cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of the Twelve-Gene Recurrence Score for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ and Its Influence on Receipt of Adjuvant Radiation and Hormonal Therapy.

Tumor genomic prognostic assays estimate 10-year local recurrence risk in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and can guide treatment decisions. This study aimed to evaluate which DCIS patients treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS) underwent DCIS score genomic testing and the influence of the results on adjuvant treatment recommendations. The study identified patients from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) who had DCIS treated with BCS from 2010 to 2016. Of 141,047 patients, 4255 (3%) had a DCIS score assessed, 0.3% in 2010 increasing to 5.8% in 2016 (p < 0.001). The patients most likely to undergo DCIS score assessment had more favorable tumor features in the multivariable analysis. The DCIS score result was documented for 91.4% of the tested patients (n = 3888): 70.5% of the low-risk, 14.9% of the intermediate-risk, and 14.6% of the high-risk patients. The patients with low-risk scores were less likely to have radiation than those with intermediate- or high-risk scores among the patients with either ER + (35.0% vs 71.0% or 81.1%) or ER– disease (48.1% vs 77.0% or 85.5%) (each p ≤ 0.001). The patients who had ER + disease with high- and intermediate-risk scores were most commonly treated with both radiation and hormone therapy (HT) (57.1% and 52.2%), whereas the most common treatment for those with a low-risk DCIS score was HT alone without radiation (37.1%). Comparison of genomic testing with clinicopathologic features showed an independent influence of genomic testing on treatment. Use of the DCIS score increased over time, predominantly for favorable DCIS. Patients with a low-risk score were significantly less likely to receive radiation, supporting an impact of the DCIS score on treatment de-escalation.
SPONDYLOLISTHESIS WITHOUT SEPARATE NEURAL ARCH (PSEUDOSPONDYLOLISTHESIS OF JUNGHANNS)

In a collection of Eskimo and Indian skeletons, three specimens were found with first-degree or second-degree spondylolisthesis without separate neural arch. This type of vertebral displacement is shown to be due to arthritic erosion of the articular facets and, therefore, idenitical with the so called "pseudospondylolisthesis" of Junghanns. Because of the infrequency of this condition, a large series of adult spines of these racial groups has been studied with the aim of detecting possible etiological factors. On the basis of the usual distribution of lipping of the vertebral bodies, it is pointed out that displacement is apparently not responsible for the lipping in the present cases. A study of the distribution of arthritic facets shows that other regions of the column may be more frequently involved than the lumbar. Within the lumbar region the frequency favors the fourth and fifth lumbar joint and the female sex. The locations of arthritic facets suggest that trauma connected with spinal mobility may be a predisposing factor. Clinical data will be required to determine immediate factors.
Bootstrap Tests of Hypotheses

Simulation-based calculation of p-values is an important technique in situations where it is difficult to obtain an exact or approximate distribution for a test, or when such an approximation exists but is of dubious validity, either because the conditions it requires are not met, or because it relies on questionable assumptions about the distribution of the data. But even in applications where we are fairly confident in a particular parametric model and the statistical analysis based on that model, it can still be helpful, in the spirit of robustness, to see what can be inferred from the data without particular parametric model assumptions. A substantial literature has demonstrated both theoretically and in numerical studies that the bootstrap is widely effective (Davison and Hinkley in Bootstrap methods and their applications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997; Efron and Tibshirani in An introduction to the bootstrap. Chapman and Hall, New York, 1993). But the simplicity of the bootstrap conceals an important point: its properties depend on how resampling is done; arbitrary shuffles of the data do not necessarily accomplish desired statistical goals. Moreover, in the context of hypotheses testing, the p-value must be obtained under the hypothetical reality imposed by the null hypothesis. In this chapter, we review the general framework for statistical tests of hypotheses, and introduce the basics for Monte Carlo, permutation, and bootstrap tests.
Role of Maternal and Dual-Earner Employment Status in Children’s Development

The research reported in this chapter is concerned with investigating the role of maternal employment in children’s development in our longitudinal study from infancy through early adolescence. In our prior research (A. E. Gottfried, A. W. Gottfried, & Bathurst, 1988), we studied maternal employment and children’s development from infancy (1 year) through early childhood (7 years) and found no differences between the children of employed and nonemployed mothers. Further, we examined the environmental contexts of the children and found that, although there were few differences, the employed mothers held consistently higher educational attitudes for their children from the preschool years onward. Interestingly, the fathers of children with employed mothers were significantly more involved with their children.
Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation device prescription for outpatients with tetraplegia.

Background: Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MIE) is an option for secretion mobilization in outpatients with spinal cord injury (SCI) who lack an effective cough and are at high risk for deve...
The effects of camptothecin on the reaction and the specificity of the wheat germ type I topoisomerase.

Abstract The cytotoxic alkaloid, camptothecin, does not inhibit the nicking-closing activity of the wheat germ type I topoisomerase (topo I). However, consistent with a previous report on the Hela cell topo I (Hsiang, Y.-H., Hertzberg, R., Hecht, S., and Liu, L.F. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 14873-14878), the drug does enhance DNA breakage when enzyme reactions are terminated with SDS. Drug-enhanced breakage was observed over the range of salt concentrations where the enzyme is most active (25-200 mM monovalent cation). The presence of the drug did not appear to make the enzyme more processive in the range of salt concentrations from 100 to 170 mM, indicating that it probably does not affect the binding of the enzyme to DNA. Addition of high salt (0.5 M) to enzyme reactions containing camptothecin, prior to the addition of the detergent, prevented some, but not all of the drug-enhanced breakage. This result indicates that the drug causes some permanent, salt-stable nicking of the DNA, an observation that may explain its cytotoxic effects. A comparison of the breakage specificity in the presence of the drug with the consensus sequence for breakage determined previously (Been, M.D., Burgess, R.R., and Champoux, J.J. (1984) Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 3097-3114) indicated that the drug has a minimal effect on the sequence specificity of the enzyme. However, the drug enhanced breakage at different sites to quite different extents. Therefore, camptothecin should be useful for localizing topo I break sites in vivo, but quantitative comparisons on the relative frequencies of breakage at different locations should be avoided.
Evaluation of FAAH- and MGL-Inhibition in Cannabinoid Drug Discrimination

The discriminative-stimulus (SD) effects of CB1 ligands can be reproduced in mice by non-selective inhibition of the anandamide-(AEA-) and 2-arachidinoyl glycerol-(2-AG-) inactivating enzymes, resp...
Comparison of two methods to quantify cyber and physical security effectiveness.

With the increasing reliance on cyber technology to operate and control physical security system components, there is a need for methods to assess and model the interactions between the cyber system and the physical security system to understand the effects of cyber technology on overall security system effectiveness. This paper evaluates two methodologies for their applicability to the combined cyber and physical security problem. The comparison metrics include probabilities of detection (P{sub D}), interruption (P{sub I}), and neutralization (P{sub N}), which contribute to calculating the probability of system effectiveness (P{sub E}), the probability that the system can thwart an adversary attack. P{sub E} is well understood in practical applications of physical security but when the cyber security component is added, system behavior becomes more complex and difficult to model. This paper examines two approaches (Bounding Analysis Approach (BAA) and Expected Value Approach (EVA)) to determine their applicability to the combined physical and cyber security issue. These methods were assessed for a variety of security system characteristics to determine whether reasonable security decisions could be made based on their results. The assessments provided insight on an adversary's behavior depending on what part of the physical security system is cyber-controlled. Analysis showedmore » that the BAA is more suited to facility analyses than the EVA because it has the ability to identify and model an adversary's most desirable attack path.« less
Rapid recognition of freeform objects in noisy range images using tripod operators

The tripod operator is a class of feature extraction operators for range images. It facilitates the recognition and/or localization of objects by extracting a few sparse point samples in a regimented way; n sampled surface points yield only n-3 scalar features containing all the surface shape information in these points and no other information. They have complete six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) isometry invariance. Isolated objects are recognized in noisy range images using a statistical treatment of a few isolated tripod operator placements. Experiments show fast, reliable recognition. >
Observed Interdecadal Changes in Cloudiness: Real or Spurious?

This study documents multidecadal variations in low-level, upper-level, and total cloud cover over land and ocean independently obtained from surface synoptic observations and from satellite data produced by the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project. Substantial agreement exists between global mean time series of surface- and satellite-observed upper-level cloud cover, indicating that the reported variations in this cloud type are likely to be real. Upper-level cloud cover has decreased over almost all land regions since 1971 and has decreased over most ocean regions since 1952. Global mean time series of surface- and satellite-observed low-level and total cloud cover exhibit very large discrepancies, however, implying that artifacts exist in one or both data sets. The global mean satellite total cloud cover time series appears spurious because the spatial pattern of correlations between grid box time series and the global mean time series closely resembles the fields of view of geostationary satellites rather than geophysical phenomena. The surface-observed low-level cloud cover time series averaged over the global ocean appears suspicious because it reports a very large 5%-sky-cover increase between 1952 and 1997. Unless low-level cloud albedo substantially decreased during this time period, the reduced solar absorption caused by the reported enhancement of cloud cover would have resulted in cooling of the climate system that is inconsistent with the observed temperature record.
The intrauterine probe electrode.

An intrauterine probe electrode was inserted into 100 laboring women and 366 bipolar electrode combinations were tested. A noise-canceling technique was used with the final 28 subjects to remove competing maternal cardiac signals. Twenty-four (86%) had fetal heart rate tracings with sufficient technical quality to allow determination of the baseline fetal heart rate.
Families and the therapy of antisocial and delinquent behavior

Summary This paper presents a structural-strategic approach to family therapy with antisocial and delinquent behavior in children. The approach is based on a specific conceptualization of antisocial behavior and emphasis on the essential legalistic-therapeutic tension that pervades work with these families. Assessment and intervention techniques and rationale are presented as well as attention to the use of skill-oriented individual therapy.
Export-share requirements and welfare in less developed countries: a three-sector general equilibrium analysis

This paper analyzes the welfare impacts of export-share requirements in a three-sector, general equilibrium, sector-specific unemployment model. We demonstrate that the favorable welfare impact of export-share requirements is mitigated by a rise in the unemployment ratio. In addition, we deduce the welfare impact of a change in tariff rate for a given level of export share. Our analysis suggests that the export-share requirement policy is always welfare improving in the long run. The policy may not improve welfare in the short or intermediate run, however; the condition under which export-share requirements are welfare enhancing is derived and interpreted.
Cold-Sensitive Expression of Cytokinin Habituation by Tobacco Pith Cells in Culture

Cloned, cytokinin-habituated tissues of Nicotiana tobacum L. cv. "Havana 425" are able to grow in culture at 25° C without added cytokinin. These tissues vary in their expression of the habituated phenotype at 16° C. When cytokinin-requiring pith tissues are converted to the habituated state by 35° C treatment, all of the habituated cells are cold sensitive. After several transfers in culture, some of these habituated cells give rise to stable, cold resistant variants. Both phenotypes are inherited by individual cells. Cold sensitive clones at 16° C and non-habituated clones at 16° C as well as 25° C show the same dose response to the cytokinin, kinetin. This suggests that at the physiological level, cold sensitivity results from a decreased production of cell division factors rather than from a decreased affinity of cellular receptors for these factors.
The relationship of safe and participatory school environments and supportive attitudes toward violence: Evidence from the Colombian Saber test of Citizenship Competencies:

In Colombia, reducing levels of interpersonal and community violence is a key component of the country's approach to citizenship education. In this study, we use data collected during the 2005 Saber test of Citizenship Competencies to examine the relationship of school environments and individual students' supportive attitudes toward violence among 97,971 students in 1649 schools. Using multi-level Tobit analysis with school random intercepts and regional fixed effects, we find that children taught in safe and participatory climates endorse attitudes less supportive of violence, with the effect of participatory climates almost double that of safe climates. Constructing a typology of four classroom environments, by crossing the two dimensions of safety and participation, we conclude that school environments that are safe and participatory lead to the least supportive attitudes toward violence, more than 1 standard deviation lower than unsafe and non-participatory school environments. Implications, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed. Language: en
4D edge currents from 5D Chem-Simons theory

Abstract A class of two dimensional conformal field theories is known to correspond to three dimensional Chem-Simons theory. Here we claim that there is an analogous class of four dimensional field theories corresponding to five dimensional Chem-Simons theory. The four dimensional theories give a coupling between a scalar field and an external divergenceless vector field and they may have some application in magnetohydrodynamics. Like in conformal theories they possess a diffeomorphism symmetry, which for us is along the direction of the vector field, and their generators are analogous to Virasoro generators. Our analysis of the abelian Chem-Simons system uses elementary canonical methods for the quantization of field theories defined on manifolds with boundaries. Edge states appear for these systems and they yield a four dimensional current algebra. We examine the quantization of these algebras in several special cases and claim that a renormalization of the 5D Chem-Simons coupling is necessary for removing divergences.
The Linguistic Inaccessibility of U.S. Higher Education and the Inherent Inequity of U.S. IEPs: An Argument for Multilingual Higher Education

Abstract Should a diploma from a U.S. university imply that the recipient received instruction only in English? If there is bilingual and multilingual education in the K–12 system, why not in higher education? While custom dictates higher education in only English, it has significant, if rarely discussed drawbacks. This article critically examines the popular practice of requiring higher education students in the United States to first demonstrate English proficiency before pursuing a degree and proposes abandoning this practice in favor of a model in which university professors employ sheltered techniques, translated portions of their lecture notes, and bilingual teaching assistants to impart their instruction. In addition, concurrent English for academic purposes (EAP) instruction, closely coordinated with the academic classes, is proposed. Such a model serves language minority and international students more equitably and efficiently and provides numerous benefits for U.S. universities as well.
Control of lysogenization by phage P22. I. The P22 cro gene.

Abstract P22 cro − mutants were isolated as one class of phage P22 mutants ( cly mutants) that have a very high frequeney of lysogeny relative to wild-type P22. These mutants: (1) do not form plaques and over-lysogenize relative to wild-type P22 after infection of a wild-type Salmonella host; (2) are defective in anti-immunity; and (3) fail to turn off high-level synthesis of P22 c 2-repressor after infection. P22 cro − mutations are recessive and map between the P22 c2 and c1 genes. P22 cro − mutations are suppressed by clear-plaque mutations in the c1 gene, one of which is simultaneously cy − . They are also suppressed, but incompletely, by mutations in the c2 (repressor) gene, especially those that do not completely abolish c2 gene function. Salmonella host mutants have been isolated that are permissive for the lytic growth of the P22 cro − mutants.
Van vleck paramagnetism in orthorhombic TiO2 (Brookite)

The magnetic susceptibility of the orthorhombic form of titanium dioxide has been measured from 5 to 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. After deducting the temperature-dependent component, which is probably due to defects or impurities, and the free-ion diamagnetic component, the Van Vleck paramagnetism was estimated to be 33\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$ emu/mole. Comparison is made between this value and the Van Vleck paramagnetism of strontium titanate and the two tetragonal forms of titanium dioxide: rutile and anatase.
Characteristics of the home observation for measurement of the environment inventory in a sample of high-risk/ developmentally disabled infants

Families of 30 infants with development-threatening perinatal medical complications or genetic disorders were visited at home when the infants were 9 months corrected age and again 9 months later. The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory was administered on both occasions. HOME scores for this sample did not differ markedly from those reported for younger, developmentally normal infants. The instrument showed moderate stability over time with changes in scores that were consistent with advancing infant development. The positive correlations between HOME scores and socioeconomic status which are typically reported for normal infants were not replicated in this sample. The lower the family's socioeconomic status the higher the score on some HOME subscales, particularly on Maternal Responsivity and Involvement. Possible social class differences in families' early response to the birth of a high-risk infant are discussed.
Localized fibrous tumor (localized fibrous mesothelioma) of the liver

A case of localized fibrous tumor (LFT) (localized fibrous mesothelioma) of the liver in an 83-year-old woman is presented. The tumor was 15 × 9 × 8 cm and was confined to the left lateral segment of the liver. Occasional mitotic figures (MF) (2 to 3 per 50 high-power fields [HPF]) were present. Strong, diffuse vimentin positivity was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Immunoreactivity for cytokeratins (AE1-3), epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), desmin, and desmosomal proteins (desmoplakin I + II) was absent. Electron microscopic examination showed a mesenchymal appearance of the majority of neoplastic cells, with a few ultrastructural features suggestive of mesothelial differentiation. These findings supported a submesothelial origin of the tumor. After a partial hepatectomy with total gross and microscopic removal of the tumor, the patient was alive without recurrence at 2 years, 5 months later. A review of the English literature showed six additional cases that are probably similar. Currently, all tumors have been clinically benign, although follow-up information has been limited.
Abstract 3312: Targeting Notch signaling to abrogate the increase in breast cancer stem cells induced by hypoxia

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL There is increasing evidence from our lab and others supporting the “cancer stem cell” hypothesis in breast cancer, which deems that tumors are driven a small population of cells exhibiting stem cell properties. These cancer stem/progenitor cells may also be responsible for mediating tumor metastasis and resistance to cancer treatments. Recently, several new cancer therapies targeting tumor angiogenesis have been developed and validated in clinical trials. However, clinical practice has revealed that these therapies ultimately result in drug resistance and do not prolong patient survival by more than a few months. It has been reported that these angiogenesis inhibitors promote tumor invasiveness and metastasis in rodent breast cancer models. We have used in vitro and in vivo assays to study the role of hypoxia in regulating mammary cancer stem cells. We have shown that breast tumor stem cell population increases in response to hypoxia in vitro and in tumors from anti-angiogenic treated mice. We hypothesize that this leads to increased tumor aggressiveness and may explain the resistance to these drugs seen in patients. In vivo, both sunitinib and bevacizumab treatment increased intratumoral hypoxia as well as the percentage of cells expressing ALDH as assessed by the Aldefluor assay in SUM-159 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. In addition, tumor cells obtained from sunitinib treated mice exhibit enhanced growth of secondary tumors in NOD/SCID mice, further supporting an increase in the tumor stem cell population. We also demonstrate that hypoxia (1-2% oxygen) enriches for stem cells by at least 2 fold in several breast cancer cell lines grown in vitro. Utilizing siRNA, we identified that HIF1a is required for the increased cancer stem cell population following hypoxia treatment. We next tested whether a gamma secretase inhibitor (GSI) can block hypoxia's ability to increase the cancer stem cell population since HIF1a is reported to activate the Notch signaling pathway, and this pathway is known to regulate stem cell self renewal. Treatment of cells with the GSI completely abrogated the increase in ALDH+ cells under hypoxic conditions. We are now testing the ability of GSIs to block the increase in CSCs seen in mice treated with anti-angiogenic drugs. This study may reveal that therapies targeting tumor angiogenesis should be combined with GSI treatments targeting the cancer stem cell population. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3312. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3312
Start-up entities in the origin of new genes

The remarkable diversity in the contents of genomes raises questions about how new genes and new functions originate. Recent evidence indicates that parasitism, particularly the molecular interactions between phage and their bacterial hosts, is a likely mechanism for generating new genes. This invention of such novel functions seems to be founded on a strategy that secures the short-term survival of parasitic elements and thereby contributes to the renovation of gene repertoires in their host.
Uridine incorporation and RNA synthesis during stimulation of lymphocytes by PHA.

Abstract The transformation of lymphocytes by PHA is accompanied by a marked increase in the rate of incorporation of 3 H-uridine into RNA. Nucleosides seem to be the major source of pyrimidine nucleotides in this system, but evidence is presented that uridine incorporation into RNA is limited by the rate of phosphorylation of uridine by uridine kinase. There is no simple relationship between uridine incorporation into RNA and the rate of RNA synthesis. Uridine kinase activity, assayed in vitro, increases in PHA-stimulated lymphocytes, but this increase is not necessary for at least the initial increase in the rate of uridine incorporation. Studies in which lymphocyte growth was limited by low concentrations of actinomycin or prostaglandin E 1 indicated that the rise in uridine kinase activity was dependent on the increase in uridine incorporation rather than vice-versa. We conclude that the amount of uridine kinase normally present in the lymphocyte does not limit the rate of phosphorylation of uridine, and that uridine kinase activity in the intact cell is subject to regulation by some factor other than the enzyme concentration, possibly the intracellular concentration of pyrimidine triphosphates. The implications of these results for studies on the changes in RNA metabolism during the stimulation of lymphocytes by PHA are discussed. Such considerations may be widely applicable to studies of the incorporation of precursors into nucleic acids in eucaryotic cells.
Signal valence in the nucleus accumbens to pain onset and offset

Pain and relief are at opposite ends of the reward-aversion continuum. Studying them provides an opportunity to evaluate dynamic changes in brain activity in reward-aversion pathways as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Of particular interest is the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a brain substrate known to be involved in reward-aversion processing, whose activation valence has been observed to be opposite in response to reward or aversive stimuli. Here we have used pain onset (aversive) and pain offset (rewarding) involving a prolonged stimulus applied to the dorsum of the hand in 10 male subjects over 120s to study the NAc fMRI response. The results show a negative signal change with pain onset and a positive signal change with pain offset in the NAc contralateral to the stimulus. The study supports the idea that the NAc fMRI signal may provide a useful marker for the effects of pain and analgesia in healthy volunteers.
Triplet Repeat Expansion Generated by DNA Slippage Is Suppressed by Human Flap Endonuclease 1

Human flap endonuclease 1 (h-FEN1) mutations have dramatic effects on repeat instability. Current models for repeat expansion predict that h-FEN1 protein prevents mutations by removing 5′-flaps generated at ends of Okazaki fragments by strand displacement synthesis. The models propose that hairpin formations within flaps containing repeats enable them to escape h-FEN1 cleavage. Friedreich's ataxia is caused by expansion mutations in a d(GAA)n repeat tract. Single-stranded d(GAA)n repeat tracts, however, do not form stable hairpins until the repeat tracts are quite long. Therefore, to understand how d(GAA)n repeat expansions survive h-FEN1 activity, we determined the effects of h-FEN1 on d(GAA)n repeat expansion during replication of a d(TTC)n repeat template. Replication initiated within the repeat tract generated significant expansion that was suppressed by the addition of h-FEN1 at the start of replication. The ability of h-FEN1 to suppress expansion implies that DNA slippage generates a 5′-flap in the nascent strand independent of strand displacement synthesis by an upstream polymerase. Delaying the addition of h-FEN1 to the replication reaction abolished the ability of h-FEN1 ability to suppress d(GAA)n repeat expansion products of all sizes, including sizes unable to hairpin. Use of model substrates demonstrated that h-FEN1 cleaves d(GAA)n 5′-flaps joined to double-stranded nonrepeat sequences but not those joined to double-stranded repeat tracts. The results provide evidence that, given the opportunity, short d(GAA)n repeat expansion products rearrange from 5′-flaps to stable internal loops inside the repeat tract. Long expansion products are predicted to form hairpinned flaps and internal loops. Once formed, these DNA conformations resist h-FEN1. The biological implications of the results are discussed.
Failure of chemotherapy to prolong life in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who have failed androgen deprivation

Using historical controls, we analyzed the effect of chemotherapy on survival of patients with metastatic prostate cancer who failed androgen deprivation. The survival of 178 patients with metastatic prostate cancer who receive palliation only after failing hormonal therapy was compared with the survival of 27 patients who received chemotherapy on NPCP Protocol 1500. Survival was measured from the initiation of androgen deprivation. The mean survival after chemotherapy was 8.4 months which was slightly less than the group receiving palliation only. At this time, chemotherapy has not been able to improve survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
How chronic pain patients cope with pain: Relation to treatment outcome in a multidisciplinary pain clinic

One hundred male and 100 female chronic pain patients in a multidisciplinary pain clinic completed a 34-item Pain Coping Questionnaire (PCQ). Factor analysis identified four pain coping factors: self-management, helplessness, social support, and medical remedies. Multiple-regression analyses were conducted to determine the relation between PCQ factors and measures of adjustment at admission to the pain program as well as admission to discharge changes in adjustment measures. The following concepts relevant to coping with chronic pain were defined: cognitive strategies, self-efficacy, helplessness, catastrophizing, and cognitive distortion. Suggestions were made for integrating these concepts in the development of scales for assessing strategies for coping with chronic pain.
15th Biennial Conference of International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC)

The 15th Biennial Conference of ISAAC will be held July 28 to August 4, 2012, in Pittsburgh, PA, USA. A Research Symposium will be held August 3-4, over a two-day period following the Main Conference. Participants will explore theoretical, methodological and empirical issues of interest within the scientific community. The symposium will include a working seminar on Tele-AAC: AAC Meets Telerehabilitation -- Envisioning Transformative Tele-AAC Research. This seminar is geared toward researchers, clinicians, educators and students who are interested in acquiring current information about telerehabilitation (telepractice) so that they might engage in and/or become knowledgeable consumers of Tele-AAC Research and identify current and future research needs and opportunities.
Dermatitis as One of the 3 Ds of Pellagra

An 18-year-old man presented with a 6-week history of a photosensitive rash on sun-exposed areas of the body, namely, the dorsum of the hands and feet (Figure 1) and in a V-shaped distribution on the anterior neck and chest (Figure 2). During this time he also experienced 10 to 12 daily episodes of large-volume watery stools. In addition, the patient's mother noted depressive symptoms including apathy, early morning insomnia, and poor scholastic performance. Of note, the patient had been consuming 90 g of liquor per day for the preceding 9 months. Physical examination findings were notable for a black pigmented rash with lichenification in the aforementioned areas. Neurologic examination showed defects in memory, judgment, and calculation. FIGURE 1 Photosensitive rash on sun-exposed areas of the hands and feet. FIGURE 2 Photosensitive rash on sun-exposed areas in a V-shaped distribution of the anterior neck and chest. A diagnosis of pellagra was made clinically because the patient manifested the classic triad of diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia.1,2 A psychiatric evaluation was also performed and the patient was counseled for alcohol cessation. Patient was treated with intravenous multivitamins which included niacin (25 mg/d for 5 days) followed by oral nicotinic acid (45 mg/d). There was a dramatic change in mood, cognition, and pruritus within 48 hours of treatment. This served as a therapeutic challenge for proving the diagnosis of pellagra.
Femtosecond laser studies of ultrafast processes in semiconductors and large molecules

The basic considerations underlying the optical transmission-correlation technique based upon the high-repetition-rate 40 fs laser system are reviewed. Recent results on the relaxation dynamics of nonequilibrium carriers in GaAs and related compounds and structures and photoexcited dye molecules are summarized.
Breast Ultrasound for the Interventionalist

Ultrasound (US)-guided interventional procedures are routinely performed for lesions visualized on US and are the standard of care in the diagnosis and management of breast disease. When performed correctly, these procedures are safe, minimally invasive, and have a high diagnostic accuracy comparable to surgical biopsy. The most commonly performed US-guided procedures include fine-needle aspiration, core needle biopsy, and preoperative wire localization. The success of these procedures depends on a thorough understanding of the indications, strong technical skills, and appropriate postbiopsy management. This article reviews the indications and techniques for US-guided interventional procedures. Concordance of imaging and pathology results, potential challenges, and associated complications are also discussed.
CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL UNDERESTIMATION OF LDL-C BY FRIEDEWALD AT LEVELS BELOW 70 MG/ DL: A STUDY OF 1.3 MILLION ADULTS

Methods: We examined lipid profiles from 1.34 million consecutive individuals ≥18 years old referred for direct measurement of cholesterol subfractions by the Vertical Auto Profile (VAP, density gradient ultracentrifugation) test between the years 2008 and 2011. We excluded patients with triglycerides ≥400 mg/dL from analysis (N=30,535, 2% of sample) due to known limitations of the Friedewald formula in such individuals.
Atmospheric Chemistry Over Southern Africa

During the southern African dry season, regional haze from mixed industrial pollution, biomass burning aerosol and gases from domestic and grassland fires, and biogenic sources from plants and soils is worsened by a semi-permanent atmosphere gyre over the subcontinent. These factors were a driver of several major international field campaigns in the 1990s and early 2000s, and attracted many scientists to the region. Some researchers were interested in understanding fundamental processes governing chemistry of the atmosphere and interaction with climate change. Others found favorable conditions for evaluating satellite-derived measurements of atmospheric properties and a changing land surface. With that background in mind a workshop on atmospheric chemistry was held in South Africa. Sponsored by the International Commission for Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (ICACGP; http://www.icacgp.org/), the workshop received generous support from the South African power utility, Eskom, and the Climatology Research Group of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the workshop was to review some earlier findings as well as more recent findings on southern African climate vulnerability, chemical changes due to urbanization, land-use modification, and how these factors interact. Originally proposed by John Burrows, president of ICACGP, the workshop was the first ICACGP regional workshop to study the interaction of air pollution with global chemical and climate change. Organized locally by the University of the Witwatersrand, the workshop attracted more than 60 delegates from South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. More than 30 presentations were given, exploring both retrospective and prospective aspects of the science. In several talks, attention was focused on southern African chemistry, atmospheric pollution monitoring, and climate processes as they were studied in the field campaigns such as Transport and Atmospheric Chemistry Near the Equator-Atlantic (TRACE-A), Southern African Fire-Atmosphere Research Initiative (SAFARI-92), and Southern African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI 2000). Since those large international efforts, satellites have matured enough to enable quantifiable measurements of regional land surface, atmosphere, and ocean. In addition, global and chemical transport models have also been advanced to incorporate various data. Thus, the timing of the workshop was right for a full-fledged re-assessment of the chemistry, physics, and socio-economical impacts caused by pollution in the region, including a characterization of sources, deposition, and feedbacks with climate change.
Effect of ZnO Nanostructures on 2-Dimensional Random Lasing Properties

We show results on how the morphology of a ZnO layer can have a big impact on the random lasing threshold of the material. Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method is used to grow ZnO layers on sapphire substrates. The morphologies and structures of ZnO are observed to undergo transition when growth temperature decreases from 750 to 100 °C: the deposited ZnO changes from crystalline films to nanocrystalline films with columnar-shaped grains, then to well-aligned ZnO nanorods, and finally to randomly oriented irregular-shaped grains. ZnO nucleation and surface diffusion rates, coalescence between crystal grains, and preferential growth along c-axis play important roles in this transition from continuous films to nanorods. Random lasing properties of our ZnO films and nanorods are studied. The scattering ability of ZnO is critical to control the lasing properties. The lowest lasing thresholds are observed for ZnO films grown between 500 and 600 °C when the films have columnar-shaped grains and not at 750 °C when the ZnO layer has a continuous crystalline film. Calculations based on quasi-2D random lasing are consistent with the experimental results of lasing threshold measurements.
Correlates of total perfusion time, clamp time and nonclamp perfusion time in coronary bypass surgery

Longer perfusion and clamp times are associated with greater mortality and morbidity. We studied the factors which correlate with the duration of perfusion time, clamp time and nonclamp perfusion time in 1078 patients having coronary bypass surgery. Perfusion time correlated significantly (P≤ 0.05) with female sex, ejection fraction, left ventricular diastolic pressure, number of distal anastomoses, incomplete revascularization, atherosclerotic aorta, aorto-iliac-femoral occlusive disease and date of operation. Only the number of distal anastomoses, incomplete revascularization, atherosclerotic aorta, ejection fraction and date of operation correlated significantly (P≤ 0.05) with perfusion time with multiple regression analysis. Factors significantly (P≤ 0.05) correlating with nonclamp perfusion time included age, ejection fraction, left ventricular end diastolic pressure, number of distal anastomoses, incomplete revascularization, atherosclerotic aorta and aorto-iliac-femoral occlusive disease. Multiple ...
Glucosamine and osteoarthritis: time to quit?

Glucosamine (2-amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose), an amino monosaccharide derivative of glucose, is a precursor of the glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans that make up articular cartilage. The notion that augmenting the intake of the precursor molecule, glucosamine, may directly stimulate articular proteoglycan synthesis to modulate osteoarthritis has provided the rationale for its widespread use. Theoretically, exogenous glucosamine may augment glycosaminoglycan synthesis in cartilage. There is a simultaneous theoretical concern that it might also induce insulin resistance in insulin-sensitive tissues. In a previous issue of DMRR, Simon et al. conclude that typical doses of oral glucosamine have no significant effects on glucose metabolism or insulin sensitivity. On the basis of the results from clinical, animal, and cell-based studies they conclude that oral glucosamine neither augments the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway nor reduces insulin-mediated glucose uptake. In recent meta-analyses restricted to well-designed randomized controlled trials that include adequate allocation concealment or to non-industry-funded studies, oral glucosamine fails to show any significant clinical benefit in individuals with osteoarthritis. These data should raise serious questions from patients and their health care providers about its continued use. Published 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Child abuse potential inventory and parenting behavior: Relationships with high-risk correlates

The primary purpose of this research was to examine the construct validity of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory by comparing maltreating and high-risk parents' CAP Inventory abuse scores to their behavior during interactions with their children. A second purpose was to determine the degree to which CAP Inventory scores and parenting behavior were related to several known correlates of abuse, as measured by parent and teacher reports. Participants (n = 41) included abusive and high-risk parents and their children referred to a treatment group. Correlational analyses revealed that CAP Inventory scores and observed parenting style yielded highly related findings, supporting construct validity of the CAP Inventory. However, the CAP Inventory and observed behavior index showed a different pattern of relationships to the risk correlates. Implications for assessment of risk status are discussed and recommendations are provided for continued research.
Schooling behavior of antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in laboratory aquaria : reactions to chemical and visual stimuli

Antarctic krill,Euphausia superba, often exhibit abnormal behavior in laboratory aquaria, usually hovering in a stationary position, unresponsive to most external stimuli. In the austral summer of 1985–1986 at Palmer Station on Anvers Island, Antarctica, we provided laboratory conditions which inducedE. superba to school in large aquaria. Captive krill swam horizontally and exhibited the full spectrum of behaviors normally displayed while schooling at sea. Schooling krill avoided visually contrasting stimuli, with avoidance distances correlated with stimulus size. Schools responded in qualitatively different ways to presentations of food, chemical compounds, and abrupt increases in light intensity. We describe the conditions necessary for aquarium schooling and discuss the importance of an appropriate social environment for displays of escape, avoidance, and feeding behaviors and of positional preference within the school.
Measurements of genetic variation in residual metabolizable energy intake of laying hens

An experiment was conducted to determine heritability of the residual component of feed consumption. The effect of test period length was also examined to determine the shortest test period that would result in reliable data. Three hundred and thirty-five pedigreed White Leghorn hens were used. The experiment began when the hens were 26 wk of age and lasted for 28 wk. The residual component of energy intake was determined for each hen for time periods of 2, 4, and 8 wk in length. These values were used to determine heritability. Analyses of the data for each period were performed in two steps. A reduced model, without pedigree information, was used to develop a regression model. A complete model was used for analyses of data. The procedure of starting egg mass output measurements 2 days after body weight measurements was more effective than starting records on the same days that body weights were obtained. The partial regression coefficients of ME intake decreased with age. Also the partial regression coefficients of ME on body weight change increased with the length of the test period. The partial regression coefficients of ME on egg mass increased slightly with age. Heritability of ME intake adjusted for metabolic body weight, body weight change, and egg mass output was highest (.567 +/- .186) when the test was calculated by 8-wk periods. However, the range of estimates over time was lowest when made for 4-wk periods.
Root Lattices are Efficiently Generated

We show that root lattices are exactly those lattices whose relevant vectors are all equal in length. We define notions of "compatibility" between the euclidean metric and the shortest path metric in the infinite directed graph induced by a subset, G, of a lattice, i.e., the directed graph whose vertices are the points in the lattice, and whose arcs are the ordered pairs (x, x+g), with x a lattice point and g a point in G. We present some ("easy to check for") criteria that a lattice and a subset of it must satisfy to ensure "compatibility" between the corresponding graphical and the euclidean metrics. We use these criteria to characterize, in more than one way, a set of "economically and efficiently generated" lattices, including root lattices. Our results include a "graph theoretic" characterization of root lattices as well. We also discuss, in brief, certain algorithmic considerations in the simulation of macroscopic physical phenomena in massively parallel computers based on suitable discretizations of euclidean space that led us to our graphical treatment of lattices.