cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Revealing the Strain Effect on Radiation Response of Amorphous–Crystalline Cu-Zr Laminate

Nanocrystalline materials containing amorphous intergranular films (AIFs) exhibit excellent mechanical properties, radiation resistance, and thermal stability and may serve as promising candidate materials for use in advanced nuclear energy systems. The aim of this work is to reveal the effect of mechanical stress on the radiation damage behavior of AIF systems. Based on a bicrystal Cu system with Zr-doped AIFs, molecular dynamics is used to simulate the radiation process and examine the AIF sink efficiency, defect propensity, defect size distribution, and Zr mixing under uniaxial and hydrostatic strain conditions. The results show that the sink efficiency of the glue-like AIFs is not compromised under applied strains. The anisotropy resulting from the intrinsic microstructure and elastic deformation leads to a distinct radiation response, where extension (contraction) of the structure perpendicular to the AIFs increases (decreases) the vacancy density. The strain-dependent defect density, along with the cluster size distributions, can be interpreted based on the variations in the defect formation energy and anisotropic defect diffusion. Finally, the Zr mixing induced by collision cascades is found to be insensitive to the mechanical strains. These findings provide meaningful information towards understanding the stress effect on the radiation response of AIF systems.
Peripheral-to-central immune communication at the area postrema glial-barrier following bleomycin-induced sterile lung injury in adult rats.

Abstract The pathways for peripheral-to-central immune communication (P → C I-comm) following sterile lung injury (SLI) are unknown. SLI evokes systemic and central inflammation, which alters central respiratory control and viscerosensory transmission in the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS). These functional changes coincide with increased interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in the area postrema, a sensory circumventricular organ that connects P → C I-comm to brainstem circuits that control homeostasis. We hypothesize that IL-1β and its downstream transcriptional target, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), mediate P → C I-comm in the nTS. In a rodent model of SLI induced by intratracheal bleomycin (Bleo), the sigh frequency and duration of post-sigh apnea increased in Bleo- compared to saline- treated rats one week after injury. This SLI-dependent change in respiratory control occurred concurrently with augmented IL-1β and COX-2 immunoreactivity (IR) in the funiculus separans (FS), a barrier between the AP and the brainstem. At this barrier, increases in IL-1β and COX-2 IR were confined to processes that stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and that projected basolaterally to the nTS. Further, FS radial-glia did not express TNF-α or IL-6 following SLI. To test our hypothesis, we blocked central COX-1/2 activity by intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of Indomethacin (Ind). Continuous ICV Ind treatment prevented Bleo-dependent increases in GFAP + and IL-1β + IR, and restored characteristics of sighs that reset the rhythm. These data indicate that changes in sighs following SLI depend partially on activation of a central COX-dependent P → C I-comm via radial-glia of the FS.
A Fully Discrete Mixed Finite Element Method for the Stochastic Cahn–Hilliard Equation with Gradient-Type Multiplicative Noise

This paper develops and analyzes a fully discrete mixed finite element method for the stochastic Cahn–Hilliard equation with gradient-type multiplicative noise that is white in time and correlated in space. The stochastic Cahn–Hilliard equation is formally derived as a phase field formulation of the stochastically perturbed Hele–Shaw flow. The main result of this paper is to prove strong convergence with optimal rates for the proposed mixed finite element method. To overcome the difficulty caused by the low regularity in time of the solution to the stochastic Cahn–Hilliard equation, the Holder continuity in time with respect to various norms for the stochastic PDE solution is established, and it plays a crucial role in the error analysis. Numerical experiments are also provided to validate the theoretical results and to study the impact of noise on the Hele–Shaw flow as well as the interplay of the geometric evolution and gradient-type noise.
The Necessity of Intentionally Closed Spaces for LGBTQ Youth of Color

In this Dialogues essay, I argue that intentionally closed spaces provide important opportunities for LGBTQ youth of color to reflect on their experiences with racism without fear of judgement and without the expectation to educate white queer allies. Intentionally closed spaces are not antithetical to alliances and cooperative efforts; these spaces make it possible for LGBTQ youth of color to process shared experiences with exclusion, oppression, and trauma so that we can enter intersectional alliances feeling healed and more energized. The arguments I present here may be of interest to community leaders, K-12 and university educators, and students who are involved in the establishment and maintenance of spaces that support LGBTQ youth of color. En este ensayo Dialogues, planteo que los espacios cerrados a proposito brindan oportunidades importantes para que los jovenes LGBTQ racializados reflexionen sobre sus experiencias con el racismo sin temer de ser juzgados y sin la expectativa de educar a los aliados blancos queer. Los espacios cerrados a proposito no van en contra de las alianzas y los esfuerzos cooperativos, sino estos espacios hacen posible que los jovenes LGBTQ racializados puedan procesar experiencias compartidas como son la exclusion, la opresion, y el trauma. Asi podamos entrar en alianzas interseccionales sintiendonos sanados y con mas energia. Los argumentos que se les presentan en este articulo puedan ser de interes a lideres comunitarios, educadores a nivel K-12 y universitario, y estudiantes que estan creando y manteniendo espacios que apoyan a los jovenes LGBTQ racializados.
What Is the Survivorship After Hip Arthroscopy for Femoroacetabular Impingement? A Large-database Study.

BACKGROUND Patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) may experience lasting clinical improvement after hip arthroscopy; however, some patients will still eventually undergo early conversion to THA due to unresolved symptoms and progression of arthritis. However, the risk of this has been only incompletely characterized in prior studies. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES Using a large healthcare claims database over a 5-year period (2011-2016), we asked: (1) What is the survivorship free from THA after arthroscopic osteoplasty performed for FAI? (2) What identifiable demographic factors and patient characteristics are associated with early conversion to THA after hip arthroscopy performed for FAI? METHODS We included all patients who underwent hip arthroscopy for FAI, between the ages of 12 years and 63 years, with 3 months of claims data before hip arthroscopy and minimum 2-year follow-up. A total of 4730 hip arthroscopy patients from 2011 to 2014 were retrieved from a US commercial claims database. Hip arthroscopy incidence doubled over time from 1.2 to 2.1 persons per 100,000. Temporal trends, patient demographics, diagnoses at time of arthroscopy, and patient comorbidities were retrieved and logistic regression performed. Survivorship analysis on 11,323 patients (lifting the 2-year follow-up requirement) was also performed to identify independent variables associated with early risk of conversion to THA. RESULTS In patients undergoing hip arthroscopy for FAI, the overall proportion of conversion to THA within 2 years after hip arthroscopy was 7% (338 of 4730). After controlling for confounding variables such as sex, obesity, and depression, we found the following were independently associated with increased odds of conversion to THA: older age (odds ratio 1.08 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.10]; p < 0.001), osteoarthritis (OR 2.91 [95% CI 2.27 to 3.77]; p < 0.001), joint inflammation (OR 1.89 [95% CI 1.16 to 3.09]; p = 0.01), and a history of opioid use (OR 2.17 [95% CI 1.69 to 2.79]; p < 0.001). Survivorship analysis similarly revealed that older age (hazard ratio 1.08 [95% CI 1.07 to 1.09]; p < 0.001), osteoarthritis (HR 2.53 [95% CI 2.13 to 3.01]; p < 0.001), joint inflammation (HR 1.53 [95% CI 1.10 to 2.11]; p = 0.01), a history of opioid use (HR 2.02 [95% CI 1.71 to 2.38]; p < 0.001), and smoking (HR 1.55 [95% CI 1.14 to 2.11]; p = 0.005), were independently associated with increased odds of conversion to THA within 2 years after hip arthroscopy for FAI. CONCLUSIONS Although the findings of this study are limited and should not be taken in isolation, patients with FAI who are older, carry diagnoses of inflammatory or degenerative articular disease, or who use opioids or smoke should be counseled about a potentially increased risk of undergoing early conversion to THA after hip arthroscopy. Future studies to further examine the effect of these diagnoses in prospectively collected cohorts, incorporating radiographic and patient-reported outcome measures, are needed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III, prognostic study.
Model-based Trajectory Inference for Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Using Deep Learning with a Mixture Prior

Abstract Trajectory inference methods analyze thousands of cells from single-cell sequencing technologies and computationally infer their developmental trajectories. Though many tools have been developed for trajectory inference, most of them lack a coherent statistical model and reliable uncertainty quantification. In this paper, we present VITAE, a probabilistic method combining a latent hierarchical mixture model with variational autoencoders to infer trajectories from posterior approximations. VITAE is computationally scalable and can adjust for confounding covariates to integrate multiple datasets. We show that VITAE outperforms other state-of-the-art trajectory inference methods on both real and synthetic data under various trajectory topologies. We also apply VITAE to jointly analyze two single-cell RNA sequencing datasets on mouse neocortex. Our results suggest that VITAE can successfully uncover a shared developmental trajectory of the projection neurons and reliably order cells from both datasets along the inferred trajectory.
Utility of unilateral versus bilateral venous reflux studies for venous insufficiency.

ABSTRACT Objective Duplex ultrasonography is the reference standard for diagnosing chronic venous insufficiency. Bilateral venous reflux ultrasound studies are among the most time-consuming and physically demanding tests for vascular ultrasound technologists to perform. Furthermore, if a venous procedure is required, many insurance policies require that a diagnostic venous ultrasound scan for reflux must be performed within 1 year of the procedure. If the intervention is scheduled for >1 year after the ultrasound scan, the insurance company might require a repeat venous ultrasound scan before granting insurance authorization. Hence, ordering bilateral venous duplex ultrasound scans to evaluate for reflux when an intervention might only be performed on one limb within the year could be a waste of time and resources. The aim of the present study was to determine the utility of ordering bilateral vs unilateral studies to evaluate for reflux in patients with suspected chronic venous insufficiency and to determine whether a resource-saving potential exists for vascular laboratories through optimization of the process of ordering venous duplex ultrasound studies. Methods A retrospective review of all patients who had undergone bilateral lower extremity ultrasound scanning to evaluate for reflux from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016 at the Massachusetts General Hospital vascular laboratory was performed. The demographics, indications for ultrasound scanning, comorbidities, time required to perform the ultrasound study, and interval to intervention were documented. The data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Results During the study period, 13,854 ultrasound studies had been performed in our vascular laboratory, of which 606 (4.4%) had been bilateral ultrasound scans for venous insufficiency. The time allotted for a bilateral study was 2 hours. Of the 606 studies evaluated, 152 (25.1%) showed no evidence of reflux, 284 (46.9%) showed bilateral lower extremity reflux, and 170 (28.1%) showed only venous insufficiency in one leg. Venous ablation, phlebectomy, and/or sclerotherapy were performed for 28.7% of the patients. However only 6.2% of patients had undergone venous procedures on both legs within 1 year after the ultrasound studies. Ablation was the most common procedure performed (54.6%), followed by phlebectomy (27.%) and sclerotherapy (17.9%). Overall, 94.7% of patients had not undergone a venous procedure on both legs within 1 year after the ultrasound studies and, hence, would have required a repeat duplex ultrasound scan to ensure insurance coverage for future procedures. Conclusions Most bilateral ultrasound scans for venous insufficiency will not result in an intervention. Thus, most patients (95%) could have undergone a unilateral scan before the initial intervention instead of bilateral duplex ultrasound scanning.
Recognizing and Reducing the Impact of Trauma of Hospitalization: Considerations for Persons Who Use Drugs

Amidst the ongoing opioid crisis, the number of individuals with substance use disorders being hospitalized for acute medical illnesses has increased. There is now a growing recognition that these events may be psychologically traumatic, leading to the development of acute stress reactions, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Patients who use drugs may be particularly susceptible to being traumatized due to their underlying psychiatric comorbidities, prior trauma histories, inadequate treatment of the underlying substance use disorders, and stigmatization. Interventions such as early identification and screening, trauma-informed care, and specialized addiction services may help to mitigate the risks of trauma amongst this population. More research is needed to better guide hospitals to ensure people who use drugs receive optimal care.
The effect of topical ophthalmic proparacaine, fluorescein, and tropicamide on subsequent bacterial cultures in healthy dogs.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether tropicamide, fluorescein, and proparacaine applied topically before sample collection affect the quantity or species of bacteria isolated via aerobic culture. ANIMALS STUDIED 12 female adult research beagle cross-breed dogs. PROCEDURES A conjunctival swab was taken before and after the sequential application of proparacaine, tropicamide, and fluorescein to the same eye (P/T/F) with a five-minute gap between medications. Paired swabs were submitted for aerobic culture. Bacterial enumeration was performed using the spread plate method. Following a one-week washout period, the procedure was repeated using balanced salt solution (BSS). Following a second one-week washout period, the experiment was repeated using ofloxacin 0.3% solution. Colony counts were compared using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc comparison. Bacterial species reduction was compared using a Friedman rank test and Dunn's method. RESULTS The bacterial colony count for P/T/F and BSS was significantly higher than the ofloxacin group (p = 0.0052, p = 0.0022). There was no significant difference for colony counts between P/T/F and BSS (p = 0.9295). The most frequently isolated bacteria included: Psychrobacter spp., Staphylococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp., and Streptococcus spp. The bacterial species reduction for P/T/F and BSS was significantly lower than for ofloxacin (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0160). There was no significant difference for species reduction between P/T/F and BSS (p = 0.3749). CONCLUSIONS The application of proparacaine, tropicamide, and fluorescein did not significantly decrease the amount or species of bacteria isolated from the conjunctiva in this canine population. The application of these solutions prior to ocular swab collection in healthy dogs is unlikely to affect subsequent culture results.
An analytical framework for interpretable and generalizable single-cell data analysis.

The scaling of single-cell data exploratory analysis with the rapidly growing diversity and quantity of single-cell omics datasets demands more interpretable and robust data representation that is generalizable across datasets. Here, we have developed a ‘linearly interpretable’ framework that combines the interpretability and transferability of linear methods with the representational power of non-linear methods. Within this framework we introduce a data representation and visualization method, GraphDR, and a structure discovery method, StructDR, that unifies cluster, trajectory and surface estimation and enables their confidence set inference. A linearly interpretable framework for analyzing single-cell omics data improves data representation, visualization and structure discovery.
How Noncoding RNAs Contribute to Macrophage Polarization

Macrophages are an essential component of the innate immune response and adaptive immunity. These cells display a great deal of phenotypic plasticity in order to fulfill their diverse functions. The functional phenotypes of macrophage have been conceptually divided into two classes, namely the M1 and the M2 subtypes. The regulation of macrophage polarization has been extensively studied at the transcriptional, epigenetic, and translational levels and many critical protein mediators have been identified to take part in this cellular event. However, recent evidence indicates that a new type of molecule, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), plays a similarly important role in the differential activation of macrophages. This chapter includes a concise summary of the characterization and core protein mediators of macrophage polarization. Furthermore, it reviews in detail the biology of ncRNAs, including miRNAs and lncRNAs, and how they can participate in this process.
Automating annotation of information-giving for analysis of clinical conversation.

Objective Coding of clinical communication for fine-grained features such as speech acts has produced a substantial literature. However, annotation by humans is laborious and expensive, limiting application of these methods. We aimed to show that through machine learning, computers could code certain categories of speech acts with sufficient reliability to make useful distinctions among clinical encounters. Materials and methods The data were transcripts of 415 routine outpatient visits of HIV patients which had previously been coded for speech acts using the Generalized Medical Interaction Analysis System (GMIAS); 50 had also been coded for larger scale features using the Comprehensive Analysis of the Structure of Encounters System (CASES). We aggregated selected speech acts into information-giving and requesting, then trained the machine to automatically annotate using logistic regression classification. We evaluated reliability by per-speech act accuracy. We used multiple regression to predict patient reports of communication quality from post-visit surveys using the patient and provider information-giving to information-requesting ratio (briefly, information-giving ratio) and patient gender. Results Automated coding produces moderate reliability with human coding (accuracy 71.2%, κ=0.57), with high correlation between machine and human prediction of the information-giving ratio (r=0.96). The regression significantly predicted four of five patient-reported measures of communication quality (r=0.263–0.344). Discussion The information-giving ratio is a useful and intuitive measure for predicting patient perception of provider–patient communication quality. These predictions can be made with automated annotation, which is a practical option for studying large collections of clinical encounters with objectivity, consistency, and low cost, providing greater opportunity for training and reflection for care providers.
Constrained multi-objective optimization using steady state genetic algorithms

In this paper we propose two novel approaches for solving constrained multi-objective optimization problems using steady state GAs. These methods are intended for solving real-world application problems that have many constraints and very small feasible regions. One method called Objective Exchange Genetic Algorithm for Design Optimization (OEGADO) runs several GAs concurrently with each GA optimizing one objective and exchanging information about its objective with the others. The other method called Objective Switching Genetic Algorithm for Design Optimization (OSGADO) runs each objective sequentially with a common population for all objectives. Empirical results in benchmark and engineering design domains are presented. A comparison between our methods and Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II) shows that our methods performed better than NSGA-II for difficult problems and found Pareto-optimal solutions in fewer objective evaluations. The results suggest that our methods are better applicable for solving real-world application problems wherein the objective computation time is large.
Microbiological Study of Water-Softener Resins

Microbial identification using effluents backflushed from exhausted urban and rural tank resins and cleaned resins containing the sulfonated copolymer of styrene and divinylbenzene (SDB) were completed, along with microbial assessment of the concentrated stock salt brine. Forty-four different bacterial and fungal genera were identified. Extensive biochemical and animal virulence tests completed on one of the six bacterial salt brine isolates indicated a pathogenic staphylococcal strain. The retention of Staphylococcus aureus, a Flavobacterium sp, and Escherichia coli B bacteriophage was demonstrated both by using the nonexhausted sodium-regenerated resin and by using the same resin exchanged with different mono-, di-, and trivalent cations. Effluent counts completed after bacterial seepage through the resins indicated the Pb++ exchanged resin removed 55% of the bacteria; Na+, Fe++, and Al+++ removed 31 to 36% and Ca++ and Cu++ removed about 10 to 15%. Seventy per cent or more of the bacteriophage was removed by Fe++, Cu++, and Al+++, whereas the Ca++ and Na++ cations removed 25 to 31%. Over a 77-day period, nonsterile tap water was passed through bacterial seeded and uninoculated SDB (Na) resin columns. Effluent and resin elution counts demonstrated the growth and survival of 2 different bacteria per column. Increased bacterial retention, survival, and multiplication occurred concomitantly with accumulation of organic and inorganic materials and the Ca++ and Mg++ cations from the tap water. Furthermore, microbial elution from resin particles taken from column depths of 1, 8, and 16 cm indicated a bacterial diminution with increasing depths.
Ecological connectivity for a changing climate.

A frequently proposed strategy to reduce the negative effects of climate change on biological diversity is to increase ecological connectivity (Heller & Zavaleta 2009)— the flow of organisms and ecological processes across landscapes (Taylor et al. 1993). Traditionally, conservation professionals have sought to maintain or restore connectivity to ensure gene flow among isolated populations and promote recolonization of vacant patches (Hanski 1998). Given the rapid emergence of connectivity enhancement as a climate-change adaptation strategy, we considered whether connectivity should be emphasized in conservation strategies as global or regional temperatures increase and what principles for connectivity enhancement could be applied to maximize the usefulness of the strategy. The best historical analogue for the ongoing rise in global temperatures occurred 55 million years ago at the Paleocene and Eocene boundary, when the average global temperature rose 5–6 ◦C in 10,000–20,000 years (Wing et al. 2005). At that time, species’ ranges shifted and subtropical cypress swamps, complete with alligators, existed on Ellesmere Island in the Arctic (Estes & Hutchison 1980). A similar rise in temperature has been projected within the next 100–200 years (IPCC 2007), two orders of magnitude faster than previous warming events. Movements of some species, however, are now restricted by human-caused fragmentation and other barriers. The primary rationale for increasing connectivity is that if the effects of land-cover fragmentation can be mitigated, this should enhance the ability of species to move into new regions as climate changes (Fig. 1), thereby decreasing the probability of extirpation or extinction. Here, increasing connectivity refers to management actions that facilitate dispersal of species among natural areas, for example, through the establishment of landscape corridors or stepping-stone reserves or through actions that increase matrix permeability. Because funds
Review of the Steps for Designing an Instrument

The purpose of Chapter 8 is to synthesize all of the technical and methodological elements discussed throughout this book into a series of recommended guidelines. Throughout the chapter, the major development themes are highlighted in way that allows researchers to refer back to preceding chapters for more detailed explanations of the step at hand. This chapter also helps to alert the reader to many “application” challenges that are typically not addressed in theoretical discussions of instrument development and design. Important, but previously unaddressed practical topics such as formatting, writing survey directions, the inclusion of demographic information, as well as the process of piloting an instrument are discussed in this final section. Ultimately, this final chapter should serve as a summary of the “best practices” used by researchers concerned with developing the most effective and efficient instrument for measuring affective characteristics.
Fatal canicola fever with autopsy findings.

A fatal case of canicola fever in a six year old child is presented. The clinical laboratory and anatomic findings are briefly discussed. A brief review of the literature is made.
Switch-induced error voltage on a switched capacitor

A concise analytical expression for switch-induced error voltage on a switched capacitor is derived from the distributed MOSFET model. The result can be interpreted in terms of a simple lumped equivalent circuit. With this expression the dependence is investigated of the error voltage on process parameters and on switch turnoff rate, source resistance, and other circuit parameters. These results can be used to quickly predict the error voltage. The analytical expression is in close agreement with computer simulations and experiments.
Hormone replacement therapy in gynecologic cancer survivors: Why not?

Abstract Purpose As a result of treatment, many women with gynecologic malignancies will go through menopause and display climacteric symptoms at an earlier age than occurs naturally. Iatrogenic menopause may adversely affect quality of life and health outcomes in young female cancer survivors. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has often been withheld from women with gynecologic cancer because of concern that it might increase the risk of relapse or the development of new primary cancers. The purpose of this review was to examine the published literature on menopause management in gynecologic cancer survivors and highlight the risks and benefits of conventional and alternative HRT in this population. Methods A comprehensive literature search of English language studies on menopause management in gynecologic cancer survivors and women with a hereditary predisposition to a gynecologic malignancy was performed in MEDLINE databases through December 2010. Results Both our review and a 2008 Cochrane review of randomized trials on the effects of long-term HRT demonstrate that for menopausal women in their 40s or 50s with and without gynecologic cancer, the absolute risks of estrogen-only HRT are low. Several prospective observational studies and randomized trials on HRT use in women with a genetic predisposition for or development of a gynecologic malignancy suggest benefits in quality of life with no proven adverse oncologic effects as a result of short-term HRT use. Conclusion In select women, it is reasonable to discuss and offer conventional HRT for the amelioration of menopausal symptoms and to improve quality of life. HRT does not appear to increase the risk of gynecologic cancer recurrences; however, this conclusion was largely based on observational data and smaller prospective studies.
Plasma Levels of Atrial Natriuretic Peptides in Conscious Adult Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

The effects of acute volume expansion and acute salt loading on the plasma levels of immunoreactive atrial natriuretic peptides (ir-ANP's) were investigated in conscious adult (16 weeks) Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Basal plasma concentrations of ir-ANP's were similar (108 ± 9 pg/ml and 105 ± 8 pg/ml, respectively) in hypertensive and normotensive rats. In both strains mean, arterial pressure, heart rate and plasma catecholamines were, unaltered by acute volume expansion but significantly elevated by acute salt loading. However, both acute volume expansion and acute salt loading increased plasma concentrations of ir-ANP's, similarily in SHR and WKY rats, independent of blood pressure or plasma catecholamine levels. Our findings show that chronic hypertension in SHR does not result in changes in basal or VOL- and SAL-stimulated levels of circulating ir-ANP's.
Lead exposure during advanced age: alterations in kinetics and biochemical effects.

Abstract The transition from maturity to advanced age is accompanied by a multitude of degenerative processes, several of which could be hypothesized to enhance the vulnerability of animals to the toxic effects of lead (Pb). That premise was examined in this study which evaluated kinetic and biochemical responses of young (21 day old), adult (8 months), and old rats (16 months) exposed to 0, 2, or 10 mg Pb acetate/kg/day for a period of 9.5 months. Results indicated an enhanced vulnerability to Pb in older rats which may be due both to increased Pb exposure as a result of elevated soft tissue target organ levels and to a greater sensitivity to the biochemical effects of Pb. Differences in the tissue distribution of Pb with age included lower bone levels, but increased concentrations in brain, liver, and kidney. These effects did not appear to reflect enhanced Pb uptake from the GI tract with age since differences in blood Pb levels over the course of exposure were not remarkable. Instead, they may be due to changes in bone physiology with age, combined with altered patterns of urinary Pb excretion over time. Biochemical effects of Pb, as manifested by elevation of erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin and urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid excretion occurred earlier in the course of exposure (3 months) in older rats than in young rats (9.5 months of exposure). Grossly enlarged spleens were noted only in old rats exposed to Pb. These findings raise questions and concerns about the contributions of a lifetime of lead exposure to the deteriorating health conditions associated with old age.
When the Mood Hits Your Eye: Interactive Effects of Cognition and Affect on Creativity

Building on cognitive tuning theory, we test a model connecting employees’ positive and negative affect and creative self-efficacy with supervisor-rated creative performance. Based on data obtained from 459 subordinate-supervisor dyads from a large organization in China, we demonstrate that creative self-efficacy has a positive influence on employees’ creativity when employees experience both low levels of positive affect and high levels of negative affect. Building on these results, we call for more research examining the interplay between affective and cognitive influences on employees’ creative performance.
BRAF V600E Mutation and Papillary Thyroid Cancer—In Reply

In Reply I disagree with Dr Ciarrocchi and colleagues that BRAF V600E has no role in the aggressiveness of PTC because of its dependence on tumor behaviors, including local and distant metastases and invasion. It is clear that PTC would not cause patient death without aggressive tumor behaviors. Our study demonstrated a strong synergism between BRAF V600E and aggressive clinicopathological behaviors, as reflected by the strong synergy indices and the fact that the association of mortality with BRAF V600E or clinicopathological behavior alone was only moderate but increased when the 2 were considered jointly. Thus, BRAF V600E does have a significant association with mortality, which likely occurs through promoting aggressive tumor behaviors and would be misleadingly lost using conventional multivariable models. Further efforts are needed to define how to specifically use the prognostic value of BRAF V600E clinically. Some studies have not shown an association of BRAF V600E with aggressive behaviors of PTC. However, most have, as shown in large meta-analyses.1,2 Many factors could bias the conclusion about the prognostic value of BRAF V600E. For example, in a large study of 631 patients with PTC that failed to show an association of aggressiveness of PTC with BRAF V600E,3 many patients (41.5%) had only partial thyroidectomy, making thorough pathological characterization difficult. In addition, the majority of the patients in this study did not receive radioiodine ablation, potentially masking an effect of BRAF V600E on clinical outcomes given that BRAF mutation-negative PTC is more sensitive to radioiodine ablation.1,2 Ciarrocchi and colleagues' statement that a previous study4 showing no aggressive role of BRAF V600E in PTC confirms our study is incorrect. However, the 2 studies are not comparable; the former was a single institution study focused on a small number of highly selected cases and the latter was a large multicenter study of consecutive cases. The study by Sancisi et al4 selected patients with distant metastases who only had well-differentiated primary cancer; cases of PTC with distant metastases and high-grade disease or poorly differentiated or undifferentiated components were excluded. This biased case selection misrepresents the real metastatic behaviors of PTC, in which cases with high-grade disease or aggressive pathological components tend to metastasize distantly. This exclusion criterion is problematic, particularly when the role of BRAF V600E is studied because the BRAF mutation promotes dedifferentiation of PTC.5 It is also unclear whether the control patients were matched with respect to factors that may potentially affect BRAF V600E. For example, only the mean age of patients and the mean and range of the follow-up time were provided, without detailed informationonpatientagedistributionandthechronologicaltime of recruitment. This is an important issue because BRAF V600E displays a lower prevalence in younger vs older patients and in patients treated earlier compared with more recently.6
Healing of vulvo-vaginal radionecrosis following revascularization

Abstract Background Invasive cancers of the vagina and vulva are treated with radiation-based therapy when proximity of the bladder and/or rectum precludes conservative surgical resection. Patient factors affect non-malignant tissue tolerance to radiation exposure. Case A smoker with atherosclerotic disease developed tissue necrosis and the worsening of claudication after chemoradiation treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva and vagina. Healing occurred after surgical revascularization. Conclusion Conditions with impaired microvasculature, such as smoking and atherosclerotic disease, are associated with an increased incidence and severity of complications after radiation treatment. Patients undergoing pelvic radiation treatment should be counseled to modify their vascular risk factors. If this fails and patients develop significant radiation necrosis due to compromised arteriole flow, revascularization or stenting may offer important treatment options.
Amphetamine stimulation of glutaminase is blocked by neuroleptics

Abstract The ability of several classes of neuroleptics to inhibit the activity of phosphate-activated glutaminase was studied in several brain regions. These agents decreased glutaminase activity only in the amygdala. Amphetamine elevated glutaminase activity in this region. This stimulation was not blocked by (−) butaclamol, but was blocked by (+) butaclamol, haloperidol, chlorpromazine or clozapine.
Shear rheology of asymmetric star polymers

Asymmetric stars provide a challenging test of the tube model, which has been successfully applied to both linear chains and symmetric star polymers. Previous work has shown that the tube model can be applied with some success to asymmetric stars in the linear viscoelastic regime. This work considers asymmetric polybutadiene stars in the nonlinear regime, where the shear flow plays a significant role in the response of the asymmetric star. In the nonlinear regime it is expected that convective constraint release will be the dominant relaxation mechanism for the asymmetric star polymers, as has been demonstrated for linear and symmetric star polymers. By using two-color flow birefringence, the shear stress and first normal stress difference as a function of shear rate for entangled asymmetric stars can be determined. The experimental results are then compared with a tube-based model that includes convective constraint release and are found to be in reasonable agreement.
A framework for multimodal sensing in heterogeneous and multimedia wireless sensor networks

The availability and diffusion of wireless sensor nodes, personal communication devices (e.g., smartphones), as well as application-specific devices (e.g., surveillance cameras) has changed the typical sensing application scenarios where data are collected from the environment for the purpose of monitoring a phenomenon and detecting events. The combination of highly heterogeneous devices, in terms of sensing, processing, and communication capabilities, has become a key feature to collaborative, distributed, and multimodal sensing applications. However, the heterogeneity of devices also raises a number of challenges for the application developers. In this paper, we present a general software framework for heterogeneous and multimedia wireless sensor networks. The framework abstracts from the individual sensing devices and platforms, and enables collaborative and distributed sensing applications. We present a reference application scenario represented by Assisted Living Environments (ALEs).We show the potential of our proposed framework by a preliminary testbed implementation consisting in a multimodal application for fall detection of elderly people.
'La douce indifférence' and mood in anorexia nervosa: neuropsychological correlates.

Abstract Casper, Regina C. and Wendy Heller: ‘La Douce Indifference’ and Mood in Anorexia Nervosa: Neuropsychological Correlates. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1991, 15 : 15–23. 1. 1. Denial of illness, mood, eating attitudes, and the responses to visual-constructive tasks were assessed in eight right-handed female patients with restricting anorexia nervosa during the acute phase and following weight gain. 2. 2. A lower body weight and more pronounced anorectic symptomatology were associated with increased left hemispheric activation. 3. 3. Weight gain, greater awareness of negative affect, and overestimation of body parts were correlated with an increase in right hemispheric activation. 4. 4. The results suggest a relationship between anorectic symptomatology and asymmetric brain activation.
Titanium and Fluoride Concentrations in Titanium Tetrafluoride and APF Treated Enamel

Greater fluoride concentrations were obtained in enamel treated with phosphate/fluoride solutions than in that treated with TiF4 at similar pH's (1.0) and F concentrations (0.6M F and 1.6M F). However, fluoride solution without added phosphate at pH 1.0 and 1.6M F concentration produced lower fluoride concentrations in enamel than in TiF4 treated enamel. It is proposed that in TiF4 treated enamel the fluoride uptake may be dependent upon the amount of Ti introduced into the enamel.
Self-intersection local times of additive processes: Large deviation and law of the iterated logarithm

Abstract Recently, we studied the large deviations for the local times of additive stable processes. In this work, we investigate the upper tail behaviors of the self-intersection local times of additive stable processes. Let X 1 ( t ) , … , X p ( t ) be independent, d -dimensional symmetric stable processes with stable index 0 α ≤ 2 and consider the additive stable process X ¯ ( t 1 , … , t p ) = X 1 ( t 1 ) + ⋯ + X p ( t p ) . Under the condition d α p , we compute large deviation probabilities for the self-intersection local time ∫ ∫ [ 0 , 1 ] p × [ 0 , 1 ] p δ 0 ( X ¯ ( r 1 , … , r p ) − X ¯ ( s 1 , … , s p ) ) d r 1 d s 1 ⋯ d r p d s p run by the multi-parameter field X ¯ ( t 1 , … , t p ) . Our theorem applies to the law of the iterated logarithm and our approach relies on Fourier analysis, moment computation, time exponentiation and some general methods developed along the lines of probability in Banach space.
Homovanillic Acid in the Cerebrospinal Fluid: Patterns of Response After Four Weeks of Neuroleptic Treatment

Lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) homovanillic acid (HVA) concentrations were measured before and after 4 weeks of neuroleptic treatment in schizophrenic (n = 15) and schizoaffective (n = 4) patients. Neuroleptic treatment induced a nonsignificant (17%) increase in CSF HVA group mean levels. For the total group, no correlations were found between pretreatment CSF HVA and clinical measures, or between changes in HVA and clinical response. An alternative interpretation was attempted by defining "tolerant" and "nontolerant" subgroups. A "tolerant" response was defined as a reduction in posttreatment HVA values below pretreatment levels, whereas a "nontolerant" response was characterized by posttreatment values above pretreatment levels. When thus defined, nontolerant patients had a significantly inferior clinical response to neuroleptics, in contrast to their tolerant counterparts. Further, although there was no difference in pretreatment CSF HVA values between these two groups, pretreatment clinical profiles did differ significantly. Also, in a retrospective analysis, nontolerant patients were found to have a significantly earlier age of illness onset, a greater number of prior psychiatric hospitalizations, and more time spent in psychiatric hospitals.
Ionophorous properties of the 13 000-Da fragment from sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase

Abstract The 25 000-Da tryptic fragment from rabbit muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ )-ATPase was subjected to cyanogen bromide digestion, and the four fragments isolated. Only the 13 000-Da fragment induced ionophorous activity in planar thin lipid membranes made with 5:1 (w/w) phosphatidylcholine/cholesterol in decane. The membranes became cation selective, with a selectivity sequence among divalent of Mn 2+ > Ca 2+ > Ba 2+ > Sr 2+ > Mg 2+ . This is different from that of the 25 000-Da fragment (A.E. Shamoo, 1978, J. Memb. Biol. 43, 227–242), it's ‘parent’ 55 000-Da fragment, and the intact enzyme, all of which have the same selectivity sequence. The inhibitory effects of Hg 2+ , Cd 2+ and Zn 2+ were also examined. All were inhibitory, with Zn 2+ being the most effective of these. The heavy-metal-induced inhibition of Ca 2+ conductance could be reversed by selective chelation of the heavy metals by EDTA. From changes in the selectivity as well as changes in heavy-metal-induced inhibition behavior, we conclude that the ion transport site of the 13 000-Da fragment may not be the same site as that of the parent fragment. It is either a different site altogether or has been physically modified by peptide cleavage.
Designing Cyberian Landscapes

New information and communications technologies are rapidly changing work practices and work sites throughout the world. In the development of these technologies, the perspectives and concerns of workers need to be heard. Work-oriented design, based on field studies, can contribute to technologies that provide improved opportunities and conditions for workers. In so doing, however, work-oriented design necessarily confronts the reality of power struggles over the design of work.
Coping with Instant Messaging Worms - Statistical Modeling and Analysis

Due to the real time nature and presence information of instant messaging (IM) system, worms spread over IM networks more rapidly than Internet/E-mail worms. Modeling is an indispensable process for coping with them. Most of existing worm modeling techniques are based on deterministic biological epidemiology. Epidemic models only capture the expected worm behavior quantitatively and may not be adequate to model the early phase of worm propagation when the number of infected hosts is small. In this paper, we present a statistical branching process for modeling IM worms. By introducing stochastic variables for user response time in IM worm modeling, we are able to conduct more accurate and sophisticated analysis of worm's behaviors, especially for the early phase of worm propagation. The analysis provides a guideline on how to defend against IM worms.
Sea ice properties in the Bohai Sea measured by MODIS-Aqua: 2. Study of sea ice seasonal and interannual variability

Abstract During the 2009–2010 winter, the Bohai Sea experienced its most severe sea ice event in four decades, which caused significant economic losses, affected marine transportation and fishery, and impacted the entire marine ecosystem in the region. Measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite from 2002 to 2010 and surface atmosphere temperature (SAT) data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) are used to study and quantify the extreme sea ice event in the 2009–2010 winter and the interannual variability of the regional sea ice properties, as well as the relationship between sea ice and the climate variability in the Bohai Sea. The mean sea ice reflectance from MODIS-Aqua visible and near-infrared wavelengths are 9.33%, 13.26%, and 12.60% in the months of December 2009, January 2010, and February 2010, respectively, compared with the monthly average sea ice reflectance values (from 2002 to 2010) of 9.35%, 11.21%, and 11.41% in the same three winter months. The sea ice monthly average coverages are ~ 5427, ~ 27,414, and ~ 21,156 km 2 in these three winter months. These values are significantly higher than the averages of monthly sea ice coverage of ~ 2735, ~ 11,119, and ~ 10,287 km 2 in the Bohai Sea in December, January, and February between 2002 and 2010. Most of the sea ice coverage was located in the northern Bohai Sea. Both the intra-seasonal and interannual sea ice variability in the Bohai Sea is found to be related closely to SAT. The mechanism of anomalous SAT and intense sea ice severity are also discussed and attributed to large-scale climate changes due to the variability of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Siberian High (SH).
Damping functions in the effective fragment potential method

This work presents the implementation and analysis of several damping functions for Coulomb, induction, and dispersion interactions within the framework of the general effective fragment potential (EFP) method. Damping is necessary to obtain the correct asymptotic short-range behavior of these interactions. Correctly chosen damping functions allow a balanced description of different parts of intermolecular potential energy surfaces and improve the accuracy of predicted intermolecular distances and binding energies. The performance of different damping functions is tested by comparing the EFP energy terms with the symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) energy terms in a range of intermolecular separations for ten molecular dimers. The total EFP binding energies in these dimers were compared with the binding energies obtained from SAPT and coupled cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)]. A formula for electrostatic damping that was derived from first principles...