cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing Citizen Participation in a Community Mental Health Center

Citizen participation in community mental health centers was instituted as a means of assuring interaction between a center and its particular community. The Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963; see Bloom, 1973) emphasized citizen participation as a crucial ingredient in a decentralized and citizen-responsive mental health system. Subsequent legislation mandates the establishment of citizen advisory or governing boards for community mental health centers that have specific functions in the operation of the centers and that are required to be representative of the populations the centers serve (Community Mental Health Centers Amendment of 1975). Ideally, citizen participation ensures that the community mental health center is accountable to the community.
Prospective longitudinal patient-reported outcomes of swallowing following intensity modulated proton therapy for oropharyngeal cancer.

Abstract Background and purpose With an enlarging population of long-term oropharyngeal cancer survivors, dysphagia is an increasingly important toxicity following oropharynx cancer treatment. While lower doses to normal surrounding structures may be achieved with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) compared to photon-based radiation, the clinical benefit is uncertain. Methods and materials Seventy-one patients with stage III/IV oropharyngeal cancer (AJCC 7th edition) undergoing definitive IMPT on a longitudinal prospective cohort study who had completed the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) at pre-specified time points were included. Results The majority of patients had HPV-positive tumors (85.9%) and received bilateral neck radiation (81.4%) with concurrent systemic therapy (61.8%). Mean composite MDADI scores decreased from 88.2 at baseline to 59.6 at treatment week 6, and then increased to 74.4 by follow up week 10, 77.0 by 6 months follow up, 80.5 by 12 months follow up, and 80.1 by 24 months follow up. At baseline, only 5.6% of patients recording a poor composite score (lower than 60), compared to 61.2% at treatment week 6, 19.1% at follow up week 10, 13.0% at 6 months follow up, 13.5% at 1 year follow up, and 11.1% at 2 years follow up. Conclusions Patient reported outcomes following IMPT for oropharyngeal cancer demonstrates decreased swallowing function at completion of treatment with relatively rapid recovery by 10 weeks follow up and steady improvement through 2 years. The results are comparable to similar longitudinal studies of photon-based radiotherapy for oropharynx cancer, and suggest that IMPT confers no additional excess toxicity related to swallowing.
Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva mutant ACVR1 signals by multiple modalities in the developing zebrafish

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is a rare human genetic disorder characterized by altered skeletal development and extraskeletal ossification. All cases of FOP are caused by activating mutations in the type I BMP/TGFβ cell surface receptor ACVR1, which over-activates signaling through phospho-Smad1/5 (pSmad1/5). To investigate the mechanism by which FOP-ACVR1 enhances pSmad1/5 activation, we used zebrafish embryonic dorsoventral (DV) patterning as an assay for BMP signaling. We determined that the FOP mutants ACVR1-R206H and -G328R do not require their ligand binding domain to over-activate BMP signaling in DV patterning. However, intact ACVR1-R206H has the ability to respond to both Bmp7 and Activin A ligands. Additionally, BMPR1, a type I BMP receptor normally required for BMP-mediated patterning of the embryo, is dispensable for both ligand-independent signaling pathway activation and ligand-responsive signaling hyperactivation by ACVR1-R206H. These results demonstrate that FOP-ACVR1 is not constrained by the same receptor/ligand partner requirements as WT-ACVR1.
Schutz’s Theory of Sociology

Within sociology the approach of methodological individualism in social psychology can be distinguished from methodological collectivism. It begins with the individual self and proceeds to relate to collective as well as individual others. This approach is evident in Schutz’s accounts of an individual outsider approaching a new group and a former insider returning to a group she has been absent from. And it is with respect to such concrete situations that it can be seen that practical recommendations as well as theoretical insights can be offered.
Experimental characterization and constitutive modeling of an aluminum 7085-T711 alloy under large deformations at varying strain rates, stress states, and temperatures

Abstract The strain rate, stress state, and temperature dependent mechanical behavior of a hot rolled aluminum 7085-T711 alloy is experimentally observed and subsequently modeled using a continuum Internal State Variable (ISV) plasticity-damage constitutive model. Structure-property relationships for the alloy are quantified using a series of microstructural analyses and mechanical property experiments. The calibrated ISV model for the Al 7085-T711 alloy is implemented in an implicit finite element code (Abaqus) to simulate the deformation of notch Bridgman tension specimens at a variety of stress states and temperatures. The ISV model accurately captures the material's elastoplastic behavior by predicting the stress state difference between tension, compression, and torsion and temperature dependent microstructure evolution under large deformations.
The influence of healthcare financing on cardiovascular disease prevention in people living with HIV

People living with HIV are diagnosed with age-related chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, at higher than expected rates. Medical management of these chronic health conditions frequently occur in HIV specialty clinics by providers trained in general internal medicine, family medicine, or infectious disease. In recent years, changes in the healthcare financing for people living with HIV in the U.S. has been dynamic due to changes in the Affordable Care Act. There is little evidence examining how healthcare financing characteristics shape primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention among people living with HIV. Our objective was to examine the perspectives of people living with HIV and their healthcare providers on how healthcare financing influences cardiovascular disease prevention. As part of the EXTRA-CVD study, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 51 people living with HIV and 34 multidisciplinary healthcare providers and at three U.S. HIV clinics in Ohio and North Carolina from October 2018 to March 2019. Thematic analysis using Template Analysis techniques was used to examine healthcare financing barriers and enablers of cardiovascular disease prevention in people living with HIV. Three themes emerged across sites and disciplines (1): healthcare payers substantially shape preventative cardiovascular care in HIV clinics (2); physician compensation tied to relative value units disincentivizes cardiovascular disease prevention efforts by HIV providers; and (3) grant-based services enable tailored cardiovascular disease prevention, but sustainability is limited by sponsor priorities. With HIV now a chronic disease, there is a growing need for HIV-specific cardiovascular disease prevention; however, healthcare financing complicates effective delivery of this preventative care. It is important to understand the effects of evolving payer models on patient and healthcare provider behavior. Additional systematic investigation of these models will help HIV specialty clinics implement cardiovascular disease prevention within a dynamic reimbursement landscape. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03643705 .
Association of Patient Experience With Guideline-Concordant Colon Cancer Treatment in the Elderly.

PURPOSE:The association between patient-reported experience of care and care quality is not well described. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the patient-reported exp...
Performing High Quality Reports Of Suspected Child Maltreatment By Using An Innovative Toolkit

Background and objective: Child maltreatment is a major cause of direct and indirect injuries, trauma and latent health problems associated with adverse childhood experiences, such as obesity, health risk behaviors, and mental health problems. Lack of recognition and reporting of suspected maltreatment may leave children vulnerable to continued victimization that can lead to devastating consequences for children and their families. As per Wisconsin law, medical providers and social workers are among those professionals mandated …
Basics of magnetic resonance imaging and quantitative parameters T1, T2, T2*, T1rho and diffusion-weighted imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging is widely available and accepted as the imaging method of choice for many pediatric body imaging applications. Traditionally, it has been used in a qualitative way, where the images are reported non-numerically by radiologists. But now MRI machines have built-in post-processing software connected to the scanner and the database of MR images. This setting enables and encourages simple quantitative analysis of MR images. In this paper, the author reviews the fundamentals of MRI and discusses the most common quantitative MRI techniques for body imaging: T1, T2, T2*, T1rho and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). For each quantitative imaging method, this article reviews the technique, its measurement mechanism, and selected clinical applications to body imaging.
Does One Mens Rea Fit All: Thoughts on Alexander's Unified Conception of Criminal Culpability

Like Sandy Kadish, the man whom we have come together to honor at Boalt Hall,' Larry Alexander is an immensely thoughtful and productive scholar. Alexander's new Essay2 is, as usual, provocative. His thesis is that the current tripartite subjective fault system, in which the law distinguishes between the mental states of purpose, knowledge, and recklessness, is unwise and unnecessary. According to Alexander, purpose and knowledge are reducible to recklessness, because all three culpable mental states share the same "basic moral vice of insufficient concern for the interests of others"3 or, for short, "callousness" or "indifference."4 Since Alexander would also abandon negligence as a form of criminal culpability," he apparently favors
The Bacillus subtilis spoIIG operon encodes both sigma E and a gene necessary for sigma E activation.

Abstract A sporulation-specific sigma factor of Bacillus subtilis (sigma E) is formed by a proteolytic activation of a precursor protein (P31). Synthesis of the precursor protein is shown to be abolished in B. subtilis mutants with plasmid insertions as far as 940 base pairs upstream of the P31 structural gene (sigE), and processing of P31 to sigma E is blocked by a deletion in this upstream region. These results substantiate the view that sigE is the distal member of a 2-gene operon and demonstrate that the upstream gene (spoIIGA) is necessary for sigma E formation.
The Cycle Between Angiogenesis, Perfusion, and Hypoxia in Tumors

This chapter will present a pathophysiologic paradigm that occurs in solid tumors that is characterized by a self-propagating cycle of abnormally regulated angiogenesis, instability in perfusion, and hypoxia. Interactions between tumor and endothelial cells occur during tumor growth and in response to therapy. These interactions are of central importance in establishing codependence that contributes to promotion of tumor and endothelial cell survival, treatment resistance, enhanced invasion, and metastasis. Results indicate that concurrent targeting of both tumor and endothelial cells may be of central importance in improving treatment responses to both radiation and chemotherapy.
RCS characterization of perforated apertures in a finite ground plane

The authors compare the results on the bistatic RCS (radar cross section) for a plane wave incident on two triangular apertures in a finite square ground plane using PO (physical optics) and MoM (method of moments) approaches. The results are compared for a finite-sized ground plane with no holes, a finite ground plane with two well-spaced holes, and a finite ground plane with two closely spaced holes. The solid plate is a well-studied problem and is used to establish a reference, while the other two cases are used to understand the effects the hole separation has on the results. >
Recognizing high-level audio-visual concepts using context

The recognition of high-level semantics from audio-visual data is a challenging multimedia understanding problem. The difficulty mainly lies in the gap that exists between low level media features and high level semantic concepts. In an attempt to bridge this gap we proposed a probabilistic framework for semantic understanding. The components of this framework are probabilistic multimedia objects and a graphical network of such objects. We show how the framework supports detection of multiple high-level concepts, which enjoy spatial and temporal support. More importantly, we show why context matters and how it can be modeled. Using a factor graph framework, we model context and use it to improve the detection of sites, objects and events. Using the concepts outdoor and a flying-helicopter we demonstrate how the factor graph multinet models context. Using ROC curves and probability of error curves we support the intuition that context should help.
Effect of tear osmolarity on repeatability of keratometry for cataract surgery planning.

Purpose To evaluate the effects of tear osmolarity on the repeatability of keratometry (K) measurements in patients presenting for cataract surgery. Setting Three clinical practices. Design Observational prospective nonrandomized study. Methods Subjects were prospectively recruited based on tear osmolarity (Tearlab Osmolarity System); that is, osmolarity more than 316 mOsm/L in at least 1 eye (hyperosmolar) and osmolarity less than 308 mOsm/L in both eyes (normal). The baseline K value was measured, and a second measurement was taken on the same instrument (IOLMaster) within 3 weeks of the first. Variability in average K, calculated corneal astigmatism using vector analysis, and intraocular lens (IOL) sphere power calculations were compared between groups. Results The hyperosmolar group (50 subjects) had a statistically significantly higher variability in the average K reading (P = .05) than the normal group (25 subjects) and a statistically significantly higher percentage of eyes with a 1.0 diopter (D) or greater difference in the measured corneal astigmatism (P = .02). A statistically significantly higher percentage of eyes in the hyperosmolar group had an IOL power difference of more than 0.5 D (P = .02). No statistically significant differences were present when the subjects were grouped by self-reported dry eye. Conclusions Significantly more variability in average K and anterior corneal astigmatism was observed in the hyperosmolar group, with significant resultant differences in IOL power calculations. Variability was not significantly different when subjects were grouped by self-reported dry eye. Measurement of tear osmolarity at the time of cataract surgery planning can effectively identify patients with a higher likelihood of high unexpected refractive error resulting from inaccurate keratometry. Financial Disclosure Drs. Epitropoulos, Matossian, Berdy, and Malhotra received compensation from Tearlab for participating in the study. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
An Equilibrium Model of Institutional Demand and Asset Prices

We develop an asset pricing model with rich heterogeneity in asset demand across investors, designed to match institutional holdings data. The equilibrium price vector is uniquely determined by market clearing, which equates the supply of each asset to aggregate demand. We estimate the model on U.S. stock market data by instrumental variables, under an identifying assumption that allows for price impact. The model sheds light on the role of institutions in stock market liquidity, volatility, and predictability. We also relate the model to consumption-based asset pricing and FamaMacBeth regressions. JEL: G12, G23
The Choice of Partial Inversions and Combined Indices

It is often undesirable or impossible to provide redundant indices for all domains of a file existing on a secondary storage device. The problem considered in this paper is the selection of a limited number of indices which best facilitate interaction with a file. A probabilistic model of interaction activity encompassing queries and updates is presented, and a parametric description of the storage medium is assumed. Significant results which are independent of many file and storage characteristics are found concerning the best choice of indices in two cases. The first is the choice of domains to include in a partial inversion. Here it is desired to find the best possible subset of domains for which to provide indices. The second case concerns the choice of combined indices. In this situation the best way of grouping domains is sought in order to provide one index for each group.
Accepting the null hypothesis

This article concerns acceptance of the null hypothesis that one variable has no effect on another. Despite frequent opinions to the contrary, this null hypothesis can be correct in some situations. Appropriate criteria for accepting the null hypothesis are (1) that the null hypothesis is possible; (2) that the results are consistent with the null hypothesis; and (3) that the experiment was a good effort to find an effect. These criteria are consistent with the meta-rules for psychology. The good-effort criterion is subjective, which is somewhat undesirable, but the alternative—never accepting the null hypothesis—is neither desirable nor practical.
Desde una democracia consensual a una compleja y multinivel: la configuración de la competencia y la colaboración en España

Spain has used the consensual and ultimately successful transition to democracy in its public diplomacy efforts. However, the early democratization literature was divided on the benefits of consensual transitions. This article reflects on prominent hypotheses in the democratization literature regarding how transition processes (modes) affect subsequent democratic politics, particularly focusing on how the mode of transition could affect the competitiveness of interparty relations in parliament. Rather than being explained by the transition process, interparty relations in Spain can, in part, be explained by the parties’ adaptation to the electoral and institutional environment, which have both evolved over Spain’s recent democratic history.
Localization and cloning of Xp21 deletion breakpoints involved in muscular dystrophy

Twenty-nine deletion breakpoints were mapped in 220 kb of the DXS164 locus relative to potential exons of the Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy gene. Four deletion junction fragments were isolated to acquire outlying Xp21 loci on both the terminal and centromere side of the DXS164 locus. The junction loci were used for chromosome walking, searches for DNA polymorphisms, and mapping against deletion and translocation breakpoints. Forty-four unrelated deletions were analyzed using the junction loci as hybridization probes to map the endpoints between cloned Xp21 loci. DNA polymorphisms from the DXS164 and junction loci were used to follow the segregation of a mutation in a family that represents a recombinant. Both the physical and genetic data point to a very large size for this X-linked muscular dystrophy locus.
Experimental Study of High Speed Polarization-Coding Quantum Key Distribution With Sifted-Key Rates Over Mbit/s

We present a quantitative study of various limitations on quantum cryptographic systems operating with sifted-key rates over Mbit/s. The dead time of silicon APDs not only limits the sifted-key rate but also causes correlation between the neighboring key bits. In addition to the well-known count-rate dependent timing jitter in avalanche photo-diode (APD), the faint laser sources, the vertical cavity surface emission lasers (VCSELs) in our system, also induce a significant amount of data-dependent timing jitter. Both the dead time and the data-dependent timing jitter are major limiting factors in designing QKD systems with sifted-key rates beyond Mbit/s.
Environmental decisions: The interaction of emotions, information, and decision context

Abstract Emotionality in environmental decisions arises from a complex interaction among the characteristics of the environmental planning problem, the attributes of the decider, and the situation in which decisions occur. The research reported here examines problem and situational characteristics which may influence emotional reactions and decision outcomes. Descriptions of one resource management problem were varied in a two-by-two-by-four factorial design with two writing styles (‘hot’ emotional and ‘cold’ objective), two decision contexts, and differential emphasis on four development and preservation issues. Subjects read a problem description, described, and evaluated a decision, placed the decision on a preservation-development continuum, and rated their emotionality on 42 scale items. Pro-development issue emphases resulted in more development decisions and lower decision confidence than did pro-preservation emphases. A trend for preservation decisions was found in response to the hot writing style. These results indicate that environmental decisions may be very sensitive to relatively subtle differences in the way information is presented. Emotions varied with the context in which decisions were made. Subjects who rated their emotions before making decisions had higher levels of negative emotion than those who made decisions before rating emotional reactions. Also, negative emotions were associated with preservation decisions. In order to understand better the role of emotion in environmental decisions, further studies of decision processes, behavioral consequences, individual differences, and a broader array of other environmental problems are needed.
Recent developments in myelodysplastic syndromes

Once thought to be rare disorders, the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are now recognized as among the most common hematological neoplasms, probably affecting >30 000 patients per year in the United States. US regulatory approval of azacitidine, decitabine, and lenalidomide between 2004 and 2006 seemed to herald a new era in the development of disease-modifying therapies for MDS, but there have been no further drug approvals for MDS indications in the United States in the last 8 years. The available drugs are not curative, and few of the compounds that are currently in development are likely to be approved in the near future. As a result, MDS diagnoses continue to place a heavy burden on both patients and health care systems. Incomplete understanding of disease pathology, the inherent biological complexity of MDS, and the presence of comorbid conditions and poor performance status in the typical older patient with MDS have been major impediments to development of effective novel therapies. Here we discuss new insights from genomic discoveries that are illuminating MDS pathogenesis, increasing diagnostic accuracy, and refining prognostic assessment, and which will one day contribute to more effective treatments and improved patient outcomes.
Anaerobic biodegradation of natural gas condensate can be stimulated by the addition of gasoline

Biodegradation of a broad range of linear and branched alkanes, parent and alkyl alicyclic hydrocarbons, and benzene and alkyl-substituted benzenes was observed when sediment and groundwater samples collected from a gas condensate-contaminated aquifer were incubated under methanogenic and especially under sulfate-reducing conditions, even though no exogenous nitrogen or phosphorus was added. This finding expands the range of hydrocarbon molecules known to undergo anaerobic decay and confirms that natural attenuation is an important process at this site. The addition of 1 μl of gasoline to the samples (∼10 ppm) had minimal impact on the biodegradation of saturated compounds, but substantially increased the diversity and extent of aromatic compounds undergoing transformation. We attribute this to the promotion or induction of biodegradation pathways in the indigenous microflora following the addition of the gasoline components. The promoting compounds are not precisely known, but may have been present in the initial condensate and reduced in concentration by various mechanisms (dissolution, biodegradation, etc.) such that their concentration in the aquifer fell below necessary levels. A variety of aromatic hydrocarbons would appear to be likely candidates.
Protective anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa humoral and cellular mucosal immunity by AdC7-mediated expression of the P. aeruginosa protein OprF

Replication-deficient adenoviral (Ad) vectors are an attractive platform for a vaccine against lung infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ad vectors based on non-human serotypes have been developed to circumvent the problem of pre-existing anti-Ad immunity in humans. The present study analyzes the anti-P. aeruginosa systemic and lung mucosal immunity elicited by a non-human primate-based AdC7 vector expressing the outer membrane protein F (AdC7OprF) of P. aeruginosa. Intramuscular immunization of mice with AdC7OprF induced similar levels of serum and mucosal anti-OprF IgG and increased levels of anti-OprF IgA in lung epithelial lining fluid (ELF) compared to immunization with a human serotype Ad5OprF vector (p>0.05). OprF-specific INF-γ in splenic T cells stimulated with OprF-pulsed syngeneic splenic dendritic cells (DC) was similar following immunization with AdC7OprF compared to Ad5OprF (p>0.05). In contrast, OprF-specific INF-γ responses in lung T cells stimulated with either spleen or lung DC were increased following immunization with AdC7OprF compared to Ad5OprF (p<0.05). Interestingly, direct administration of AdC7OprF to the respiratory tract resulted in an increase of OprF-specific IgG in serum, OprF-specific IgG and IgA in lung ELF, and OprF-specific INF-γ in lung T-cells compared to immunization with Ad5OprF, and survival following challenge with a lethal dose of P. aeruginosa. These data demonstrate that systemic or lung mucosal immunization with an AdC7-based vaccine vector induces superior pulmonary humoral and cellular anti-transgene immunity compared to immunization with an Ad5-based vector and favors AdC7-based vectors as vaccines to induce lung mucosal immunity.
Different hormonal requirements for androgen-independent growth of normal and tumor epithelial cells from rat prostate

The proliferation of isolated normal prostate epithelial cells from rat and man is androgen-independent and requires cholera toxin, insulin, dexamethasone, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and one or more polypeptide factors that are concentrated in bovine neural tissue. The active agents in the neural tissue extract are heparin-binding polypeptides (prostatropins), the predominant form of which has a molecular weight of 17400 and an acetylalanine at the aminoterminus. Prostatropins supported a half-maximal increase in normal prostate epithelial cell number at 50 picomolar. The proliferation of primary and serially-cultured epithelial cells from androgen-responsive Dunning R3327 rat prostate tumors was also androgen-independent, but exhibited dramatic alterations in response to hormones that stimulated normal cell proliferation. At low cell density, androgen-independent growth of isolated tumor-derived epithelial cells was independent on cholera toxin, was stimulated by dexamethasone, required insulin and either EGF or prostatropin. The presence of either EGF or prostatropin masked the response to the other factor. In the absence of EGF, purified prostatropins supported a half-maximal increase in tumor cell number at 7 picomolar. Endogenous production of EGF-like and prostatropin-like factors or both was suggested by the reduced requirement for EGF and prostatropin at high prostate tumor cell density. These results suggest that anti-hormonal therapies against prostate tumor growth should be based on intervention with the activity of insulin (or insulin-like factors) or simultaneous intervention with both EGF and prostatropin (or their homologues).
Clonidine induces upper airway closure in awake goats.

Abstract We examined the effects of the α 2 -adrenoceptor ( α 2 -AR) agonist clonidine on pressure-flow relationships in the upper airway. Inspired and expired airflows, subglottic tracheal pressure (P tr ), mask pressure and middle pharyngeal constrictor (MPC) and diaphragm electromyogram (EMG) activities were recorded in awake standing goats. Clonidine-induced central apneas were always associated with continuous tonic activation of the MPC. Subglottic P tr during expiration increased progressively in a dose-dependent manner after clonidine administration. In all cases, positive subglottic P tr was maintained throughout the duration of clonidine-induced apneas and was sufficient to retard or prevent expiratory flow during early and mid-expiration indicating complete airway closure. The effects of clonidine were reversed by selective α 2 -AR blockade with SKF-86466. Central apneas after spontaneous augmented breaths (sighs) were associated with continuous tonic activation of the MPC throughout the duration of the prolonged T e intervals. However, subglottic P tr during expiration was not significantly different from control breaths and there was no evidence of increased expiratory airway resistance or delayed expiratory flow. We conclude that continuous tonic activation of pharyngeal adductor muscles appears to be a constant feature of central apnea in the awake goat independent of the initiating cause of the apnea. However, our data suggest that MPC activation alone may not be sufficient to cause complete closure of the upper airway during central apnea.
PEL-CNF: Probabilistic event logic conjunctive normal form for video interpretation

This is a theoretical paper that proves that probabilistic event logic (PEL) is MAP-equivalent to its conjunctive normal form (PEL-CNF). This allows us to address the NP-hard MAP inference for PEL in a principled manner. We first map the confidence-weighted formulas from a PEL knowledge base to PEL-CNF, and then conduct MAP inference for PEL-CNF using stochastic local search. Our MAP inference leverages the spanning-interval data structure for compactly representing and manipulating entire sets of time intervals without enumerating them. For experimental evaluation, we use the specific domain of volleyball videos. Our experiments demonstrate that the MAP inference for PEL-CNF successfully detects and localizes volleyball events in the face of different types of synthetic noise introduced in the ground-truth video annotations.
Ultracold neutrons: Quantum bouncing ball resonates

Spectroscopic techniques typically probe the interaction between matter and electromagnetic fields. An experiment now demonstrates that transitions between quantum states of neutrons can be brought about by mechanically vibrating a mirror, an approach that may lead to sensitive tests of gravity laws.
Denaturation of albumin: a critical factor in long-term kidney preservation.

Abstract Perfusates containing serum albumin are commonly used in kidney preservation. In this study we present evidence suggesting that denaturation of the albumin may adversely affect the endothelium and functional capabilities of preserved and autotransplanted canine kidneys. Changes in the state of the albumin perfusates were induced by mechanical blending of the protein-containing perfusate, constant circulation of the perfusate through a sterile perfusion machine without a kidney for 5 days, and dialysis and lyophilization of the protein solution. After only 24 hr of preservation, kidneys perfused with denatured bovine serum albumin showed signs characteristic of severe endothelial damage. Mechanical treatment of human serum albumin perfusates also led to poor renal function in kidneys after only 24 hr of preservation. Kidneys preserved with cryoprecipitated plasma treated by these methods, however, were practically unaffected after 24 hr of preservation.
Centrifugal distortion constants and structural parameters of methyl oxirane

Abstract The quartic centrifugal distortion constants of methyl oxirane (propylene oxide) have been determined by analysis of the frequencies of rotational transitions with J ≤ 25. Bond lengths and angles for the heavy atoms have been determined from rotational constants obtained by analysis of the spectra of the three singly substituted 13 C species. The r s value obtained for the CC bond length in the ring is 1.451 ± 0.020 A, and for the length of the CC (methyl) bond is 1.518 ± 0.010 A; the ∠CCC is 121.7° ± 1.3. Effective parameters show the ring to be nearly an equilateral triangle with the CO bond length equal to 1.45 ± 0.020 A.
Laboratory evaluation of the mechanical properties of plant-produced warm-mix asphalt mixtures

This paper presents a laboratory evaluation of plant-produced asphalt mixtures containing the control hot-mix asphalt (HMA) and four warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technologies: an organic additive (Sasobit®) and three foaming processes (Advera®, low-emission asphalt, and Gencor). These asphalt mixtures were produced using a single binder performance grade (PG 64-22) and 9.5-mm nominal maximum aggregate size Superpave mix design compacted to 75 design gyrations. Dynamic modulus (E*), flow number, and Hamburg wheel–track tests were utilised to evaluate the mechanical properties of the asphalt mixtures. The PG of the asphalt binders containing the WMA technologies was also verified. In addition, their rheological properties were evaluated using shear modulus master curves and multiple stress creep recovery tests. It was found that the asphalt binder containing Sasobit® technology increased the continuous high-temperature binder grade by 6°C and measured higher elastic properties. In general, the asphalt mixture pre...
Infant-mother recognition in a social rodent (octodon degus).

Octodon degus (degu), a biparental species with precocious offspring is a potential model for the study of social attachment and related affective disorders such as depression. This study investigates the nature of the social bond between young degus and their mothers with a special emphasis on infant-mother recognition. We tested young degus in a potentiation paradigm to determine if social contact, particularly with the mother, can modulate an infant's vocal response to isolation. One week later, animals were presented with a choice between their mother and an unfamiliar female or a sample of familiar and unfamiliar nesting materials. Subsequently, the ability of whole litters to discriminate between their mother and unfamiliar females was tested. We observed that infant degus alter their isolation response after brief social contact. Degu infants readily distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar nesting materials but fail to differentiate between their mother and unfamiliar females in an identical setting. Nevertheless, entire litters show a preference for their mothers when tested similarly in a group, demonstrating a perhaps socially facilitated ability to recognize the biological mother at an early age.
Histopathological inflammation and symptom outcomes after endoscopic sinus surgery.

Background To determine if histopathology of the sinus mucosa predicts symptomatic outcomes after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Methods The histopathology of the sinus mucosa and preoperative and postoperative symptom scores from the Rhinosinusitis Symptom Inventory (RSI) for adults undergoing ESS for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) without polyposis were reviewed. Linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between tissue pathology inflammatory severity score and the postoperative RSI symptom scores, adjusting for baseline RSI scores, Lund score, postoperative topical steroid, antihistamine, and antibiotic use. Results A total of 112 patients were enrolled (average age, 41.2 years; 68.8% female) with a follow-up of 19.1 ± 8.7 months (mean ± standard deviation [SD]). Mean preoperative and postoperative RSI domain scores for nasal symptoms and total symptoms were (52.4, 21.4) and (41.2, 17.7), respectively (p 0.05). Conclusion Although pathologic inflammation of the paranasal sinuses is inherent to CRS, increasing pathology severity at ESS does not predict poorer symptomatic outcomes after ESS. © 2011 ARS-AAOA, LLC.
A low voltage, energy efficient supply boosted SAR ADC for biomedical applications

This paper presents a new technique called supply boosting for designing low voltage, low power mixed signal circuits. An energy efficient supply boosted (SB) successive approximation register (SAR) type analog-to-digital converter (ADC), targeted for biomedical applications is designed in a high-Vth CMOS process. Supply boosting technique improves the input common mode range and minimum operation voltage even when threshold voltages are on the order of the supply voltage. A 10-bit supply boosted SAR ADC was designed in a standard 0.5µm, 5V, 2P3M, CMOS process in which threshold voltages of NMOS and PMOS devices are +0.8V and −0.9V, respectively. Simulation results show that the SB-SAR ADC achieves effective number of bits (ENOB) of 9.5, power consumption of 12µW with sampling rate of 100KS/s on 1.2Volt supply. The proposed ADC achieves a FoM of 166.3fJ/conv-step.
Glucagon potentiates intestinal reperfusion injury.

Abstract Vasoactive agents, including glucagon, have been used in treatment of mesenteric ischemia. Such drugs change both intestinal blood flow and metabolism. Since reperfusion injury reflects the metabolic state of an organ as well as the duration and severity of ischemia, we investigated the effect of glucagon in a standard model of intestinal ischemia. Data were generated from denervated isoperfused rat small intestinal preparations ( n = 39). Arterial and venous pressures, intestinal blood flow, and oxygen consumption were monitored. Animals were subjected to 15, 30, or 45 minutes of ischemia followed by 1 hour reperfusion. Experiments were performed without drug infusion or during intravenous glucagon administration (0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 μg/kg/min). After the rats were killed, histologic sections of intestine were graded 1 through 5 in a blinded fashion with 1=normal villi and 5=severe injury. Results (mean ± SD) were analyzed by analysis of variance (* p
Incentive structure in team-based learning: graded versus ungraded Group Application exercises

PURPOSE Previous studies on team-based learning (TBL) in medical education demonstrated improved learner engagement, learner satisfaction, and academic performance; however, a paucity of information exists on modifications of the incentive structure of "traditional" TBL practices. The current study investigates the impact of modification to conventional Group Application exercises by examining student preference and student perceptions of TBL outcomes when Group Application exercises are excluded from TBL grades. METHODS During the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years, 175 students (95.6% response rate) completed a 22-item multiple choice survey followed by 3 open response questions at the end of their second year of medical school. These students had participated in a TBL supplemented preclinical curriculum with graded Group Application exercises during year one and ungraded Group Application exercises during year two of medical school. RESULTS Chi-square analyses showed significant differences between grading categories for general assessment of TBL, participation and communication, intra-team discussion, inter-team discussion, student perceptions of their own effort and development of teamwork skills. Furthermore, 83.8% of students polled prefer ungraded Group Application exercises with only 7.2% preferring graded and 9.0% indicating no preference. CONCLUSION The use of ungraded Group Application exercises appears to be a successful modification of TBL, making it more "student-friendly" while maintaining the goals of active learning and development of teamwork skills.
The influence of ovarian sonication on fetal development in the rat.

This study was undertaken to determine whether sonication of the ovaries on day 8 of pregnancy would alter fetal development in the rat. Mating was confirmed by the presence of sperm (day 1 of gestation) in the vaginal smear, and the rats were grouped and treated on day 8 as follows: Group I (controls) had both ovaries surgically exposed to sonic gel for 10 min/ovary; group II received 10 watts/cm2 temporal peak intensity of pulsed ultrasound through the body wall for 10 min/ovary; group III received 100 watts/cm2 in a similar manner as group II; group IV was treated the same as group III except the ultrasound was applied directly to the surgically exposed ovaries. The frequency employed was 1.9 mHz. The animals were sacrificed on days 15–17, implantation sites and resorptions were counted, and fetal viability was determined. There were no statistically significant differences in the percentage of resorptions among any of the groups. The data indicated that the ovaries were functional with regard to fetal development.
Factors that affect skin aging: a cohort-based survey on twins.

Objective To identify environmental factors that correlate with skin photoaging, controlling for genetic susceptibility by using a questionnaire administered to twins. Design The survey collected information about each participant's Fitzpatrick type, history of skin cancer, smoking and drinking habits, and weight from a cohort of twins. Clinicians then assigned a clinical photodamage score to each participant. Setting The annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio. Participants A voluntary cohort of twins from the general community, mostly from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the northeastern United States. The survey was completed on a voluntary basis by sets of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. A total of 130 surveys taken by 65 complete twin pairs were analyzed. Main Outcome Measure Skin aging was assessed using a validated photographic scale of photodamage, graded by such characteristics as wrinkling and pigmentation change. Results Photodamage scores among twins of a pair, whether MZ or DZ, were highly correlated ( P = .92). Factors found to predict higher photodamage include history of skin cancer ( P P = .001), weight ( P = .02), and cigarette smoking ( P = .046). Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with lower photodamage scores ( P = .003). Conclusions The study of twins provides a unique opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility in order to elucidate environmental influences on skin aging. The relationships found between smoking, weight, sunscreen use, skin cancer, and photodamage in these twin pairs may help to motivate the reduction of risky behaviors.
Locating Regions of Maximum Chiral Discrimination: A Computational Study of Enantioselection on a Popular Chiral Stationary Phase Used in Chromatography

The concept of maintaining spatial congruence between substrate binding site and regions of greatest enantiodifferentiation to ensure efficient chiral recognition in host−guest chemistry is described in this paper. Regions of maximum chiral recognition were located by determining Boltzmann-weighted intermolecular energies of chiral probe molecules placed at well-defined grid points around a molecule and then evaluating the magnitude of (dis)similarity of interaction at each grid point. Sites having little or no energy differences between enantiomeric probes are nondiscriminatory while those of greatest energy difference correspond to regions of maximum chiral discrimination. Seven analyte molecules containing a diverse set of organic functional groups were evaluated when binding to permethylated β-cyclodextrin, a popular chiral stationary phase used in chromatography. The preferred binding site for host−guest association is the interior of the cyclodextrin, and the region of maximum discrimination is foun...
Pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease

This article reviews the mechanisms responsible for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), available techniques for diagnosis, and current medical management. In addition, it extensively discusses the surgical treatment of GERD, emphasizing the use of minimally invasive techniques.
Use of sequential extraction to evaluate the heavy metals in mining wastes

Lead-zinc mine tailings from the ‘old lead-belt’ in Missouri were chemically characterized using total chemical analysis and sequential extraction. These tailings have been considered as an inert and safe material for years. However, the levels of heavy metals in these tailings were found elevated with Pb values as high as 5000 ppm. The sequential extraction results indicated that the Pb was primarily found in the residual fraction and probably is in the PbS form. Some Pb was found in the oxide fraction. Cu, Zn, and Cd were found in several different fractions, but primarily in the residual fraction. Some Cu was found in the organic fraction. The Zn showed a wide variation between samples with high levels in the carbonate, oxide and residual fractions. Very little Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn was leached by water. The heavy metals in these tailings do appear to be in the more inert forms and should not be readily available to the environment unless there is an interaction of the tailings with acids, microorganisms or chelating materials. The breathing and ingestion of this material may provide such an environment for such interactions and these materials should still be considered dangerous and managed properly.
Polymorphism with selection and genotype-dependent migration

For a single autosomal locus with multiple alleles both an island and a multiple-niche model with discrete nonoverlapping generations are formulated for the maintenance of genetic variability. Both models incorporate viability selection in an arbitrary way and allow for genotypic differences in the pertinent migration structure. Random drift is ignored, and mating is at random. A global analysis is given for the island model in the neutral case. For a subdivided population, conditions are derived for the existence of a protected polymorphism, and the model is examined in some special two-niche cases. Of particular consideration is the loss of neutral alleles due solely to population regulation and genotype-dependent migration, and the possible existence of equilibrium clines without selection.
The effect of high-pressure gases on the solubility and crystallization of L-isoleucine

Abstract The effect of dissolved gases on the morphology and purity of L-isoleucine crystals obtained by cooling crystallization from aqueous solutions was studied. The system investigated consisted of L-isoleucine, containing small amounts of L-leucine and L-valine. The presence of high-pressure carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and freon-22 caused a decrease in the solubility of the amino acid by about 10%; whereas the solubility remained the same in the presence of high-pressure helium. The morphology of L-isoleucine crystals obtained by cooling crystallization of the solutions remained unchanged with or without the dissolved gases, as did the amount of the impurities present.