cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Design Guide to Shear Resistance of Bonding Layer in Concrete Bridge Deck Asphalt Pavement

A new approach to evaluate shear resistance of bonding layer in concrete bridge deck asphalt pavement was proposed.The distributions for shear stress and normal stress in the interface between asphalt pavement and bridge slab under vertical and horizontal load were analyzed by finite element method.Based on the scattergram of shear stress and normal stress,the conception of shear stress critical boundary was proposed.Parameters of pavement and load were considered to analyze its effects on critical boundary.Also,equation formation of critical boundary was tested by χ2-test.The basic condition to guarantee the performance of shear resistance for bonding layer was that there was no intersection of shear stress critical boundary and shear intensity envelope line,which was the design standard for bonding layer in concrete bridge deck asphalt pavement.Finally,a case study was presented.
Power flow solution for multi-frequency AC power systems

This paper proposes to enhance existing power flow solutions for application in multi-frequency AC power systems. The paper shows such power flow solutions can be obtained using existing methods provided that impedances of lines operating at different frequencies be reflected to their equivalent impedances at the fundamental power frequency. The paper first presents a mathematical proof of equivalent parameters in terms of power flow of a transmission line operated at a low frequency and the fundamental frequency. It is then validated by analyzing the power flow solutions of a power system modeled in PSCAD/EMTDC when it is operated at multi-frequency and at conventional 60 Hz conditions. An application of a low frequency AC transmission line is illustrated to demonstrate its superiority in terms of power carrying capacity over a typical fundamental-frequency AC transmission line.
Fight or flight: Perceptions of men who confront versus ignore threats to themselves and others

Abstract Masculine Honor (MH) describes a set of cultural beliefs by which men are expected to defend against threats, even if this defense requires the use of physical violence (e.g., Cohen & Nisbett, 1994). Previous research has identified what constitutes a threat and how MH moderates perceptions of these threats. However, little research has examined perceptions of men who confront versus fail to confront a threat to their masculinity. In two studies (N = 267) we examined whether MH moderated the relationship between whether a man confronted or walked away from a threat directed at himself ( Study 1 ) and a threat directed at his significant other ( Study 2 ) and perceptions of the man as manly (e.g., strong) and non-manly (e.g., weak). MH was associated with manly perceptions of men who choose to fight and non-manly perceptions of men who choose to walk away from threats. These results are consistent with previous research on MH which predicts that men should respond to threats or insults that are directed at them. And to do so, violence is sometimes necessary. Thus, individuals' adherence to MH predicts how they perceive violence as a tool for defending against threats and building and maintaining masculine reputations.
Simulations of the Effect of Collimation on Count Rates of an LSO PET System

We present a simulation study of the effect of different degrees of collimation on countrate performance of a hypothetical PET scanner with LSO crystals. The simulated scanner is loosely based on the geometry of the Siemens Biograph Hi-Rez scanner. System behavior is studied with a photon tracking simulation package (SimSET). We investigate the NEMA NU2-2001 count rate and scatter fraction behavior for systems with different amounts of collimation, which is acheived by adding septa to the fully-3d system as in clinical use. We study systems with 2,5,11, and 40 septa. The effect of collimation is studied for three patient thicknesses. The resulting count rate curves for true, scattered, and random coincidences as well as noise equivalent count rates are compared for the different collimation cases. Improved countrate performance with partial collimation is seen. However, except for the largest diameter phantom, the NEC rate increase is seen at higher activities than those used clinically. The NEC countrate versus activity curves for the LSO systems are also compared to those from a BGO system where partial collimation increases NEC countrate over a clinically relevant activity range.
"The Church of Online Support": Examining the Use of Blogs Among Family Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

Many individuals, including dementia caregivers, use blogs to share their experiences. These blogs contain rich narratives representing an untapped resource for understanding the psychosocial impact of caring for a person with dementia at the family level. The present study used blogs written by caregivers of persons with dementia to explore how these individuals leveraged this medium as part of the caregiving experience. Blogs written by self-identified informal caregivers of persons with dementia were identified using a systematic search method, and data were analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from the narratives: social support through communication and engagement, information gathering and seeking, reminiscing and legacy building, and altruism. By understanding the ways in which individuals providing care for persons with dementia use social media as part of the caregiving experience, family nurses can develop interventions and services aimed at improving caregiver burden and quality of life.
Reconstruction of lower third auricular defects

Defects of the lower third of the auricle, also known as the lobule, are relatively common, especially among patients who wear earrings. Lobular defects have many causes including congenital deformity, trauma, gauge defects, and extirpation for malignancy. Patients may also wish to have their earlobes cosmetically reduced after elongation due to years of wearing heavy, pendulous earrings. Because the auricle has many convex and concave surfaces of each with different amounts of elasticity, rigidity, and flexibility, the types of defects and their reconstruction are widely varied. In this article, we discuss common isolated lobular defects, their management, and their reconstruction.
Vocal cord dysfunction presenting as 'steroid-dependent' asthma

Objective:To describe a case of paroxysmal vocal cord dysfunction (PVCD) in a patient presenting with an initial diagnosis of severe asthma.Case Summary:A 42-year-old obese white woman with a 5-year history of severe asthma symptoms was referred to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Asthma Outpatient Clinic. The patient said she had experienced frequent “asthma attacks” despite increased use of multiple asthma medications. Additionally, she often required nebulization therapy with bronchodilators and supplemental oxygen, and had a variable response. During the clinic visit, the patient presented with clear airways uncharacteristic of a person with severe asthma. A diagnosis of PVCD was made on the basis of results of videolaryngostroboscopy, and asthma medications were gradually discontinued.Setting:The Ohio State University Comprehensive Asthma Outpatient Clinic.Discussion:Patients with PVCD often present with symptoms characteristic of asthma. As a result, misdiagnosis of severe asthma often occurs...
Abstract 173: Expanded Role for Thrombin/PAR1 Signaling in Cardiac Fibroblast Activation

Cardiac fibrosis is a feature of numerous types of heart disease that lead to disability and death and is characterized by the transformation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) to myofibroblasts (myofibs) that synthesize and release large amounts of collagen-rich extracellular matrix (ECM), thereby resulting in reduced cardiac function and eventually heart failure. CFs are the most abundant cell type in the heart and regulate the production of ECM as a normal part of wound repair but disease can result if CFs become overactive, at least in part by increased transformation to myofibs. Cardiac fibrosis can occur spontaneously in advanced age, after acute injury (e.g., myocardial infarction) and in disease states (e.g., diabetes mellitus and heart failure). We sought to identify novel therapeutic targets for cardiac fibrosis by using an unbiased approach (RT-PCR array) to define the most abundantly expressed G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) predicted to regulate the CF/myofib transformation. Certain GPCRs, e.g. angiotensin and endothelin receptors, can promote cardiac fibrosis but few others are known to do this. We hypothesized that previously unrecognized GPCRs play an important role in regulating the function of CFs. Using the RT-PCR GPCR array, we found that the protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR1) is the most abundant GPCR in adult rat CFs (rCFs). Thrombin activation of PAR1 in rCFs elevates (with distinct kinetics) the expression of a variety of pro-fibrotic markers, induces morphological changes to the myofib phenotype and stimulates synthesis of collagen, the primary ECM component without affecting cell proliferation. The thrombin-induced initiation of a proliferation-independent pro-fibrotic response in adult rCFs contrasts with effects of thrombin in neonatal rCFs, suggesting a differential wound repair response in the adult versus the still-developing heart. By defining the level of expression of GPCRs in rCFs and revealing an expanded role for PAR1 in the wound repair response of the heart, the data provide a proof-of-principle that our approach can identify novel functional and disease-relevant GPCRs in CFs-- and likely in other cardiovascular cells as well.
A Note on the Analysis of Causation in Psychological Research: The Influence of Theory

Recently, Griffore (1978) argued that psychological research would benefit from a full consideration of the Aristotelian tetrad of causality (viz., material, efficient, formal, and final causation). There are several characteristics of the Aristotelian model, however, that may limit its application to contemporary, programmatic psychological research. First, it is substantially at variance with the models of causality presently employed in empirical psychology. Second, it may underestimate the influence of theory in causal analysis. Third, it may thus lead to a theoretically insufficient eclecticism. While Griffore’s attempt to broaden the explanatory base of psychological inquiry is generally supported, it is as yet premature to settle upon any all-encompassing psychological metatheory.
Caret-HM: recording and replaying Android user sessions with heat map generation using UI state clustering

The Caret-HM framework allows Android developers to record and replay user sessions and convert them into heatmaps. One advantage of our framework over existing solutions is that it allows developers to control the environment while simplifying the recording process by giving users access to their applications via a web browser. The heatmap generation using Android user sessions and clustering UI states is a unique feature of our framework. Heat maps allow developers to identify the usage of application features for testing and guiding business decisions. We provide a qualitative comparison to the existing solutions. The video with demonstration is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMSNAKM1Bj4
Expression and Purification of a Mammalian P2X7 Receptor from Sf9 Insect Cells

The P2X7 receptor is an extracellular ATP-gated ion channel found only in eukaryotes (Bartlett et al., 2014). Due to its unique properties among P2X receptors, such as formation of a large conductance pore, the P2X7 receptor has been implicated in devastating diseases like chronic pain (North and Jarvis, 2013). However, mechanisms underlying the P2X7 specific properties remain poorly understood, partly because purification of this eukaryotic membrane protein has been challenging. Here we describe a detailed protocol for expressing and purifying a mammalian P2X7 receptor using an insect cell-baculovirus system. The P2X7 receptor is expressed in Sf9 insect cells as a GFP fusion protein and solubilized with a buffer containing Triton X-100 detergent. The P2X7-GFP fusion protein is then purified in a buffer containing dodecyl maltoside using Strep-Tactin affinity chromatography. Following enzymatic cleavage of the attached GFP and Strep-tag by thrombin, the P2X7 receptor is isolated using size exclusion chromatography. This method typically yields ~2 mg of purified protein from 6 L of Sf9 culture. Purified protein can be stored with a buffer containing 15% glycerol at 4 °C for at least 2 months and used for a variety of functional and structural studies (Karasawa and Kawate, 2016).
Protecting Infrastructure Assets from Real-Time and Run-Time Threats

Real-time availability with integrity is a crucial security requirement for critical infrastructure assets – delays in reporting device states or computations may result in equipment damage, perhaps even catastrophic failure. However, it is also necessary to address malicious software-based threats. Trusted computing (TC) is a security paradigm that enables application platforms to enforce the integrity of execution targets. A TC architecture can be combined with a real-time access control system to help protect against real-time availability and malware threats. However TC architectures offer only static (load-time) protection, so it is still necessary to address the possibility of run-time (execution) attacks. This paper focuses on the protection afforded by TC platforms to critical infrastructure assets. The paper defines a threat model, analyzes vulnerabilities, proposes services and tools that guarantee real-time availability with integrity, and demonstrates how they can be used to protect communications of an IEC61850-90-5-compliant substation automation system in an electricity grid. Also, it discusses the impact of run-time attacks on TC-compliant critical infrastructure assets.
Fiber Network Formation in Semi-Flexible Polymer Solutions: An Exploratory Computational Study

The formation of gels through the bundling of semi-flexible polymer chains into fiber networks is ubiquitous in diverse manufactured and natural materials, and, accordingly, we perform exploratory molecular dynamics simulations of a coarse-grained model of semi-flexible polymers in a solution with attractive lateral interchain interactions to understand essential features of this type of gel formation. After showing that our model gives rise to fibrous gels resembling real gels of this kind, we investigate how the extent of fiber bundling influences the “melting” temperature, T m , and the emergent rigidification of model bundled fibers having a fixed number of chains, N, within them. Based on our preliminary observations, we suggest the fiber size is kinetically selected by a reduced thermodynamic driving force and a slowing of the dynamics within the fibers associated with their progressive rigidification with the inclusion of an increasing number of chains in the bundle.
VCIDS: Collaborative Intrusion Detection of Sensor and Actuator Attacks on Connected Vehicles

Modern urban vehicles adopt sensing, communication and computing modules into almost every functioning aspect to assist humans in driving. However, the advanced technologies are inherently vulnerable to attacks, exposing vehicles to severe security risks. In this work, we focus on the detection of sensor and actuator attacks that are capable of actively altering vehicle behavior and directly causing damages to human beings and vehicles. We develop a collaborative intrusion detection system where each vehicle leverages sensing data from its onboard sensors and neighboring vehicles to detect sensor and actuator attacks without a centralized authority. The detection utilizes the unique feature that clean data and contaminated data are correlated through the physical dynamics of the vehicle. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the detection system in a scaled autonomous vehicle testbed by launching attacks through various attack channels.
Palliative Care for Cancer and Treatment-Related Changes for Inpatients

Accumulating public and professional experience with a growing evidence base has established palliative care support as an integral part of cancer care, ideally from the time of diagnosis in most instances. As palliative care continues to mainstream itself, the dated and dichotomous view of “cure versus palliation” should fade as curable patients are comforted and incurable patients live better and longer. Although the in-hospital admission for the cancer patient hazards dignity, comfort, and quality of life, it now provides the opportunity through palliative care support to transform the cancer journey from one shadowed by despair to a purposeful one of affirmation.
National Assessment in the United States: The Evolution of a Nation’s Report Card

In many countries, education is a responsibility of government, but in the United States of America, it is among the functions of government for which both funding and policy is the responsibility of the 50 states of the union, and often of school districts within states. Given that context, it is especially interesting that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a federal project, was established, has survived, and has had considerable influence both nationally and in the states. In this chapter, evidence bearing upon these issues is presented. The chapter also serves as a history of the formation and the development of NAEP.
Cosmetic surgery and criminal rehabilitation.

The contribution of physical appearance to criminal behavior has long been a matter of general interest. We investigated the influence of cosmetic surgery on recidivism rates in the Texas state prison system. The baseline prison population recidivism rates have been 14%, 32%, and 36% at one, two, and three years, respectively. The study group consisted of 253 inmates who had cosmetic procedures between 1982 and 1984 and who were released from prison between the time of operation and the end of 1986. The recidivism rates, calculated by life table analysis, were 8% at one year, 17% at two years, and 25% at three years. All were significantly less than baseline (P less than .01, P less than .001, P less than .01). The rates for those who had been incarcerated for violent crimes were 3.3%, 7.7%, and 15.0% (all P less than .001). We conclude that a positive relationship exists between cosmetic surgery and criminal rehabilitation, as measured by a decrease in recidivism.
Computerized Tomography Scan for Diagnosis and Staging of Renal Cell Carcinoma

A comparison of computerized tomography and arteriography for the diagnosis and staging of renal cell carcinoma was done in 45 patients during a 2-year interval. Compared to arteriography, computerized tomography was more accurate in the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma (95 versus 85 per cent), equivalent in the determination of renal vein involvement and superior in the determination of regional nodal involvement. Because of the increased diagnostic accuracy, better delineation of the local extent of the tumor and less invasive nature we recommend computerized tomography as the preferred procedure for diagnosis and staging of renal cell carcinoma. However, in patients with questionable findings arteriography and/or inferior venacavography should be used as complementary studies.
Control of Cryogenic Memory State Transitions in a Josephson Junction Array

Energy efficient cryogenic memory and Josephson junction arrays have the potential of revolutionizing highperformance computing systems based on single flux quantum logic. In this paper, a pulse control is designed to switch among stable equilibrium states of a Josephson junction array. Josephson junction arrays have the ability to store state information at low temperatures and energies, which naturally is useful for cryogenic memory applications. Although typical memory applications involve binary states, as a memory cell, the Josephson junction array has the ability to occupy nonbinary states given the nonlinear nature of the dynamics, which can lead to a reduced number of cells required in practical applications among other advantages. Transitions between states can be achieved through experimental testing for specific transitions, however, there are no known closed-form solutions to arbitrarily transition from one stable state to another. The system dynamics are similar to an array of coupled nonlinear oscillators, for which there is no known analytical solution. By providing an energy-based analysis for the junction array, a lower bound is determined and system trajectories are closely approximated such that the array is capable of transitioning between any desired stable equilibrium states under a Gaussian pulse input.
Adapting the IT2017 Curricula for Two Year Transfer Programs: Determining the Optimal Level of Curricular Guidance

Effective coordination between IT Transfer programs at two-year colleges and four-year transfer institutions is desirable to minimize repetition of content coverage and to allow two-year programs to properly prepare their students for transfer while having them achieve some of the IT2017 competencies. Curriculum guidance for two-year IT Transfer programs needs to accommodate a variety of local requirements while also giving two-year programs the flexibility to effectively collaborate with their four-year transfer partners. The CCECC and its IT Transfer Task Force (ITTTF) are creating Information Technology Transfer Curricula 2019 guidance (IT Transfer) for two-year transfer programs, and their work would benefit from further IT community input on the classification of essential and supplemental competencies, and on the impact of the guidance document's degree of flexibility on the IT discipline as a whole.
Reading Proficiency in Elementary: Considering Statewide Testing, Teacher Ratings and Rankings, and Reading Curriculum-Based Measurement

Determining the reading proficiency of elementary students is important in the prevailing educational climate of accountability in the United States. Collecting information about reading proficienc...
The Effect of Enrolling in Minority Serving Institutions on Earnings Compared to Non-minority Serving Institutions: A College Scorecard Analysis

As policymakers along with students and families demand information related to the return on investment in postsecondary education, it is critical to empirically assess the relationship between enrollment in higher education and future earnings. Previous research into the impact of college attendance on future income mostly focuses on selective institutions. This study contributes to this literature by analyzing the effect of enrolling in a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) on earnings compared to non-MSIs using propensity score matching and logistic regression. Using data derived from the College Scorecard and other sources, we find that those enrolling in some categories of MSIs have higher earnings when compared to those who enroll in non-MSIs. This is particularly true of Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions in most earnings categories as defined by the College Scorecard. Other MSI categories yielded mixed results. We do not find evidence for a negative relationship between MSI enrollment and different levels of future earnings. We conclude that enrollment in MSIs does not inhibit student success as defined by workforce earnings as is often argued by those critical of institutions that tend to be broad access.
Revenge Porn: The Name Doesn’t Do Nonconsensual Pornography Justice and the Remedies Don’t Offer the Victims Justice

This article analyzes the efficacy of the legal environment relevant to the developing phenomenon of non-consensual pornography. The overarching issue is that technology and changing mores have developed more quickly than the ability of the legal environment to address the harm caused by non-consensual pornography. Changes in technology, including the advent of social media and websites that feature user-generated content, in conjunction with the ease of taking and sharing digital photographs and video (particularly on smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices) has spawned the phenomenon of non-consensual pornography. The article is composed of five parts. Part I reviews the definition of non-consensual pornography and some of the relevant research. Part II provides context by reviewing incidents of non-consensual pornography. Damages suffered by the victims of non-consensual pornography are reviewed in Part III. Part IV analyzes and evaluates the current legal and regulatory environment and its shortcomings. The article concludes with recommendations for change.
A student initiative to implement peer-led study groups for a pharmacogenomics course: Evaluation of student performance and perceptions.

Abstract Introduction To better elucidate the impact of cooperative learning outside the classroom, a student-initiated research project was conducted to explore the effects of participating in peer-led study groups (PLSGs) on student examination scores and perceptions. Methods First-year pharmacy students were given the opportunity to participate in weekly PLSGs for a pharmacogenomics course during spring 2016 and spring 2017. Student exam performance was stratified by those who attended vs. those who did not. Optional pre- and post-course surveys examined student perceptions of PLSGs. Results No significant differences were seen between the attendance groups in spring 2016. In spring 2017, student attendees were significantly more likely to pass two of their six exams (p = .04, p = .0029) and to have higher exam scores on one exam (p = .02) in comparison to non-attendees. Overall exam score averages were significantly different between attendees and non-attendees during spring 2017 (p = .03) but not during spring 2016 (p = .38). Perception surveys indicated students believed participation helped them to demonstrate competency and build confidence. Additionally, students reported they felt more comfortable clarifying questions during the study groups vs. during class time. Conclusions The impact of study group participation on student exam performance was minimal over the two years of data collection, but there were instances where exam scores were positively impacted. Students perceived value in study group participation even if it did not translate directly to improved exam performance on all exams.
El octubre chileno: voces y luchas feministas

El 18 de octubre del 2019, Chile se remecio de un largo letargo, a veces interrumpido por alguna que otra manifestacion que exigia reformas a una estructura economico- social imposible de permear
Quantitative Methods for Analyzing Intimate Partner Violence in Microblogs: Observational Study.

Background: Social media is a rich, virtually untapped source of data on the dynamics of intimate partner violence, one that is both global in scale and intimate in detail. Objective: The aim of this study is to use machine learning and other computational methods to analyze social media data for the reasons victims give for staying in or leaving abusive relationships. Methods: Human annotation, part-of-speech tagging, and machine learning predictive models, including support vector machines, were used on a Twitter data set of 8767 #WhyIStayed and #WhyILeft tweets each. Results: Our methods explored whether we can analyze micronarratives that include details about victims, abusers, and other stakeholders, the actions that constitute abuse, and how the stakeholders respond. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent across various machine learning methods, which correspond to observations in the clinical literature, and affirm the relevance of natural language processing and machine learning for exploring issues of societal importance in social media.
Xi Jinping’s Economic Policy and Chinese Urbanization

Xi Jinping’s overall development policies will have a large impact on China’s urban development. Ambitious reforms have now largely stalled out, leaving direct government action as the most important determinant of the changing urban form. High levels of investment have led to improved infrastructure and expanded housing, but also to a more homogeneous and less diverse urban landscape. Opportunities for rural migrants to integrate into urban life have also not improved as much as expected. Ambitious new city construction plans will reshape the Beijing, Shanghai, and Pearl River Delta regions over the next decades. These policies amount to a huge gamble on the effectiveness of government-led urban development.
A review paper of bio-inspired environmental adaptive and precisely maneuverable soft robots.

This paper summarizes the most recent research in soft robotic field from the factors of material, actuation, mechanicsproperty, dimension & scale and architecture, and then presents the relations among the functionalities, manufacturing process and the factors mentioned above.
The Relationship Between Sense of Belonging and Student Outcomes in CS1 and Beyond

Students’ sense of belonging has been found to be connected to student retention in higher education. In computing education, prior studies suggest that a hostile culture and a feeling of non-belonging can lead women, Black, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander students to drop out of the computing field at a disproportionately high rate. Yet, we know relatively little about how computing students’ sense of belonging presents and evolves (if at all) through their college courses, particularly in courses beyond the introductory level, and little is known about how sense of belonging impacts student outcomes in computing. In an extension of a previous study, we examined students’ sense of belonging in six early undergraduate computer science courses across three consecutive quarters at a large research-intensive institution in North America. We found that women and first generation students have a lower incoming sense of belonging across all courses. When exploring sense of belonging’s tie to student outcomes we found that lower sense of belonging was correlated with negative course outcomes in terms of pass rates and course performance. We also found that it is less tied to student performance as students get further into the CS curriculum. Surprisingly, there was no indication that sense of belonging is predictive of retention in terms of persistence to the next CS course outside of the first course in our two-course CS1 sequence.
Correlation of self-reported pain severity and healthcare expenditures in older United States adults.

Objectives Healthcare expenditures of older United States (US) adults with different pain severity levels are important to investigate given the increasing prevalence of pain in this population. This study assessed the correlation of healthcare expenditures among older US adults with different pain severities, hypothesizing that expenditures would increase as pain severity increased. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional database study used 2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data and included US adults aged ≥50 with self-reported pain in the past four weeks and positive healthcare costs. Adjusted linear regression models with logarithmically transformed expenditure data compared differences in: total; office-based; outpatient; emergency room; inpatient; other; and prescription medication expenditures, between those with little, moderate, quite a bit, and extreme pain. Analyses were weighted to account for the complex MEPS design and to obtain nationally representative estimates. The a priori alpha level was 0.05. Results The eligible sample of 5,123 individuals produced a weighted study population of 57,134,711 US adults aged ≥50 with pain (little = 53.1%, moderate = 21.6%, quite-a-bit = 18.5%, extreme = 6.8%). In adjusted linear regression models, compared to little pain, extreme pain had the greatest level of costs, followed by quite a bit pain and moderate pain, for total, office-based, and prescription medication costs. For instance, compared to little pain, total healthcare costs were 78% greater for those with extreme pain, 51% greater for quite a bit pain, and 37% greater for moderate pain. However, this pattern was not observed for outpatient, emergency room, inpatient, and other costs, where ≥1 comparison for each cost category was not statistically significant. Conclusions This study found total healthcare costs increased as pain severity increased, yet this was not always the case when analyzing subcategories of healthcare costs. Further research is needed to investigate why some types of healthcare costs are greater with increasing pain severity, yet others are not.
Chapter 20. Techniques for Determining Epitopes for Antibodies and T-cell Receptors

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes many of the methods currently being used to define the locations and structural properties of antigenic sites on proteins. The antigenic site recognized by antibody is referred to as the B cell epitope, the site on the peptide recognized by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule is called the “agretope,” and the site on the MHC-bound peptide recognized by the T cell receptor(TCR) is called the “T cell epitope.” Fragments generated by chemical, enzymatic, or recombinant DNA methods still represent a viable initial approach to mapping epitopes and are useful for isolating restricted populations of antibody from polyclonal antisera. In recent years, the use of synthetic peptides to map epitopes recognized by both polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies and determine their structural properties has gained considerable momentum. A number of attempts have been made to correlate chemical, physical, or structural properties of proteins or peptides with antigenicity. Algorithms based on hydrophilicity, solvent accessibility, protrusion, and main chain segmental mobility have all been used with some success. Reactivity of an antibody, produced to a given protein, with evolutionarily-related species variants has been an extremely productive and valuable tool for mapping epitopes. Antibody protection of antigen from digestion with proteolytic enzymes can also be used to map epitopes. Potentially, the most powerful tool for studying antigen structure is recombinant DNA. Antigen recognition by T cells differs from that described for antibodies, in that the TCR does not recognize native protein structure. The use of synthetic peptides to mimic natural peptides in T cell stimulation assays has produced important information regarding the characteristics required for MHC binding and TCR recognition.
A rate-one non-orthogonal space-time coded OFDM system with estimation for frequency selective channels

In this paper, we investigate the impact of applying the channel estimation method in [1] to an OFDM system equipped with rate 1 nonorthogonal space time block code for K transmit and 1 receive antennas. A new training pattern based on the Hadamard construction is designed that enables estimation of the K channels separately and thus reduces the effective noise variance in the estimate. The simulation result shows that using this low rank channel estimation in frequency selective slow fading channels yields very good BER performance comparable to the case when channel is known at the receiver. Moreover, the use of rate 1 non-orthogonal STBC achieves significantly superior performance vis-a-vis Alamouti's orthogonal STBC.
The Lycian heritage and the making of men

Synopsis Matrilineal societies develop parental concepts different from their Western equivalents due to a number of factors, such as structurally central roles of women, the stronger emphasis on the sibling rather than on the marital bond, and public acknowledgement of the importance of women's productive and reproductive contributions. Whereas matrilineal fathers should be nurturing and not controlling, the mother and the maternal uncle represent female and male adult authority in a child's life. Men need not and should not transcend the maternal sphere. Matrilineal concepts of parenting provide useful ideas for the development of policies with respect to female-headed families in the contemporary Western world. In this study, I consider a wide range of matrilineal cultures, from the Lycians of ancient Greece to the Minangkabau of modern Indonesia.
The Gas Phase Photolysis of Hexafluoroacetone in the Presence of Diborane

The photolysis of hexafluoroacetone with 3130 A light in the presence of diborane has been investigated. Major products are CO, H2, CF3H, and C2F6, but all of the fluoroform is produced by secondary H-atom abstraction from products of the photolysis, possibly an addition product formed at the walls between CF3 and BH2. A reaction mechanism is presented involving deactivation of the excited singlet and triplet states of the hexafluoroacetone molecule with simultaneous photosensitized diborane dissociation as the primary source of molecular hydrogen.
A simple practical method to partition lung peripheral and airway nitric oxide

Background: By measuring FeNO at multiple flows and applying mathematical models of FeNO exchange dynamics, the signal can be partitioned into its proximal airway [Jno (nl/sec)] and distal airway/alveolar contributions [Calv (ppb)] using a linear regression. This method is time consuming, requires at least 3 exhalations and is affected by a number of limitations such as axial diffusion and turbulent flow. We developed a more practical method. Methods: In a group of 29 normal subjects (38±2 yr; 20 male), 13 asthmatic patients (48±8 yr; 8 male, FEV1 90±4 % predicted), 14 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (63±2 yr; 10 male, FEV1 59±3 %), and 12 patients with cystic fibrosis (21±4 yr; 8 male, FEV1 60±3 %) we compared Calv and Jno with the variation of total NO production at 50 and 200 ml/s [Vno50-200 (nl/s)]. Vno was measured by calculating the average area under the curve (NO concentration/time) of two successive exhalations at each flow rate. Results: Vno50-200 was strongly correlated with Jno in normal subjects (r=0.94, p
Poliovirus-Mediated Shutoff of Host Translation: an Indirect Effect

The inhibition of host cell translation by poliovirus, also called host cell shutoff, occurs early in the infectious cycle, typically only 1.5 to 2.5 h postinfection in HeLa cells. This chapter explores information regarding cleavage of new initiation factors and then discusses information relevant to whether these factors, particularly eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4GI (eIF4GI), are cleaved in vivo by viral or cellular proteases or both. Researchers have discovered evidence for several eIF4Gase activities that cleave eIF4GI at different sites to produce distinct types of eIF4G cleavage products. In the chapter, researchers define eIF4Gase activities based on the size of cleavage products generated (which results from use of alternate cleavage sites) and the mode of induction of the activity. Researchers have identified three types of eIF4Gase activities (termed eIF4Gase-α, elF4Gase-β, eIF4Gase-γ) that can be generated without poliovirus (PV) infection; two of these appear similar to activities also present in infected cells. The sites, which generate the three major N-terminal cleavage products seen on our immunoblots, are 149 amino acids (aa) upstream of the 2Apro cleavage site and 106 aa upstream of the putative eIF4Gase-β cleavage site. Researchers have screened many S10 extracts with this procedure and found that this specific cleavage activity, which is often weak, appeared in approximately 40% of the extracts tested.
Remote sensing: students use Sun photometers to assist scientists in validating atmospheric data for the PICASSO-CENA mission

The PICASSO-CENA mission, formally known as Pathfinder Instruments for Cloud and Aerosol Spaceborne Observations-Climatologie Etendue des Nuages et des Aerosols, is a cooperative effort led by NASA Langley Research Center and includes the French Space Agency CNES, Hampton University, Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation, and the French Institut Pierre Simon Laplace. PICASSO-CENA will add critical new measurement capabilities to satellite systems planned for NASA's Earth Observing System. Hampton University, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), will lead the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) component of the PICASSOCENA mission. The K-12 program will include students in the United States and France. They will be involved in reporting visual observations of clouds and aerosol haze conditions and in collecting Sun photometer measurements of column optical depth from the ground level. The research technology used by the PICASSO-CENA mission will be modeled to lead an outreach effort in Earth science.
Phenothiazine-azaBODIPY-fullerene supramolecules: syntheses, structural characterization, and photochemical studies.

Photoactive supramolecules composed of two entities of carbamoyl phenothiazines (PTZ) positioned at different locations of the BF2-chelated azadipyrromethene (azaBODIPY) periphery and fulleropyrrolidine (C60) have been newly designed and synthesized to probe excited state events. The X-ray structure of one of the precursor compounds, (PTZ)2–azaBODIPY, revealed spatially well separated PTZ entities without causing any steric hindrance. The supramolecules were fully characterized by spectral, computational, electrochemical and photochemical techniques. The geometry and electronic structures were arrived at by B3LYP/6-31G(dp) calculations (for H, B, N, and O) and B3LYP/6-31G(df) calculations (for S) in benzonitrile utilizing the Conductor Polarizable Continuum Model (CPCM). The different redox states were established from the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) studies and the data were used to estimate free-energy change associated with the charge separation process. Interestingly, although phenothiazine is known to be a very good electron donor in photosynthetic model compounds and solar energy harvesting dyes, in the present system, the difficulty in oxidizing carbamoyl phenothiazine entities' contribution to the photochemistry originating from the singlet excited azaBODIPY was minimal. Consequently, femtosecond laser flash photolysis studies provided evidence for the occurrence of photoinduced electron transfer from 1azaBODIPY* to C60 without participation of the PTZ entities. The energy level diagram constructed using spectral and electrochemical data provided a rational explanation for this observation. By monitoring the rise and decay of the fullerene radical ion peak, the measured rate of charge separation, kCS, and charge recombination, kCR, for supramolecule 1 were found to be 3.08 × 1010 s−1 and 7.96 × 109 s−1, respectively, while these values for supramolecule 2 were found to be 4.68 × 1011 s−1 and 1.13 × 1010 s−1, respectively, revealing the occurrence of ultrafast electron transfer events. The photochemically generated (PTZ)2–azaBODIPY˙+–C60˙− radical ion pair followed a charge recombination path by populating 3azaBODIPY* prior to returning to the ground state as confirmed by nanosecond transient absorption measurements.
The case for maintenance of general anesthesia with an injectable agent.

The maintenance of anesthesia with injectable drugs provides a safe alternative to inhalant techniques, provided that the basic needs of the patient are met. The standard drugs (e.g., thiobarbiturates, methohexital, ketamine) can be used, economically and safely, to provide a short duration of anesthesia, but the best drugs for more prolonged procedures are more expensive (e.g., alfentanil, fentanyl, propofol) and require more sophisticated equipment to provide optimal conditions.
Reoperative aortic root and transverse arch procedures: a comparison with contemporaneous primary operations.

Objectives Long-term survival and risk factors affecting outcome after reoperative root/ascending aorta and transverse arch procedures have not been clearly described. Methods Two hundred patients (138 male patients; age, 60 ± 15 years) underwent reoperative root/ascending aorta (n = 100) or transverse arch (n = 100) procedures at our institution from January 1998 to December 2004 and were compared with 480 consecutive contemporaneous patients with primary procedures (323 male patients; age, 62 ± 16 years; 335 proximal aorta and 145 transverse arch procedures). Results Reoperative proximal aorta procedures had a higher hospital mortality (7%) than primary root/ascending aorta procedures (3%), but there was a less dramatic difference in operative mortality after primary and reoperative arch procedures (9% vs 10%). Separate multivariable analyses of root/ascending aorta procedures and arch procedures revealed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and age to be significant risk factors for death after either procedure. In addition, an ejection fraction of less than 30% posed a significant risk for proximal aortic surgery, and diabetes and nonelective operations predicted poorer outcome after arch operations. For survivors of root/ascending aorta operations, there was no significant difference in long-term outcome between reoperations and primary procedures, with both restoring longevity to expected levels for an age- and sex-matched normal population. Patients undergoing arch operations, however, continued to have a poorer long-term outlook than their normal peers. Conclusions In this series, reoperations in the transverse arch carry the same risk as primary arch procedures, but a higher operative mortality is seen with reoperative than with primary root/ascending aorta procedures. The long-term outlook is better for patients undergoing root/ascending operations than for patients undergoing aortic arch operations, with no difference in the longevity of patients undergoing primary procedures versus reoperations.
Fiber Tracheid Length and Wood Specific Gravity of Seedlings as Ecotypic Characters in Liquidambar Styraciflua L.

Fiber tracheids of first—year seedlings of Liquidambar styraciflua from geographically diverse seed sources grown under controlled conditions differed in length. The longest tracheids were found in seedlings from Mexico populations; tracheids in plants from New Jersey, North Carolina, and Texas were shorter and showed a latitudinal trend, the shortest being northernmost. Cell lengths varied with the environmental conditions, those of the United States populations being more reduced in length under short day—lengths, cooler temperatures, and low light intensity. Populational differences in specific gravity of wood were evident in seedlings grown under controlled conditions. Lower specific gravity was correlated with decrease in latitude of origin. A possible relationship between fiber tracheid length, cell diameter, and latitude of origin is suggested. See full-text article at JSTOR
Hepatic mixed-function oxidase activity in mice infected with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or treated with trypanocides

Three days after mice were inoculated with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, total hepatic cytochrome P-450 levels were decreased 14% from control values, while the specific mixed-function oxidase activity (per nmole of cytochrome P-450) was inhibited almost 40% in infected animals. Furthermore, drugs used to treat trypanosomiasis (Suramin and Melarsoprol B) are themselves potent in vitro inhibitors of hepatic mixed-function oxidase activity. These two trypanocides also produced a decrease in mixed-function oxidations and an increase in pentobarbital sleeping time when administered intraperitoneally in vivo. These results demonstrate that mice with trypanosomiasis or undergoing trypanosome chemotherapy have a significantly impaired capacity to metabolize foreign compounds.