cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficient lasing on Alkali atomic D2 lines utilizing spin-polarized Alkali Vapor

We report a novel method for significantly improving the efficiency of alkali atomic lasers. By pumping alkali-rare gas atomic pairs with a circularly polarized optical field, an increase in the efficiency of >50% has been demonstrated.
Does the WTO Matter? A Non-parametric view

In this study, developing countries and least developed countries are put into two groups: those that are members of the World Trade Organization and those that are not. The distribution of trade, foreign direct investment, and patenting is compared between the two groups. In most cases, no statistically significant differences in distribution could be found between members and nonmembers of the WTO. JEL Codes: F10, F13, O10, O34
Feature Selection for FM-Based Context-Aware Recommendation Systems

Context-Aware Recommendation Systems has gained lots of attention in both industry and academic research. Factorization Machines (FM) based recommendation has been successfully used in sparse industrial datasets for user personalized video recommendations. FM is a collaborative filtering technique for predicting a target such as user rating, given observations of interaction between some users and items. The model can incorporate any available auxiliary information about the user, the item, or the interaction which serves as context or features of the data. In this paper, we propose a framework to automatically select features on FM-based recommender systems to improve the prediction quality. FM requires the input data as a one-hot encoded feature vector in a binary space domain. We use the values of the FM parameters in the binary space to determine the importance of the context. We consider the density of the important features in the binary space to rank and select the relevant features in the original data. Experiments on multiple datasets have been conducted to validate the efficiency and robustness of our method.
Clinical pearls in gastroenterology.

© 2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research At the 2001 annual conference of the American College of Physicians, a new teaching format to aid physician learning, Clinical Pearls, was introduced. Clinical Pearls is designed with the 3 qualities of physician-learners in mind. First, we physicians enjoy learning from cases. Second, we like concise, practical points that we can use in our practice. Finally, we take pleasure in problem solving. In the Clinical Pearls format, speakers present a number of short cases in their specialty to a general internal medicine audience. Each case is followed by a multiple-choice question answered live by attendees using an audience response system. The answer distribution is shown to attendees. The correct answer is then displayed and the speaker discusses teaching points, clarifying why one answer is most appropriate. Each case presentation ends with a , defined as a practical teaching point that is supported by the literature but generally not well known to most internists. Clinical Pearls is currently one of the most popular sessions at the American College of Physicians meeting. As a service to its readers, has invited a selected number of these Clinical Pearl presentations to be published in our Concise Review for Clinicians section. “Clinical Pearls in Gastroenterology” is one of them.
Integrative Therapies to Promote Sleep in the Intensive Care Unit

The prevalence of sleep pattern disturbances (SPDs) in the ICU has been linked to a myriad of factors (e.g., pathologic state, care processes, ICU environment) and unfavorable outcomes such as amplification of stress, immune and inflammatory function in an already altered homeostatic state of critically ill patients resulting in delayed recovery from illness or injury, reduced health-related quality of life and care satisfaction, and among others. Health risk factors and causes of sleep disruptions in patient’s sleep/wake pattern in the ICU have been long recognized. However, little effort has been done on promoting sleep among patients in the ICU specifically using nonpharmacologic agents such as integrative therapies. This chapter provides the reader with overview of sleep disturbances the ICU and appraisal of the available knowledge on several integrative therapies that have been investigated and implemented as sleep-promoting interventions in the ICU. Because of the little emphasis on sleep promotion, complexity of patients, difficulty in measuring sleep, and integrating nonpharmacologic sleep interventions in the usual care, strong and high-quality evidence supporting the utilization of integrative therapies is lacking. Implications to clinical practice and research are discussed.
Disputed claims for pertussis vaccine injuries under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Background The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) provides no-fault compensation to victims of serious untoward vaccine reactions under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Special Masters of the Court of Federal Claims settle compensation disputes that arise between applicants and program administrators. The majority of published NVICP claim decisions concern disputes over the cause of neurologic illness or unexpected infant death following pertussis vaccination. Methods Information was collected from the published decisions to determine the medical characteristics of cases in which injuries were legally attributed to pertussis vaccination. Because of practical and statutory restrictions on the application process and the evolving nature of HHS claim denials, vaccinees in the disputed cases are not representative of all vaccine casualties, or of all NVICP applicants. Results Injuries were blamed on pertussis vaccine in 542 claims disputed by HHS. Claims asserted that pertussis vaccine caused seizure disorders (333 claims, 189 were awarded compensation), anaphylaxis (7 claims, 6 awards), hypotonic/hyporesponsive episodes or other injuries leading to early death (107 claims, 73 awards), and long-term neurologic disease (51 claims, 18 awards). Conclusions Assertions that pertussis vaccine caused unexpected infant death (other than anaphylaxis), seizure disorders, and long-term neurologic damage are inconsistent with epidemiological research. Findings of legal causation may contribute to popular perceptions that pertussis vaccine is a dangerous biological product. By providing compensation for these claimants, however, the NVICP may reduce the number of successful civil suits and thus protect the nation's vaccine supply.
Neurotransmitter Modulation of the Stomatogastric Ganglion of Decapod Crustaceans

A large number of substances including amines, amino acids, and peptides have been assigned neurotransmitter roles in both vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. Although explanations for this large number of neurotransmitters have been proposed, it is still far from understood how all these neurotransmitter systems function and interact within the nervous system. Some clues to the answer to this question should come from current work on the neurotransmitter systems involved in the modulation of the output of a “relatively simple system,” the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of decapod crustaceans.
Polypharmacy Leading to Priapism in HIV Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder: A CYP450 Cascade

With increasing trend of polypharmacy, there are higher chances of drug-drug interactions leading to adverse effects, especially in psychiatric patients with co-morbid chronic medical problems. This case demonstrates a schizoaffective 30-year-old male on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) who reported an incident of priapism potentially caused by an interaction between previously prescribed atypical antipsychotic, trazodone, norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), HAART, and newly added selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This case emphasizes obtaining careful medication history, understanding cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme and its subtypes, and discouraging polypharmacy. Clinicians must educate their patients about different sexual side effects as these can be socially stigmatizing and can further deteriorate mental health symptoms.
Abstract TP152: Maternal Morbidity Outcomes in Moyamoya Syndrome in New York State

Background: Pregnancy is associated with increased stroke risk in young women. Idiopathic moyamoya syndrome (IMMS) is a rare condition characterized by progressive narrowing of large cerebral arter...
Autonomous, Monocular, Vision-Based Snake Robot Navigation and Traversal of Cluttered Environments using Rectilinear Gait Motion.

Rectilinear forms of snake-like robotic locomotion are anticipated to be an advantage in obstacle-strewn scenarios characterizing urban disaster zones, subterranean collapses, and other natural environments. The elongated, laterally-narrow footprint associated with these motion strategies is well-suited to traversal of confined spaces and narrow pathways. Navigation and path planning in the absence of global sensing, however, remains a pivotal challenge to be addressed prior to practical deployment of these robotic mechanisms. Several challenges related to visual processing and localization need to be resolved to to enable navigation. As a first pass in this direction, we equip a wireless, monocular color camera to the head of a robotic snake. Visiual odometry and mapping from ORB-SLAM permits self-localization in planar, obstacle-strewn environments. Ground plane traversability segmentation in conjunction with perception-space collision detection permits path planning for navigation. A previously presented dynamical reduction of rectilinear snake locomotion to a non-holonomic kinematic vehicle informs both SLAM and planning. The simplified motion model is then applied to track planned trajectories through an obstacle configuration. This navigational framework enables a snake-like robotic platform to autonomously navigate and traverse unknown scenarios with only monocular vision.
1582 Laparoscopic Excision of Endometriosis does not Reduce the Risk of Reoperation within 2 Years Compared with Ablation of Implants

Study Objective To evaluate local patterns of surgical diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis and to determine whether excision versus ablation altered the need for repeat surgery within 2 years in a community hospital setting. Design Retrospective cohort analysis. Setting Community teaching hospital. Patients or Participants All patients who underwent conservative surgery between 1/2013-12/2016 for endometriosis, excluding hysterectomy and unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy. 294 patients met inclusion criteria. Interventions Laparoscopic excision or ablation of endometriosis. Measurements and Main Results 74(25.2%) of the patients had a repeat surgery within two years, 22 (20.6%) after excision and 52 (27.8%) after ablation (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.48-1.15). Endometriosis was diagnosed by tissue biopsy in 151(51.4%) and by visual inspection alone in 143(48.6%). 107(36.4%) underwent endometriosis excision; 80(27.2%) underwent excision alone while 27(9.2%) had both excision and ablation. 187(63.6%) underwent endometriosis ablation; 140(47.7%) had radiofrequency (RF) ablation only, 44 (14.9%) had RF ablation with biopsy and 3 (1.0%) had laser ablation. The 2 year reoperation risk was lower with robotic (6%) vs traditional laparoscopic excision (28%) but did not achieve statistical significance (RR 0.28 95% CI 0.07 to 1.16). Conclusion There was no difference in the risk of repeat surgery within 2 years whether endometriosis was excised or ablated. Excision using robot-assisted technique showed a non-significant trend toward a decrease in reoperation rate. In this clinical center, endometriosis ablation and excision are equally effective to prevent repeat surgery. The method should be selected based on surgeon experience.
1.6Tbps Coherent 2-Channel Transceiver using a Monolithic Tx/Rx InP PIC and Single SiGe ASIC

We present a 1.6Tbps coherent transceiver delivering 800Gbps/wave transmission using integrated Tx/Rx functions with 50GHz bandwidth and 50kHz linewidth tunable lasers on a single 2-channel InP PIC, paired with a SiGe Driver and TIA ASIC.
A simple, inexpensive, and rapid method to assess antibiotic effectiveness against exoelectrogenic bacteria

Abstract A sufficiently fast and simple antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is urgently required to guide effective antibiotic usages and to surveil the antimicrobial resistance rate. Here, we establish a rapid, quantitative, and high-throughput phenotypic AST by measuring electrons transferred from the interiors of microbial cells to external electrodes. Because the transferred electrons are based on microbial metabolic activities and are inversely proportional to the concentration of potential antibiotics, the changes in electrical outputs can be readily used as a transducing signal to efficiently monitor bacterial growth and antibiotic susceptibility. The sensing is performed by directly measuring the total energy, or all the accumulated microbial electricity, generated by microbial fuel cells (MFCs) arranged in a large-capacity disposable, paper-based testbed. A common Gram-negative pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type PAO1 and first-line antibiotic gentamicin (GEN) are used in our experiments. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values generated from our technique are validated by the gold standard broth microdilution (BMD). Our new approach provides quantitative, actionable MIC results within just 5 h because it measures electricity produced by bacterial metabolism instead of the days needed for growth-observation methods. Moreover, as the equipment needed is simple, common, and inexpensive, our test has immense potential to be adopted in the field or resource-limited hospitals and labs to provide insightful assessments for research and clinical practices.
Habitus congruence and college student experiences in social, academic, and racial domains

To better understand inequality in higher education, we qualitatively explore students’ fit in college using three domains based in theories by Bourdieu, Du Bois, and Bonilla-Silva: academic, socia...
Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome – Current State of Management

Abstract Symptomatic celiac artery compression syndrome (CACS) or median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a controversial diagnosis that should be considered in patients with chronic abdominal pain of unknown etiology despite an extensive medical evaluation. Once suspected, patients should undergo mesenteric duplex ultrasound. Diagnosis is confirmed with elevated celiac artery velocities which normalize with deep inspiration followed by CT angiogram showing the typical “J-hook” conformation of the celiac artery. Patients should then undergo evaluation by a multi-disciplinary team to appropriately select and prepare patients for potential surgical treatment. Surgical options include release of the median arcuate ligament, with or without neurolysis of the celiac nerve plexus, and with or without concomitant revascularization procedures. Approaches can be open, laparoscopic, or robotic. Surgical treatment has an overall success rate of 70-80% with patients reporting improved abdominal pain and quality of life. Post-operatively, patients can have persistent or recurrent abdominal pain and should undergo re-evaluation for possible need for a revascularization procedure for stenosis of the celiac artery or celiac plexus block if the celiac artery flow is normalized. Additionally, some patients will have persistent pain consistent with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) that will then require medical management. Psychiatric comorbidities have been identified as a predisposing factor that may predict poorer outcomes, and there are preliminary findings suggesting that patients with dysautonomia diagnoses may have worse outcomes as well.
A New Split on Old Age: Preclusion of § 1983 Claims and the ADEA

In 1967, Congress enacted the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to combat employer bias against older workers and to reject the idea that the job performance of all employees declines with age. The ADEA provides a statutory scheme for addressing age discrimination against employees aged forty years and older. Some older workers, however, have turned instead to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, using § 1983 claims as a means of relief. A six-to-one circuit split has emerged as to whether the ADEA is the exclusive remedy for age discrimination or whether an aggrieved older worker can seek relief by means of an equal protection–based § 1983 claim. In Levin v. Madigan, the Seventh Circuit became the first circuit court to conclude that the ADEA does not preclude age discrimination claims brought pursuant to § 1983. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari in the Levin case and is set to resolve this split in its upcoming term. This Note examines the legal conflict surrounding the ADEA’s preclusion of § 1983 claims. Based on recent developments in the doctrine of implied preclusion, the ADEA’s language, legislative history, and a comparison of rights and remedies, this Note argues that the Supreme Court should adopt the approach of the Seventh Circuit and find that the ADEA does not preclude § 1983 claims. It suggests that comparisons both of Title VII with the ADEA, and of age discrimination claims with race discrimination claims under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, further support this position.
Comparison of methodologies for separation of fungal isolates using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) microspectroscopy

Twenty distinct fungal isolates were analysed using three methods of sample preparation for FTIR spectroscopy and FTIR-ATR microspectroscopy to test for differences in surface chemical composition between living and dried fungal samples, as well as differences between surface chemistry and overall chemistry of homogenized dried samples. Results indicated that visually the FTIR spectra of different fungi are remarkably similar with subtle discernable differences, which statistical analysis of the spectra supported. Within each data set, different fungal isolates were responsible for statistical differences. Lack of congruence between each of the methods used suggests that determination of chemical composition is highly dependent upon the method of sample preparation and analysis (surface vs. whole) applied.
45,X/47,XXX Mosaicism and Short Stature

We describe the case of a ten-year-old girl with short stature and 45,X/47,XXX genotype. She also suffered from vesicoureteric reflux and kidney dysfunction prior to having surgery on her ureters. Otherwise, she does not have any of the characteristics of Turner nor Triple X syndrome. It has been shown that this mosaic condition as well as other varieties creates a milder phenotype than typical Turner syndrome, which is what we mostly see in our patient. However, this patient is a special case, because she is exceptionally short. Overall, one cannot predict the resultant phenotype in these mosaic conditions. This creates difficulty in counseling parents whose children or fetuses have these karyotypes.
Real Risk of Forum Shopping: A Dissent from Shady Grove, The

This article is written as a hypothetical dissenting opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Shady Grove Orthopedic Associates v. Allstate Insurance Co. In that case, the Court held that a federal court sitting in diversity jurisdiction must apply Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 -- the federal class action rule -- and not a New York state statute forbidding the use of class actions to enforce statutory penalties, the underlying issue in the Shady Grove litigation. In general, the Supreme Court's so-called "Erie" jurisprudence has been aimed at avoiding "vertical" forum shopping -- i.e., shopping between state and federal court -- while tacitly encouraging "horizontal" forum shopping -- i.e., shopping between courts in different states. In Shady Grove, however, the risk of horizontal forum shopping was small, because there was little chance that a court outside of New York would have applied the New York state statute. Therefore, the Court should have focused here on the risk of vertical forum shopping. By a 5-4 vote, however, the Supreme Court held that the federal rule trumps the state rule, thus creating the risk of divergent results as between state and federal courts. Continuing an unfortunate trend in important procedural areas, the Court did not produce a majority opinion. The plurality opinion written by Justice Scalia gave a nearly conclusive presumption that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure displace state procedural rules. Justice Stevens's concurrence was more nuanced and did not accept the nearly automatic presumption of application of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, but nevertheless concluded that the federal class action rule must win out. Justice Ginsburg's dissent treated the issue as essentially one of election of remedies. Either the plaintiff must choose between the class action procedure in federal court or forgo the statutory penalty. This hypothetical opinion sides with Justice Ginsburg, but for different reasons. It argues that on the particular facts of this conflict between Federal Rule 23 and the state statute, the Court should have found that Federal Rule 23 exceeded the scope of the Rules Enabling Act, which authorizes the creation of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Suprapubic aspiration of urine in very low birth weight infants.

The incidence of urinary tract infection in the neonatal period is higher in preterm than in term infants.1 These are typically late-onset infections occurring after 72 hours of age.2 Because the signs of urinary tract infection in neonates are nonspecific, a safe and effective way of sampling urine for culture such as suprapubic aspiration is essential. Although previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of this procedure in term and preterm infants, the preterm infants studied previously were undoubtedly larger than those very low birth weight infants cared for in today9s neonatal intensive care units, inasmuch as survival rates for these small infants have increased.1,3
A dose of drugs, a touch of violence, a case of AIDS, Part 2: Further conceptualizing the Sava Syndemic

This paper builds on prior discussion of the concept of syndemics in the social science and public health literatures to further define and extend the utility of this construct in analyzing the relationships among substance abuse, violence and HIV/AIDS. The term syndemic refers to a set of closely entwined and mutual enhancing health problems that "working together" in a context of noxious social and physical conditions can significantly affect the overall disease burden and health status of a population. The paper focuses on the emergence of what is termed the SAVA (substance abuse, violence, AIDS) syndemic among several populations that are at high risk because they are subject to social discrimination, stigmatization, and subordination, namely abused children and battered women, men who have sex with men, illicit drug users, and commercial sex workers
Small Bodies in The Outer Solar System

This report is a continuation of three earlier reviews (Marsden 1996a, 1996b, 1998) that included a summary of our orbital knowledge of the Kuiper Belt. Presented at conferences held in the middle of 1994, 1995 and 1996, respectively, these reviews showed the steadily developing picture of a system dominated by the plutinos, librating in the 2:3 mean-motion resonance with Neptune, and the cubewanos, a somewhat more distant population of nonlibrating objects with low orbital eccen-tricities. The existence of a 3:4 Neptune librator and a 3:5 Neptune librator was also suspected. These librators have now been confirmed, and a possible 4:7 librator and possible second 3:5 librator have also been found. The known and suspected multiple-opposition librators are listed in Table 1. Here it is important to note that the orbital semimajor axes a (in AU), eccentricities e and inclinations i (in degrees with respect to the 2000.0 ecliptic) are mean values that eliminate the large 12-year and 30-year periodicities arising from the indirect perturbations by Jupiter and Saturn on sun-centered orbits. The numbers in parentheses are the semimajor axes (in AU) corresponding to the resonances. Following the absolute magnitude H, the entries “Nep.” and “Ura.” show the minimum distances (in AU) from Neptune and Uranus (the latter being of course quite small for the most eccentric 2:3 Neptune librators) within several millennia of the present time.
Classes of Sets, Measures, and Probability Spaces

A set in the words of Georg Cantor, the founder of modern set theory, is a collection into a whole of definite, well-distinguished objects of our perception or thought, The objects are called elements and the set is the aggregate of these elements. It is very convenient to extend this notion and also envisage a set devoid of elements, a so-called empty set, and this will be denoted by O. Each element of a set appears only once therein and its order of appearance within the set is irrelevant. A set whose elements are themselves sets will be called a class.
A case of fetal decapitation.

Ultrasonography has made it possible to detect fetal maldevelopment involving many organ systems. Most structural anomalies have well-described characteristics and follow a standard pattern of development, permitting accurate prognosis and counseling for families. We present an intriguing case of a fetal head anomaly, to our knowledge never previously reported : the finding of a live singleton fetus sonographically identified to be headless.
Asymmetrical modular mutilevel converter (A-MMC) based HVDC system

Over the past years, modular multilevel converters (MMC) have been widely researched as a preferred option among voltage source converters for HVDC transmission system. The converter presents modularity to generate high number of output voltage levels by simple series connection of modules, resulting in higher reliability and easy failure management/maintenance. Synthesis of near sinusoidal output voltage waveforms by multilevel operation requires pulse-width modulation at relatively lower switching frequencies, resulting in reduced switching losses. In this paper, asymmetrical submodules in the MMC based HVDC system have been investigated. Use of asymmetrical submodules with different capacitor voltages results in lesser number of semiconductor switches for the same number of output voltage levels, thus reducing the overall size of the converter system. The operating principle using different carrier based modulation schemes is discussed in detail. Modified voltage balancing algorithms based on well known sorting algorithm and PI controller have been investigated for their feasibility to asymmetrical-MMC operation. Simulations with preliminary experimental results are presented to validate the proposed converter operation.
The Identification of Prejudicial Attitudes by the Galvanic Skin Response

(1959). The Identification of Prejudicial Attitudes by the Galvanic Skin Response. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 241-245.
Determination by Electron Holography of the Electronic Charge Distribution at Threading Dislocations in Epitaxial GaN

The electronic properties of the threading dislocations in undoped GaN have been studied using electron holography. The electrostatic potential profiles show that edge, screw, and mixed dislocations are negatively charged. The line charge density at the dislocation core, defined by n electrons per unit cell along the c direction, is determined. The line charge densities for edge, screw, and mixed dislocations are ∼0.3, 1.0, and 0.6 e/c, respectively. The corresponding radii of the charged core are 15, 40 and 20 nm, respectively. A model for the charge distribution around dislocations is discussed.
A combined treatment program for the management of locally recurrent breast cancer following chest wall irradiation.

Locally recurrent breast cancer involving the previously irradiated chest wall and skin is a difficult but manageable problem. A detailed oncological evaluation is initially undertaken to determine the extent of local and systemic disease. Local infection, if present, is controlled by topical therapy with 0.5% silver nitrate in conjunction with well-planned, aggressive radiotherapy to the areas of tumor recurrence. Concomitant, hormonal, and/or cytotoxic chemotherapy is administered if evidence of systemic involvement is detected. Biopsies of the ulcer margin are performed with surgical excision and debridement as indicated, followed by sequential skin grafting. Seven patients are presented in whom circumferential ulcer biopsies, radiation therapy, skin grafting, and topical silver nitrate therapy were carried out with control and resolution of local symptoms in all cases. It is not essential to have initial tumor control in order to insure graft take. This program has particular application to the poor risk surgical patient, with or without evidence of systemic disease.
Quantitation of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach using quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays.

Background The density of Helicobacter pylori is thought to correlate with the degree of inflammation and thus indirectly with the outcome of the infection. Rapid quantitative assays of H. pylori in gastric or duodenal mucosa are lacking. The aim was to develop quantitative assays using the polymerase chain reaction to assess the quantity of H. pylori in the gastric mucosa. Methods Competitive PCR was based on coamplification of a segment of the ureC sequence and an internal control using a single set of primers. PCR products were quantified colorimetrically by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared with known quantities of the internal control standard added to the PCR reaction. The highly sensitive, noncompetitive PCR assay does not use coamplification and measures the amplified DNA sequence using a flash-type luminescent tag and a specific probe. The mouse infected model using H. pylori strain SS-1 was used to develop the assays. Results Quantification of H. pylori using either the competitive or noncompetitive PCR was reliable, highly sensitive and specific. Conclusions The ability to rapidly quantitate H. pylori from gastric mucosa should be useful to investigate the role of H. pylori density and infection outcome, as well as to monitor the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment or vaccines against H. pylori.
Cellular responses to acute injury: The role of the plasma membrane in cell response to two clostridial toxins

Summary The plasma membrane plays an important role in the pathogenesis of acute cell injury. This brief review outlines the role of the plasma membrane in the cellular response to two clostridial toxins, the botulinum C 2 toxin and the tetanus toxin. These two toxins belong to the same family of toxins as botulinum toxin type A and type F, those used clinically for the treatment of facial spasm. The actions of C 2 toxin on cultured cells give rise to an acute injury characterized by a dissociation of the actin filaments of the cell cytoskeleton. While this toxin can be lethal to intact organisms, the acute cellular response need not necessarily result in cell death. In the case of tetanus toxin, the toxin appears to perturb the plasma membrane so that the function of one important cell second messenger system, protein kinase C, is altered.
Computer friends and foes: Content of undergraduates' electronic mail

Abstract Less than half of undergraduates' electronic mail addressed work-related concerns. For the most part, electronic mail served a purely social function, with over one fourth containing highly intimate content and unexpectedly little showing signs of “flaming” or hostility and social inappropriateness. Students appeared to transmit mail largely to encourage one another academically and personally. Content of electronic mail was systematically related to periods within the academic calendar. The most frequently cited reason for failing to use electronic mail was the inability to perceive the practicality of computer-mediated communication. Self-reported experiences with electronic mail varied minimally as a function of sex and moderately as a function of grade point average in computer science courses.
Family Experiences With Outpatient Care: Do Adolescents and Parents Have the Same Perceptions?

Abstract Purpose Providing healthcare for adolescents involves balancing parents' and adolescents' needs, and little research addressing, measuring, and achieving this balance has been conducted. A first step for healthcare providers toward achieving this balance is to understand the differences between parents and adolescents regarding perceptions of outpatient care experiences. This study was to explore and compare the experiences of care between parents and adolescents in a primary care setting. Methods As part of an institution-wide system to measure patient satisfaction, 170 pairs of adolescent patients aged 11–17.9 years and their parents/guardians who had an outpatient visit at a Teen Health Center located within a large pediatric hospital were interviewed by telephone using both closed- and open-ended questions. Results Overall, perceptions of care between adolescents and parents were very similar. However, adolescents reported less involvement in decisions about medical care and were less likely to receive understandable answers to questions. A qualitative analysis of responses to open-ended questions indicated that aspects of care important to both adolescents and parents are communication followed by interpersonal skills and technical competence. Parents and adolescents did not always view confidentiality in the same way. Conclusions These findings suggest that more time should be spent focusing on the adolescents' needs concerning communication. Healthcare providers should focus on the adolescents' needs by involving them in decisions and providing understandable answers to questions. Both parents and adolescents should be surveyed to measure their experience of care, especially with respect to involvement in care decisions, communication, and confidentiality.
Cannabinoid mitigation of neuronal morphological change important to development and learning: Insight from a zebra finch model of psychopharmacology

Normal CNS development proceeds through late-postnatal stages of adolescent development. The activity-dependence of this development underscores the significance of CNS-active drug exposure prior to completion of brain maturation. Exogenous modulation of signaling important in regulating normal development is of particular concern. This mini-review presents a summary of the accumulated behavioral, physiological and biochemical evidence supporting such a key regulatory role for endocannabinoid signaling during late-postnatal CNS development. Our focus is on the data obtained using a unique zebra finch model of developmental psychopharmacology. This animal has allowed investigation of neuronal morphological effects essential to establishment and maintenance of neural circuitry, including processes related to synaptogenesis and dendritic spine dynamics. Altered neurophysiology that follows exogenous cannabinoid exposure during adolescent development has the potential to persistently alter cognition, learning and memory.
A technique for the continuous recording of gastric vascular tonicity.

Abstract A device has been developed for recording continously the state of gastric vascular tonicity (GVT). It basically consists of a glass tubing permanently attached to the internal wall of the stomach. Light carried by an optic fiber crosses the gastric wall and reaches a photocell secured to the serosal side of the stomach. Its output is continuously recorded. Several tests run showed that the technique registers changes in the state of GVT. India ink injected via a jugular cannula showed decreases in the amount of light transmitted through the gastric wall. Warm water circulated on the serosal side of the stomach showed increase in GVT and the opposite occurred when cold water was circulated.
Increased C4d in post-reperfusion biopsies and increased donor specific antibodies at one-week post transplant are risk factors for acute rejection in mild to moderately sensitized kidney transplant recipients

In order to define the intensity of immunosuppression, we examined risk factors for acute rejection in desensitization protocols that use baseline donor-specific antibody levels measured as mean fluorescence intensity (MFI max ). The study included 146 patients transplanted with a negative flow crossmatch and a mean follow-up of 18 months with the majority (83%) followed for at least 1 year. At the time of transplant, mean-calculated panel-reactive antibody and MFI max ranged from 10.3–57.2% and 262–1691, respectively, between low- and high-risk protocols. Mean MFI max increased significantly from transplant to 1 week and 1 year. The incidence of acute rejection (mean 1.65 months) as a combination of clinical and subclinical rejection was 32%, including 14% cellular, 12% antibody-mediated, and 6% mixed rejection. In regression analyses, only C4d staining in post-reperfusion biopsies (hazard ratio 3.3, confidence interval 1.71–6.45) and increased specific antibodies at 1-week post transplant were significant predictors of rejection. A rise in MFI max by 500 was associated with a 2.8-fold risk of rejection. Thus, C4d staining in post-reperfusion biopsies and an early rise in donor specific antibodies after transplantation are risk factors for rejection in moderately sensitized patients.
The Aggregation States of Phytochrome from Etiolated Rye and Oat Seedings

Initial extracts from etiolated plants contained two aggregates of phytochrome. A major fraction was almost excluded by Sephadex G-200 and was within the fractionation range of Sepharose 4 B. A minor fraction was within the fractionation range of Sephadex G-200. Modifications of a previous isolation procedure which allowed retention of this aggregation state are reported. With respect to gel filtration, the major fraction of phytochrome from oat and rye seedlings was identical. The aggregates of rye and oat phytochrome were also separated by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography.
A Validity Study of Two Paper-Pencil Tests of Concrete and Formal Operations.

Two group paper-pencil batteries, the Longeot (consisting of three subtests) and three puzzles (KLR) from Science Teaching and the Development of Reasoning, were administered to 607 students from ninth and tenth grade mathematics and science classes. A subsample of 69 students was then administered three Inhelder tasks (chemicals, rods, and shadows). In general, the expected developmental trends were confirmed, with formal status being most difficult to attain on the Inhelder tasks and easiest to attain on the Longeot. The correlations between the KLR and Inhelder (0.61, p < 0.01) and the Longeot and Inhelder (0.55, p < 0.05) were moderately high. According to the method of Shayer (Note 2), it was found that each of five paper-pencil subtests discriminates at or between the 2B (late concrete) and 3A (early formal) levels while the sixth subtest, the mealworm puzzle, was found to discriminate at the 3A level. This study indicates that either group battery may be useful in identifying transitional subjects. However, if a more stringent criterion of “formal” is needed, a “success” rate of four or five out of the six subtests may be required. Both group batteries are relatively easy to administer and score with a minimum of guidance, although the KLR scoring might need to be simplified for use by the practitioner. Sex differences found on the KLR and the Longeot are suggestive of the potential differential use of these tests by researchers investigating sex differences in achievement or aptitude.
Local time-averaged gas holdup in a fluidized bed with side air injection using X-ray computed tomography

Abstract Local time-averaged gas holdup in a 10.2 cm diameter fluidized bed is determined using X-ray computed tomography (CT) over a range of superficial gas velocities (Ug), side air injection flow rates (Qside), and fluidized bed material. Without side air injection, only small variations in the local time-averaged gas holdup are observed for beds composed of glass beads, ground walnut shell, or ground corncob. With the introduction of side air injection, which simulates the immediate volatilization of biomass in a fluidized bed gasifier, a distinctive plume is observed along the reactor wall above the side injection port. The plume gradually expands toward the center of the bed as height increases; the expansion is found to increase with increasing Qside. As Ug increases, fluidization becomes more uniform and the effect of the side air injection on the fluidization hydrodynamics is less pronounced. Additionally, increasing Ug increases overall gas holdup and bed expansion. Of the three bed materials examined, ground corncob fluidization is the least affected by side air injection and shows the highest overall gas holdup while glass bead fluidization is much more affected by side air injection and has the lowest overall gas holdup. This study demonstrates the usefulness of X-ray CT in noninvasively visualizing detailed internal features of fluidized beds. These results will be used in future studies to validate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of fluidized beds.
Future heat vulnerability in California, Part I: projecting future weather types and heat events

Excessive heat significantly impacts the health of Californians during irregular but intense heat events. Through the 21st century, a significant increase in impact is likely, as the state experiences a changing climate as well as an aging population. To assess this impact, future heat-related mortality estimates were derived for nine metropolitan areas in the state for the remainder of the century. Here in Part I, changes in oppressive weather days and consecutive-day events are projected for future years by a synoptic climatological method. First, historical surface weather types are related to circulation patterns at 500mb and 700mb, and temperature patterns at 850mb. GCM output is then utilized to classify future circulation patterns via discriminant function analysis, and multinomial logistic regression is used to derive future surface weather type at each of six stations in California. Five different climate model-scenarios are examined. Results show a significant increase in heat events over the 21st century, with oppressive weather types potentially more than doubling in frequency, and with heat events of 2 weeks or longer becoming up to ten times more common at coastal locations.
Response of Type IIIa-J Kodak Spectroscopic Plates to Baking in Various Controlled Atmospheres

A new emulsion with excellent signal-to-noise characteristics has been hypersensitized to speeds practicable for astronomical applications by baking in a controlled nitrogen atmosphere. Important gains are achieved in speed and fog suppression relative to the usual procedure of baking in air.
Comparative studies on serum lipoprotein and lipid profiles in subhuman primates

Abstract 1. 1. A comparative study of serum lipoprotein profiles of twelve different Old and New World primate species indicated a wide inter- and intra-species variaton. The lipoprotein profile in chimps was the closest to that observed in man. 2. 2. α-Lipoprotein was the predominant lipoprotein class in the majority of the species studied, while pre-β-lipoprotein constituted only a minor component. Old World primates in general had lower levels of β-lipoprotein than others. 3. 3. These observations suggest that serum lipoprotein profiles reflect significant metabolic differences and will be useful in determining inter- and intra-species susceptibility to atherosclerosis.
Emerging issues in counseling adult learners

What issues are likely to confront counselors and administrators who want to strengthen counseling services for adult learners?
A dominant lethal temperature-sensitive mutant of herpes simplex virus type 1.

Abstract A temperature-sensitive ( ts ) mutant of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), ts P23, markedly inhibited the growth of the wild-type virus from which it was derived in mixed infectiobs at the nonpermissive temperature. When cells were mixedly infected with equal multiplicities of ts P23 and other HSV-1 mutants, complementation was inefficient. However, complementation indices increased as the multiplicity of ts P23 decreased relative to that of the other mutant, indicating that interference by ts P23 is a function of the dose of the mutant gene. Biochemically, ts P23 is DNA-negative, overproduces certain immediate early and delayed early viral polypeptides, and underproduces late, structural gene products. Patterns of viral DNA and protein synthesis in cells mixedly infected with ts P23 and the wild-type virus at the nonpermissive temperature were similar to those of cells infected with the mutant alone at this temperature. Temperature-shift studies and the kinetics of interference by ts P23 with the growth of the wild-type virus indicate that the mutant is arrested early in the replicative cycle. In support of this hypothesis is the observation that viral polypeptide synthesis in cells infected with ts P23 at 39° was similar but not identical to that observed in cells infected with the wild-type virus in the presence of phosphonoacetic acid, a drug which is thought to act directly on the viral DNA polymerase molecule, a delayed-early viral gene product. The interfering properties of the mutant, the timing of the inhibitory effect, and the kinetics of protein synthesis in mutant-infected cells at 39° indicate that ts P23 is a dominant lethal mutant with a primary defect in a “trans” acting, delayed early gene function essential for viral DNA synthesis.
In vitro inhibition of commercial douche products against vaginal microflora

Recently, vaginal douching has been associated with many health risks in women. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of commercial douche products against various vaginal microorganisms, including lactobacilli. Seven commercial douches were tested against eight Lactobacillus clinical isolates and three type strains from the American Type Culture Collection. BV-associated bacteria included six strains of five genera: Gardnerella, Mobiluncus, Mycoplasma, Peptostreptococcus, and Ureaplasma. Two isolates of group B Streptococcus, and three species of Candida were also tested. The minimal inhibition concentrations and minimal contact times for these products against vaginal microorganisms were determined in broth cultures. Four antiseptic-containing douche products showed a strong inhibitory effect against all vaginal microorganisms tested with a short contact time (less than 1 min). Three vinegar-containing douche products selectively inhibited vaginal pathogens associated with bacterial vaginosis, group B streptococcal vaginitis, and candidiasis, but not lactobacilli. The antimicrobial effects of the commercial douche products varied among different brands and microbial species tested.
Ancillarity properties of generalized residuals with applications in failure time models

This paper addresses the issue of when residuals from failure time models, which are useful in model validation and diagnostics, possess a conditional ancillarity property. This property states that the distribution of the residuals depends on the model parameters only through a many-to-one function of these parameters, which in certain models turn out to be the censoring proportion. Concrete results are obtained for models which possess an invariance structure, and these results are applied to commonly used failure time models. Aside from furthering our understanding of the distributional structure of residuals, this conditional ancillarity property can be exploited to study in a more efficient manner the distributional properties of residuals either analytically and/or through numerical methods.