classify Risk Factors to Identify Possible Interventions to Prevent Avoidable Re-Admissions and Reduce Morbidity Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (allo-SCT).

Objective and Background Hospital re-admissions contribute significantly to increased healthcare costs and have been a focus of various quality improvement initiatives at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC). Re-admissions metrics are available at the hospital level not at the BMT program level. The goal of this study is to create a consistent methodology to identify BMT re-admissions, analyze the cause of the re-admissions on an ongoing basis to identify possible interventions to reduce preventable re-admissions and reduce morbidity. Method Patients that underwent an allogeneic BMT at Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, TX) (BUMC) between January 2013 through December 2017 were included in this retrospective study. The BMT patients were identified from the hospital electronic medical record (EMR) system based on identifiers used in the internal transplant data management system and the Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) code assigned to the index transplant event. Any discrepancies identified in the data obtained from the EMR were resolved manually. Admissions in other services such as ICU and Oncology units at BUMC were included in the data. Including re-admissions to outside hospitals remain a challenge. Descriptive analysis was performed on the cohort of readmitted transplant patients. The frequencies of reasons, DRG codes, and International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes for readmission in the first year post-transplant were calculated. The patients were stratified into 30-, 60-, 90-, 180- and 365-day time points based on the number of days between the dates of transplant and readmission. Data clean-up and chart review was needed to clarify the data categorized by DRG or ICD-10 descriptions. Results More than 50% of the re-admissions among the BMT patients occur within the first 30 days post-transplant. The most frequent reason for readmission was infection or a fever (with or without positive culture). The cause for the re-admissions vary at different time points. Re-admissions at the 30 – 60 day point were more frequently related to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), gastrointestinal complications and other reasons such organ failure. As the interval between transplant and readmission approaches 90 days or greater, the reasons are more evenly distributed. Conclusion A consistent review of BMT readmission data might be beneficial in identifying and reducing potentially preventable readmission causes and reducing morbidity. A more structured and intense follow-up process in the first 60 days post-transplant may be the most effective use of program resources. Patient education may benefit from being structured around different time point post-transplant. A review with the program Medical Director suggests a margin for discharge interventions such as education and patient expectation management at different time points post-transplant.
Predicting Detection Performance on Security X-Ray Images as a Function of Image Quality

Developing methods to predict how image quality affects the task performance is a topic of great interest in many applications. While such studies have been performed in the medical imaging community, little work has been reported in the security X-ray imaging literature. In this paper, we develop models that predict the effect of image quality on the detection of the improvised explosive device components by bomb technicians in images taken using portable X-ray systems. Using a newly developed NIST-LIVE X-Ray Task Performance Database, we created a set of objective algorithms that predict bomb technician detection performance based on the measures of image quality. Our basic measures are traditional image quality indicators (IQIs) and perceptually relevant natural scene statistics (NSS)-based measures that have been extensively used in visible light image quality prediction algorithms. We show that these measures are able to quantify the perceptual severity of degradations and can predict the performance of expert bomb technicians in identifying threats. Combining NSS- and IQI-based measures yields even better task performance prediction than either of these methods independently. We also developed a new suite of statistical task prediction models that we refer to as quality inspectors of X-ray images (QUIX); we believe this is the first NSS-based model for security X-ray images. We also show that QUIX can be used to reliably predict conventional IQI metric values on the distorted X-ray images.
RAPID: A ReRAM Processing in-Memory Architecture for DNA Sequence Alignment

Sequence alignment is a core component of many biological applications. As the advancement in sequencing technologies produces a tremendous amount of data on an hourly basis, this alignment is becoming the critical bottleneck in bioinformatics analysis. Even though large clusters and highly-parallel processing nodes can carry out sequence alignment, in addition to the exacerbated power consumption, they cannot afford to concurrently process the massive amount of data generated by sequencing machines. In this paper, we propose a novel processing in-memory (PIM) architecture suited for DNA sequence alignment, called RAPID. We revise the state-of-the-art alignment algorithm to make it compatible with in-memory parallel computations, and process DNA data completely inside memory without requiring additional processing units. The main advantage of RAPID over the other alignment accelerators is a dramatic reduction in internal data movement while maintaining a remarkable degree of parallelism provided by PIM. The proposed architecture is also highly scalable, facilitating precise alignment of lengthy sequences. We evaluated the efficiency of the proposed architecture by aligning chromosome sequences from human and chimpanzee genomes. The results show that RAPID is at least 2× faster and 7× more power efficient than BioSEAL, the best DNA sequence alignment accelerator.
Effects of a titin mutation on force enhancement and force depression in mouse soleus muscles.

ABSTRACT The active isometric force produced by muscles varies with muscle length in accordance with the force–length relationship. Compared with isometric contractions at the same final length, force increases after active lengthening (force enhancement) and decreases after active shortening (force depression). In addition to cross-bridges, titin has been suggested to contribute to force enhancement and depression. Although titin is too compliant in passive muscles to contribute to active tension at short sarcomere lengths on the ascending limb and plateau of the force–length relationship, recent evidence suggests that activation increases titin stiffness. To test the hypothesis that titin plays a role in force enhancement and depression, we investigated isovelocity stretching and shortening in active and passive wild-type and mdm (muscular dystrophy with myositis) soleus muscles. Skeletal muscles from mdm mice have a small deletion in the N2A region of titin and show no increase in titin stiffness during active stretch. We found that: (1) force enhancement and depression were reduced in mdm soleus compared with wild-type muscles relative to passive force after stretch or shortening to the same final length; (2) force enhancement and force depression increased with amplitude of stretch across all activation levels in wild-type muscles; and (3) maximum shortening velocity of wild-type and mdm muscles estimated from isovelocity experiments was similar, although active stress was reduced in mdm compared with wild-type muscles. The results of this study suggest a role for titin in force enhancement and depression, which contribute importantly to muscle force during natural movements.
Impact of Surface Modification on the Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium Intercalation Efficiency and Capacity of Few-Layer Graphene Electrodes

In a conventional lithium-ion battery (LIB), graphite forms the negative electrode or anode. Although Na is considered one of the most attractive alternatives to Li, achieving reversible Na interca...
Cases of ROS1 -rearranged lung cancer: when to use crizotinib, entrectinib, lorlatinib, and beyond?

ROS1-rearranged (also known as ROS1 fusion-positive) non-small-cell lung cancer is an uncommon but distinct molecular subgroup seen in approximately 1-2% of cases. Oncogene addiction due to constitutive ROS1 tyrosine kinase activation has allowed development of molecularly targeted therapies with remarkable anti-tumor activity. Both crizotinib and entrectinib, multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have now received approval by the FDA for treatment of patients with advanced ROS1-rearranged lung cancers; however, the clinical efficacy and safety of these drugs have been derived from expansion cohorts of single-arm phase I or basket clinical trials with relatively small populations of this clinically and molecularly distinct subgroup. Both drugs lead to high objective response rates (approximately 70-80%) and have manageable side effects, although only entrectinib has potent intracranial efficacy. Lorlatinib is an oral brain-penetrant ALK/ROS1 TKI with activity in both TKI-naive and some crizotinib-resistant settings (albeit with limited potency against the crizotinib/entrectinib-resistant ROS1-G2032R mutation). We describe cases of advanced ROS1-rearranged lung cancer receiving crizotinib, entrectinib, and/or lorlatinib in first and later line treatment settings to dissect the current state of evidence supporting management decisions for these patients. The next generation ROS1 TKIs (repotrectinib and DS-6051b), owing to their broad activity against kinase mutations including ROS1-G2032R in preclinical studies, hold promise to transform the current treatment paradigm and permit even further gains with regards to long-term outcomes in this subset of patients.
Internal-Illumination Photoacoustic Tomography Enhanced by a Graded-Scattering Fiber Diffuser

The penetration depth of photoacoustic imaging in biological tissues has been fundamentally limited by the strong optical attenuation when light is delivered externally through the tissue surface. To address this issue, we previously reported internal-illumination photoacoustic imaging using a customized radial-emission optical fiber diffuser, which, however, has complex fabrication, high cost, and non-uniform light emission. To overcome these shortcomings, we have developed a new type of low-cost fiber diffusers based on a graded-scattering method in which the optical scattering of the fiber diffuser is gradually increased as the light travels. The graded scattering can compensate for the optical attenuation and provide relatively uniform light emission along the diffuser. We performed Monte Carlo numerical simulations to optimize several key design parameters, including the number of scattering segments, scattering anisotropy factor, divergence angle of the optical fiber, and reflective index of the surrounding medium. These optimized parameters collectively result in uniform light emission along the fiber diffuser and can be flexibly adjusted to accommodate different applications. We fabricated and characterized the prototype fiber diffuser made of agarose gel and intralipid. Equipped with the new fiber diffuser, we performed thorough proof-of-concept studies on ex vivo tissue phantoms and an in vivo swine model to demonstrate the deep-imaging capability (~10 cm achieved ex vivo) of photoacoustic tomography. We believe that the internal light delivery via the optimized fiber diffuser is an effective strategy to image deep targets (e.g., kidney) in large animals or humans.
Aggregation and localization of simple robots in curved environments

This paper is about the closely-related problems of localization and aggregation for extremely simple robots, for which the only available action is to move in a given direction as far as the geometry of the environment allows. Such problems may arise, for example, in biomedical applications, wherein a large group of tiny robots moves in response to a shared external stimulus. Specifically, we extend the prior work on these kinds of problems presenting two algorithms for localization in environments with curved (rather than polygonal) boundaries and under low-friction models of interaction with the environment boundaries. We present both simulations and physical demonstrations to validate the approach.
Hollywood Diplomacy: Film Regulation, Foreign Relations, and East Asian Representations: HYE SEUNG CHUNG, 2020 New Brunswick, N.J, Rutgers University Press pp. v + 243, illus., index, appendicies, $32.95

In the niche of film regulation studies, much has been written on dynamics at play between Hollywood’s interventions into overseas film markets and its intersections with U.S. foreign policy. Howev...
Characteristics of the turbulent flow within short canopy gaps

The turbulent ﬂow within short canopy gaps with lengths $L/h$ = 0.5, 1, 2, 3, and 4, where $h$ denotes the canopy height, is experimentally investigated using planar particle image velocimetry. A thorough examination of the time-averaged streamwise and wall-normal velocities, shear layer growth, turbulent kinetic energy, Reynolds shear stress, and two-point correlations suggests a classification of the ﬂow into two regimes: a skimming ﬂow regime and a shear layer growth regime. In contrast with the skimming ﬂow regime, the shear layer and enhanced turbulence exhibit deep penetration within the gaps and promote mixing in the shear layer growth regime.
Theoretical Study of Proton Radioactivity

The unified fission model with a Modified-Woods–Saxon (MWS) nuclear potential is used to study the proton decay of spherical proton emitters from the ground and isomeric states in the framework of WKB approximation. The results of our calculations are compared to those obtained by other theoretical models as well as experimental data. It is shown that the unified fission model with the MWS nuclear potential can be successfully used to evaluate the proton decay half-lives.
A within-level analysis of the effect of customer-focused perspective-taking on deep acting and customer helping behaviors: The mediating roles of negative affect and empathy

Abstract Service employees can face customer mistreatment on a daily basis, which can negatively influence their affect and subsequent service performance. Despite this reality, little research has examined theoretically based interventions to change employees’ affective reactions to customer mistreatment. Using an experience sampling method, the current study examined customer-focused perspective-taking through a longitudinal design consisting of five days of baseline measurements, followed by five days of intervention measurements. Frontline service employees completed daily measures of affective reactions (i.e., negative affect and empathy) and employee performance (i.e., deep acting and customer helping behaviors). The results showed that customer-focused perspective-taking decreased negative affect and increased empathy toward customers, which led to more deep acting and customer helping behaviors. Regardless of fluctuations in daily difficult customer interactions, the positive effect of customer-focused perspective-taking on the outcomes remained consistent at the within-person level.
Defining Clinically Significant Outcomes Following Superior Capsular Reconstruction with Acellular Dermal Allograft

Abstract Purpose To define clinically significant outcomes (CSO) thresholds for minimal clinically important difference (MCID), substantial clinical benefit (SCB) and patient acceptable symptomatic state (PASS) in patients undergoing superior capsular reconstruction (SCR) with an acellular dermal allograft. We also evaluated patient specific variables predictive of achieving CSO thresholds. Methods The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE), and subjective Constant-Murley (Constant) scores were collected pre-operatively and at the most recent follow up for patients undergoing SCR from 2010-2019. A distribution-based approach was used to calculate MCID, and an anchor-based approach was used to calculate SCB and PASS. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with CSO achievement. Results Fifty-eight patients were identified (n=39 males; n=19 females) with a mean age of 53.4 ± 14.1 years at surgery and an average follow-up of 23 months. The MCID, SCB, and PASS were, 11.2, 18.02, and 68.82 for ASES, 14.5, 23.13, and 69.9 for SANE, and 3.6, 10, and 18 for Constant, respectively. Subscapularis tear, female sex, and workers compensation (WC) status reduced odds of achieving MCID. Reduced odds of achieving Constant SCB were associated with older age, female sex, and WC status, while concomitant distal clavicle excision during SCR and lower preoperative ASESincreased odds of achieving ASES SCB. Reduced odds for achieving ASES PASS were associated with female sex and WC status, while reduced odds for achieving SANE PASS were associated with subscapularis tearing preoperatively. Conclusion Based on calculated values for MCID, SCB, and PASS, subscapularis tearing, WC status, age, and sex are associated with failure to achieve clinically significant outcomes following SCR. Concomitant distal clavicle excision during SCR and lower preoperative ASES was predictive for achievement of MCID and SCB. By defining the thresholds and variables predictive of achieving CSOs following SCR, surgeons may better counsel patients prior to SCR.
Column Moments in Eccentrically Supported Tanks

Elevated tanks are frequently supported on a series of equispaced columns that are directly attached to the shell wall. The connection of the column to the shell wall is often eccentric with respect to the middle surface of the shell. The purpose of this note is to present a method whereby the equilibrated moment in the connection is evaluated by considering the relative stiffness of the columns and the shell wall. A case study of a steel tank filled with water is considered.
The relationship between password-authenticated key exchange and other cryptographic primitives

We consider the problem of password-authenticated key exchange (PAK) also known as session-key generation using passwords: constructing session-key generation protocols that are secure against active adversaries (person-in-the-middle) and only require the legitimate parties to share a low-entropy password (e.g. coming from a dictionary of size poly(n)). We study the relationship between PAK and other cryptographic primitives. The main result of this paper is that password-authenticated key exchange and public-key encryption are incomparable under black-box reductions. In addition, we strengthen previous results by Halevi and Krawczyk [14] and Boyarsky [5] and show how to build key agreement and semi-honest oblivious transfer from any PAK protocol that is secure for the Goldreich-Lindell (GL) definition [11]. We highlight the difference between two existing definitions of PAK, namely the indistinguishability-based definition of Bellare, Pointcheval and Rogaway (BPR) [1] and the simulation-based definition of Goldreich and Lindell [11] by showing that there exists a PAK protocol that is secure for the BPR definition and only assumes the existence of one-way functions in the case of exponential-sized dictionaries. Hence, unlike the GL definition, the BPR definition does not imply semi-honest oblivious transfer for exponental-sized dictionaries under black-box reductions.
Gender Differences: The Effects of Free and Costly Feedback on the Willingness to Compete

We study the effect of feedback about relative performance on the choice to compete, and the demand for that feedback, using an experiment where participants can choose between piece-rate and tournament compensation for completing simple addition tasks. The experiment was conducted in a shopping mall with 885 adults with wide demographic variation. We find that free feedback removes the gender gap in the choice to compete for high-ability participants, but not for low-ability participants. Less educated participants do not respond to free feedback, while more educated participants do. Females are approximately twice as responsive to feedback as males. When feedback is costly, those who buy it respond similarly to those who receive it for free, but because females are less likely to pay to obtain feedback the gender gap in the choice to compete persists among high-ability individuals.
Nanocrystals Production, Characterization, and Application for Cancer Therapy

The delivery of synthesized drugs exhibiting poor solubility in water is extremely difficult, limiting bioavailability and causing adverse effects when solubilized. A need was determined for developing a formulation to deliver poorly water-soluble drugs without indiscriminately reaching healthy organs and tissues. Therefore, nanocrystal formulations have been a significant focus for delivering poorly water-soluble drugs via oral, paraenteral, and alternative routes. Using nanocrystal formulations avoids potential side effects and instability related to many existing delivery systems. Currently, few cancer therapy products are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in which poorly soluble drugs are formulated by nanoparticles. In this chapter, the production of nanocrystals of pharmaceutical organic compounds is reviewed. Thereafter, the chapter will focus on the application of nanocrystals for cancer therapy. Keywords: nanocrystal; crystal growth; nucleation; particle stabilization; particle characterization
Effect of herbicides on cellulose decomposition by Sporocytophaga myxococcoides.

Abstract The effects of 14 herbicides on cellulose decomposition by Sporocytophaga myxococcoides were studied by growing the organism in two different liquid cellulose-mineral salts media in the presence of the test agent and then quantitatively determining the residual cellulose. In the first medium, containing acid-hydrolyzed cellulose, anthrone reagent was used to determine residual carbohydrate. In the second medium, Gooch Pyrex fritted-glass crucibles were used to determine the amount of residual Whatman powdered cellulose. The herbicides used were Atrazine, Simazine, Dacthal, Diuron, Amiben, Banvel-D, Banvel-T,2,3,6-TBA, Dicryl, Maleic Hydrazide, Stam F-34, Zytron, Fenac, and Dalapon. Of these, Zytron appeared to be the most inhibitory to the test bacterium, and was the only compound exhibiting inhibition at a commonly used field rate of application (2 ppm).
Impact of tubal ligation on routes of dissemination and overall survival in uterine serous carcinoma

Abstract Objective Abdominal peritoneal implants are characteristic of uterine serous carcinoma (USC). The presumed mechanism of dissemination is retrograde transit via the fallopian tube. We assessed the impact of tubal ligation (TL) on the metastatic profile and survival of USC patients. Methods Patient risk factors, process-of-care variables, and disease-specific parameters were annotated. Categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test. Overall survival (OS) was estimated via the Kaplan–Meier method. Results Among 211 USC patients, fallopian tube status was documented in 142 patients; 35 had a history of TL and 107 did not. When comparing patients with and without TL, positive peritoneal cytology was present, respectively, in 18.8% vs 45.0% (P = .01) and stage IV disease in 14.3% vs 34.6% (P = .02). Using Cox models, age was the sole significant determinant of OS in stage I/II USC. By contrast, age, lymphovascular space involvement, positive cytology, and TL independently and adversely affected survival in stage III/IV USC. Adjusting for these factors in a multivariable model, the association between TL and OS among patients with advanced disease yielded a hazard ratio of 8.61 (95% CI, 3.08–24.03; P Conclusion Patients with TL had significantly lower rates of positive cytology and stage IV disease than patients without TL. The lymphatic system appeared to be the dominant mode of spread after TL and was associated with a paradoxic worsening of OS, perhaps reflecting a delay in diagnosis.
Introduction to Space Physics

Textbooks and popular science books that describe the broad field of space plasma physics are increasingly important as the space physics community seeks to broaden its base of support among both scientists and the public. Introduction to Space Physics is such a text; it provides a survey of space physics observation and theory meant for the upper division or graduate level student who is well-versed in standard classical mechanics and electromagnetism but has not been exposed to the variety of phenomena that occur in space. The text is based on a series of lectures given at UCLA in 1990 by experts in areas ranging from the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) processes on the Sun and in the solar wind to the solar wind interactions with both magnetized and unmagnetized planets, ULF and plasma waves, and the collisional and chemical processes in planetary ionospheres.
Highly conductive epitaxial CdO thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Epitaxial growth of both pure and doped CdO thin films has been achieved on MgO (111) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. A maximum conductivity of 42 000 S/cm with mobility of 609 cm2/V s is achieved when the CdO epitaxial film is doped with 2.5% Sn. The pure CdO epitaxial film has a band gap of 2.4 eV. The band gap increases with doping and reaches a maximum of 2.87 eV when the doping level is 6.2%. Both grain boundary scattering and ionized impurity scattering are found to contribute to the mobility of CdO films.
The Effects of Constant Time Delay and Instructive Feedback on the Acquisition of English and Spanish Sight Words

The authors of this study evaluated the acquisition of instructive feedback information presented to four kindergarten children with mild delays taught in dyads using a constant time delay (CTD) pr...
Label-Free Immunoassay Based on Functionalized Nanopipette Probes

Nanopipette technology is capable of detecting and functional analyzing biomolecules based on difference on their size, shape and electrical charge. This unique label-free biosensor is inexpensive, easy to fabricate and versatile. It gives a fast and real time output even in small reaction volume (attoliters). At this point, the nanopipette size and geometry, together with the surface chemistry preparation for attachment of a biomarker, antibody or protein probe was optimized by both experiments and modeling to result in detectable signals by the nanopipette. In this phase, the goal of the surface chemistry procedure was to prepare nanopipette tip in a way that only controlled amount of the surface is functionalized and used for probe attachment. Preliminary experiments are demonstrating the sensitivity and selectivity of the technique with specific proteins targeting HPV as well as environmental toxins. These results prove that nanopipettes functionalized with appropriate molecular recognition elements can be used as HPV/toxin sensors. A highly sensitive nanopipette probe can be precisely positioned, unlike other nanosensing technologies, at any subcellular region of a single living cell with submicron accuracy using a micromanipulator. This approach uses a movable sensor on an attached cell, in contrast to a fixed sensor detecting responses from floating cells. The functionalized nanopipette paves the way for in vivo immunoassay down to the single cell level.Reference:S. Umehara, M. Karhanek, R. W. Davis and N. Pourmand, PNAS, 2009, 106, 4611.
On optimal control problems with discontinuities

Optimal control problems with discontinuities, noting jump discontinuities in state variable derivative arising in bang-bang control problems
Nonhistone chromatin proteins of tumor cells.

In the last 5 years, evidence has accumulated for an extraordinarily large number of types of nuclear proteins, certainly hundreds and possibly thousands. Such proteins include structural elements and many enzymes, but most intriguing is their potential role as "gene controls." In studies on cancer cells, these molecules are of particularly great interest because they may dictate the growth, invasiveness and metastasis of tumor cells.
Lack of effect of cerebellectomy on ascending dopaminergic neurons in the rat brain.

Abstract The dopamine content in striatum and substantia nigra of the rat was not altered 3 weeks after total or hemicerebellectomy. Furthermore, 3 days after hemicerebellectomy basal and haloperidol-stimulated activity of ascending mesolimbic and nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons, as estimated from the in vivo rate of dopamine synthesis in striatum and nucleus accumbeens, was not altered. Cupric silver degeneration staining following hemicerebellectomy failed to identify a direct anatomical pathway between cerebellum and substantia nigra in the rat.
Ruins of Paper: Dickens and the Necropolitan Library

In his journalism and novels (particularly Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend), Charles Dickens presents London as a writer’s necropolis, a city of disintegrating paper and dead letters, a failed archival space. This essay examines a nexus of images in Dickens’ work – involving dust, Egyptian ruins and mummies, and paper – as revealing characteristic Victorian concerns regarding the changing status of paper and the archive. With reference to developments in papermaking technologies and the beginnings of Egyptian archaeology, I demonstrate some of the ways that nineteenth-century authors were newly troubled by the archival as such. Dickens is particularly haunted by an urban vision of paper as everywhere and everywhere turning into blank, wasting forms. I connect this phenomenon to the British reception of the material legacies of ancient Egypt, particularly the mummified dead. The Victorian era was the great age of paper, as technological developments transformed the industry and multiplied its productivity many times over. Read in the context of these changes, and in relation to Egyptology (that other burgeoning industry of records and remains), the work of Dickens reflects deep anxieties regarding the whelming flood of precariously fragile paper—anxieties that have a center in the necropolitan library.
A semianalytical solution for heat-pipe effects near high-level nuclear waste packages buried in partially saturated geological media

Abstract The emplacement of a strong heat source, such as a high-level nuclear waste package, in a partially saturated permeable medium will give rise to the development of a heat pipe. The present paper analyzes a simplified version of this problem that has a steady state solution, for radial geometry. The solution is obtained in semianalytical form, and is compared to the analogous solution for a linear heat pipe. Various applications are presented for porous as well as for fractured-porous media with different hydrologie properties. The parameters determining heat-pipe length and the question of whether the vicinity of the heat source dries up are discussed. The semianalytical solution is verified by numerical simulations that show the transient evolution from uniform initial conditions to the eventual steady state.
Selected Odes of Pablo Neruda

Selected Odes of Pablo Neruda. Pablo Neruda. Translated, with an Introduction by Margaret Sayers Peden. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.376 pp. $40.00 (cloth), $12.95 (paper). ISBN 0-520-05944-1, 0-520-07172-7.
The effects of a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801, on behavioral hyperalgesia and dorsal horn neuronal activity in rats with unilateral inflammation.

The involvement of NMDA receptors in rats with peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia was evaluated by administration of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist, MK-801. Inflammation and hyperalgesia was induced by intradermal injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) or carrageenan into the left hind paw. The latency of paw withdrawal from a thermal stimulus was used as a measure of hyperalgesia in awake rats. MK-801 (1.6 mg/kg, i.p., or 31.5 micrograms, intrathecal) significantly attenuated thermal hyperalgesia and reduced its duration in comparison to saline-injected rats (P less than 0.05). The receptive field size of nociceptive-specific and wide-dynamic-range neurons in the superficial and deep spinal dorsal horn recorded 24 h after injection of CFA was significantly reduced to 73 +/- 6% (P less than 0.05, n = 8) and 74 +/- 4% (P less than 0.05, n = 8) of control values, respectively, by a cumulative dose of 3 mg/kg of MK-801 (i.v.). MK-801 (2 mg/kg) prevented the expansion of the receptive fields of dorsal horn neurons recorded 5 +/- 0.4 h (n = 5) after intradermal injection of CFA as compared to saline-injected rats (P less than 0.05). MK-801 had no significant effect on receptive field size of dorsal horn neurons in rats without CFA-induced inflammation but blocked a transient expansion of the receptive fields induced by 1 Hz, C-fiber intensity electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve. The background activity and noxious heat-evoked response of dorsal horn neurons in rats with CFA-induced inflammation were primarily inhibited and noxious pinch-evoked activity was both facilitated and inhibited by the administration of MK-801. These results support the hypothesis that NMDA receptors are involved in the dorsal horn neuronal plasticity and behavioral hyperalgesia that follows peripheral tissue inflammation.
Facile synthesis and characterization of nanostructured chromium oxide

Abstract Chromium oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized using chromium nitrite and sodium oleate. The synthesized material was structurally characterized using X-ray powder diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction study reveals that synthesized powder is phase pure chromium oxide. The scanning electron microscopy confirms the nanostructure of the particles. The morphology of Cr2O3 was like rice grain with an average grain size of 100 nm. The magnetic property of the chromium nanoparticles was studied. The magnetic properties were studied as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. In the zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and FC measurements, irreversibility was observed at 250 K. It was observed that chromium oxide nanoparticles show ferromagnetic behavior below the blocking temperature.
Chloride ion optical sensing using a long period grating pair

Abstract In this work, an investigation into the use of a compact non-coated long period grating (LPG) pair applied to chloride ion monitoring in known aqueous solutions over the few parts per million (ppm) region is presented. The LPG pair used in this work (LPGP) comprised two 2.5 dB single LPGs, with a physical centre-to-centre separation of around 30 mm, fabricated using an excimer ultraviolet laser via a 250 μm amplitude mask. The basis of the measurement using the LPGP was refractive index monitoring, with the sensor being calibrated using solutions of known refractive indices (RIs). Tests were carried out on aqueous solutions, containing sodium chloride (NaCl) at various concentrations ranging from 0 to 23.2 g/100 ml. Cross comparison with the response of a single LPG (LPG1) under similar testing conditions was also carried out. The results have shown that through monitoring the induced wavelength shift, the LPGP could measure a RI change of ±0.003, reaching a precision of ∼6 times better than what was achieved with a single LPG. In addition, it was shown that the LPGP can provide additional information, through the induced spectral variations of the interference fringes created, as a result of the small RI changes arising from the changes in the NaCl concentration. The spectral analysis was carried out by applying a Fast Fourier Transform to the spectra under study and small quantities of chloride ions (10 ppm) can thus be detected using the LPGP sensor. The work has shown the potential for applications in early stage corrosion monitoring (and indeed prevention), for example for marine or transport structures, due to chloride ion presence and ultimate ingress.
Comparison of spectral- and time-domain optical coherence tomography for retinal thickness measurements in healthy and diseased eyes.

Purpose To compare retinal thickness (RT) measurements obtained by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and time-domain OCT (TD-OCT) in eyes with and without posterior segment disease diagnoses. Design Retrospective, observational chart review. Methods Scans of 184 healthy and diseased eyes from 106 patients were included in the study. Pair-wise comparisons of RT measurements from SD-OCT machines from 2 different manufacturers and TD-OCT were performed for all scans and with eyes stratified by disease diagnosis. Results Foveal thickness measurements obtained from both SD-OCT machines were greater than those measured by TD-OCT, by 51.0 ± 23.8 μm and 72.5 ± 30.4 μm, respectively. The foveal thickness difference between the 2 SD-OCT models was 24.3 ± 19.1 μm. Foveal thickness differences varied by disease diagnosis. Conclusions RT measurements obtained by SD-OCT are consistently greater than those obtained by TD-OCT. RT measurement differences may vary by disease diagnosis or by SD-OCT model. Consideration of these measurement differences is essential when OCT-determined RT measurement data are used in clinical settings.
Somatotropin Concentrations in Plasma and Scrotal Circumference in Bull Calves with Different Dairy Merit

Abstract Twenty-four Holstein bull calves represented two divergent genetic groups with a 2940-kg difference in milk production in estimated breeding value. These bulls were used to determine the blood plasma concentration of bST under normal feeding management, after a 24-h feed and water deprivation, after stimulation with a bST secretagogue, and to evaluate whether selection for dairy merit affected pubertal testicular development and sperm production. Calves selected for higher estimated breeding value had greater average, but similar stimulated, plasma bST concentrations. Age of calves, but not short-term feed and water deprivation, influenced average plasma bST concentrations both before and after stimulation with growth hormone-releasing factor. Body weight tended to be higher at 350 to 400 d of age in bulls selected for higher estimated breeding value. Scrotal circumference was similar in the two groups at all times, as were seminal characteristics at 1 yr of age. The study implied that plasma bST measurements may be used as an aid in selection of young dairy sires for AI.
The effect of adsorption on the van der waals interaction of spherical colloidal particles

Abstract A general formula has been derived for the interaction of spherical particles surrounded by any number of concentric shells of adsorbed material. The net interaction energy seems to be invariably negative (attraction) regardless of the magnitude of the van der Waals' constants of the materials comprising the particle, medium, and adsorbed substances. This result is demonstrated for one and for two adsorbed layers (i.e., a single layer of oriented amphipathic molecules), although it was not found feasible to develop a general proof. The interaction energy of solvated particles may be reduced by factors of the order of 5 to 50 compared to that of unsolvated particles. However, if current estimates of the magnitude of the van der Waals' constants are correct, flocculation can be inhibited by solvation alone only for small particles ( ca. 20 A.). Stabilization is most effective when the van der Waals' constant for the adsorbed material is either greater or less than the van der Waals' constants for both particle and medium.
The effect of coal characteristics on the catalytic liquefaction of Utah coals

Abstract The quality of Utah coals for feedstocks for liquefaction plants was investigated. Twenty-four samples were obtained from commercially producing mines to study the feasibility of the reactor system. The University of Utah's “coiled tube reactor” was used to determine the reactivity of the various coals. Zinc chloride was impregnated onto the coal from a water slurry. The reactor was operated at 493°C and 12.4 MPa. Coal properties such as proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, calorific value, rank, petrographic analysis and Free Swelling Index were correlated with reactivity. Catalyst percentage and temperature were studied to find optimum reactivity for specific coals. The various properties were examined on the basis of linear and multiple linear regression analyses with reactivity measured as conversion to liquid and gaseous products.
Histamine release and contrast media—induced renal vasoconstriction

Rationale and Objectives. The authors' purpose was to investigate the role of histamine release causing renal vasoconstriction induced by application of contrast media, an important element in contrast medium—induced nephrotoxicity. Materials and Methods. Isometric contractions in rabbit segmental renal arteries stimulated with KCl and increasing concentrations of the ionic contrast medium diatrizoate and the nonionic agents iomeprol and iodixanol were studied both with and without increasing concentrations of the histamine H1 and H2 blockers diphenhydramine and cimetidine. Histamine concentrations after contrast medium application were determined. Results. Contrast-induced, dose-dependent, reversible renal artery contractions of 27%, 4.5%, and 5% of the control KCl contraction were found for diatrizoate, iodixanol, and iomeprol respectively. Those induced by the ionic contrast medium were statistically significantly higher (P Conclusion. Ionic contrast medium induces histamine release leading to renal vasoconstriction, which can be partly blocked by H1 blockers. Histamine has no effect on renal vasospasm induced by nonionic contrast media.
Effects of Dietary Sucrose Levels on the Quantity and Microbial Composition of Human Dental Plaque

The effects of dietary sucrose levels on the microbial composition of 4- and 12-day plaque were investigated in eight dental students. Sucrose-rich diets had no demonstrable effects on total plaque accumulation, whereas total viable microbial density, Streptococcus mutans, and the lactobacilli populations increased. The S sanguis population was unaffected. However, in individual subjects, an inverse relationship between the S sanguis and S mutans population was observed.
Target letter inclusion in single and multiple word substrings and identification accuracy.

Abstract In Experiment 1, target letter discrimination in quadrigrams containing multiple subwords was found to be no more accurate than target letter discrimination in strings of four unrelated letters. Discrimination in quadrigrams, each including the target letter and a one-word trigram of which the target was not a part, was significantly poorer than discrimination in either of the other two types. In Experiment 2, a possible explanation of the latter result involving capacity limitations was eliminated by presenting the target above or below the other letters, which were presented in the same order as in corresponding strings in Experiment 1. The results are explained with respect to the interactive activation model of context effects in letter perception, with a modification proposed involving inhibitory connections between word nodes.
Decreased renal preglomerular microvascular PGI2 and PGE2 biosynthesis in cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Although atherosclerosis is a common disease afflicting the kidney, few studies have examined the biochemical disturbances associated with this process directly in the renal microvasculature. Using a technique developed in this laboratory to isolate renal preglomerular microvessels, we have examined whether these vascular segments have a reduced capacity to synthesize vasodilator prostanoids (i.e., PGI2 and PGE2), an observation which has been made in atherosclerotic blood vessels from other vascular beds. The synthesis of these two prostanoids was assessed by radioimmunoassay in a group of white New Zealand rabbits fed a 2% cholesterol diet for 30 days and the results compared to that obtained in a similar group of rabbits fed a normal diet. The results of these studies showed the development of hypercholesterolemia in the cholesterol-fed rabbits which was associated with a 35% decrease in the biosynthesis of PGI2 and a 51% decrease in PGE2 in freshly isolated renal preglomerular microvessels. These findings are similar to those observed in non-renal major blood vessels and suggest that common biochemical mechanisms may operate in the development of atherosclerosis in many organ systems.