cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the use of cyberinfrastructure in the classroom to enhance product dissection

*Recent cyberinfrastructure initiatives seek to create ubiquitous, comprehensive, interactive, and functionally complete digital environments that consist of people, data, information, tools, and instruments for research communities. With product dissection as our unifying theme, we are forging a cyberinfrastructure to support undergraduate design engineering education through CIBER-U: Cyber-InfrastructureBased Engineering Repositories for Undergraduates. CIBERU pairs two of the nation’s leading design repository developers with several active users and their students to realize a high-impact application of cyberinfrastructure in engineering undergraduate curricula involving freshmen through seniors. Specifically, CIBER-U combines product dissection activities at three universities with two digital design repositories, CAD modeling and animation, video, MediaWiki technology, multimedia, and undergraduate summer research experiences to enable cyberinfrastructure-based product dissection activities. Nearly 700 students have participated in the Phase I efforts of CIBER-U, which have focused primarily on generating, capturing, and storing data in two digital design repositories. Lessons learned from these efforts are presented from the students’ perspectives as well as that of the faculty in both engineering and computer science. The implications for implementing CIBER-U on a national scale are discussed along with ongoing research.
Cost of temperature history data uncertainties in short term electric load forecasting

Short-term load forecasting has received a lot of attention from both researchers and practitioners. Many techniques, such as neural networks, fuzzy logic, and time series models, are developed to improve the modeling and forecasting process with varying success. Some research has also been devoted to improving the weather forecast or relieving the impact of uncertainties in the weather forecast. Nowadays, the quality of load and weather data history becomes a bottleneck of enhancing the forecast accuracy. With the emerging Smart Grid initiatives, the utilities have the opportunities to upgrade their infrastructure, which includes the advanced metering systems. These upgrades will potentially lead to a high quality load history in the near future. On the other hand, quality of weather history has been a concern of the small and medium sized utilities. This paper presents a recent study for a medium sized utility in eastern US. Multiple linear regression, which is currently deployed in this utility, is used to generate the base forecast in this paper. A Monte Carlo based methodology is proposed to quantify the cost of the data uncertainties in the temperature history. Finally, a cost-benefit analysis is performed to help the utilities decide how many weather stations should be installed.
Healthy Cartoons?: A Content Analysis of Foods in Children's Animated Television Programs

Studies have found consistently that children's television has negative health consequences for children. However, the adverse effects have been attributed to the physical passivity inherent in watching television and to the commercials for foods of low nutritional quality, not to the content of the programs themselves. This article describes a content analysis of the food references in children's cartoons from three cable and two broadcast networks. In contrast to the nutritional quality of foods typically referenced in the commercials aired during such shows, the foods referenced within the children's programs were of notably higher nutritional quality, particularly with respect to fruits and vegetables. Because digital video recorders (DVRs) enable viewers to skip television commercials more easily than when using older technology, these results suggest that children may see more positive nutritional messages if adults use DVRs to supervise their viewing of children's television programs.
YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ superconductor microbolometer arrays fabricated by silicon micromachining

Linear arrays of YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ transition edge microbolometers have been fabricated on silicon substrates using silicon micromachining to produce microbolometer structures with good thermal isolation. These bolometers, which are 85 mu m*115 mu m*1 mu m, have a noise equivalent power (NEP) of 9*10/sup -13/ W/Hz/sup 1/2/. (neglecting contact noise) and a thermal time constant of 24 ms. With contact noise, the NEP is 9*10/sup -12/ W/Hz/sup 1/2/. This performance indicates that a 2-D staring focal plane array of superconductor microbolometers could have a performance comparable to that of HgCdTe staring arrays without further improvements in the sharpness of the superconducting transition or reductions in the YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7/ electrical noise. The use of silicon processing technology to fabricate the superconductor microbolometers results in a significant cost advantage over HgCdTe, and there is no long wavelength cutoff dependence in the sensitivity of a superconductor microbolometer. >
Southern Ocean evidence for reduced export of North Atlantic Deep Water during Heinrich Event 1

Deep-sea corals form unique, high-resolution archives of ocean circulation that can be dated using the decay of uranium to thorium. They are abundant in the Southern Ocean, and can provide unprecedented insights into ocean circulation and ocean chemistry on sub-millennial time scales in areas where application of traditional paleoceanographic proxies is difficult. Here we present the first coupled neodymium (Nd) isotope and radiocarbon data from deep-sea corals in the Drake Passage (Southern Ocean) adding new constraints on ocean circulation during the last Heinrich event (H1; 16.7 ka). The modern-day Drake Passage water column is homogeneous with respect to Nd isotopes (expressed in epsilon units, ϵNd). Its isotopic value of close to −9 is largely controlled by the mixture of North Atlantic Deep Water and Pacific Deep Water. The aragonite of modern Drake Passage corals reflects this water-column value, whereas a fossil coral from H1 is significantly higher at −6.4 ± 0.4. We interpret this ~2.5 ϵ unit shift as a reduction in the influence of North Atlantic–sourced Nd in the Southern Ocean during H1. This interpretation is supported by a series of radiocarbon analyses on the same sample, and is consistent with a twofold or greater reduction in export of North Atlantic waters from the Atlantic Basin. Combining analyses of radiocarbon and Nd isotopes on U-series dated deep-sea coral skeletons holds great potential for quantification of past ocean ventilation rates.
Far infared spectra and barriers to internal rotation of five halogenated ethanes

Abstract Low-frequency vibrational studies are reported for five halogenated ethane molecules; CF 3 CF 2 Cl, CF 3 CF 2 H, CF 3 CH 2 Br, CH 3 CF 2 Cl, and CF 2 ClCF 2 Cl. All compounds were studied in the far infrared region as a gas and in addition, the compound CF 2 ClCF 2 Cl was studied in the Raman spectrum as a liquid. In each case the torsional transition is identified and the barriers to internal rotation are calculated. This investigation represents the first direct observation of the fundamental torsional transition in the gas phase, and the barriers calculated therefore represent a considerable improvement over those previously reported, especially for the first four compounds listed. In addition, the far infrared spectra allowed more fundamental frequencies to be observed and consequently a more complete vibrational assignment is possible. A complete assignment is proposed for the molecule CF 3 CF 2 Cl.
In vivo responses of the primate corpus luteum to luteinizing hormone and chorionic gonadotropin

Although it is well established that the secretory activity of the corpus luteum absolutely depends on the presence of pituitary-derived luteinizing hormone (LH), it is unknown why the life span of the corpus luteum is extended during early pregnancy by the placental production of chorionic gonadotropin (CG) but regresses in the presence of LH despite the fact that CG and LH have similar actions on the corpus luteum. To compare the responses of the corpus luteum to LH and human CG (hCG), cynomolgus monkeys whose endogenous gonadotropin secretion was blocked during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist were i.v. infused with either LH or CG. Infusion of LH at a constant rate overcame the gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist-mediated premature luteal regression but failed to prolong the functional life span of the corpus luteum. Continuous infusions of hCG did not effect a pregnancy-like pattern of gonadotropin secretion, but the functional life span of the corpus luteun was extended in two of three animals. Infusion of either LH or hCG in an exponentially increasing manner prolonged the functional life span of the corpus luteum beyond its normal duration. These results indicate that luteal regression at the termination of nonfertile menstrual cycles is caused by a large reduction in the responsiveness of the aging corpus luteum to LH, which can be overcome by elevated concentrations of either LH or CG.
Sense of Need for Financial Support and Respite Services among Informal Caregivers of Older Americans

ABSTRACT Financial support and respite services are two of the most frequently reported types of help that caregivers of older adults need. Using an expanded health behavioral model, this study examined the effects of predisposing, enabling, and needs factors on caregivers' sense of need for these two types help. Data were drawn from the 1999 National Long-Term Care Survey and included 1,058 caregiving dyads in the community. The results indicated that caregiver-related factors more than care recipient–related factors affected caregivers' sense of need to seek both types of help. The findings direct to two important implications for long-term care policy for and practice with older adults: improvement of service for caregivers and service delivery systems.
A new species of Batomys (Muridae, Rodentia) from southern Luzon Island, Philippines

Abstract We describe a new species of Batomys from Mt. Isarog, southern Luzon. Morphological and genetic studies of newly obtained specimens of Batomys granti from the type locality on Mt. Data and other high mountains in the Central Cordillera of northern Luzon, and previously referred specimens from Mt. Isarog on the southern peninsula of Luzon, support the separation of the population from Mt. Isarog as a distinct species that is sister to B. granti and demonstrate the existence of B. granti as a widespread species in the Cordillera. The new species occurs only in montane and mossy forest from 1350 m to 1800 m, and is separated from the nearest known population of B. granti by about 450 km. Limited ecological data indicate that it is a nocturnal herbivore. Recognition of this species raises the number of native murid species on Luzon to 44, and the number of species in the endemic Philippine cloud-rat clade to 18. The new species occurs within a national park that is not currently under threat.
The impact of marital quality, divorce, and remarriage on the relationships between parents and their children

SUMMARY This paper examines data from a panel study on the long-term effects of parental marital quality and divorce on relationships between parents and adult children. Attention is focused on whether these effects vary by age and gender of child as well as the theoretical explanations linking mother-father and parent-child relations. The relational quality between adult children (18-31 years old) and both mothers and fathers is examined from the perspective of both children and parents. Among intact families, parental marital quality has long-term effects on father-child relations, regardless of gender, whereas short-term effects are characteristic of mother-child relations and only perceived by mothers. Further, although divorce without remarriage hurts sons' relationships with both fathers and mothers, it hurts father-daughter relations even more. Mother-daughter bonds appear to be improved by divorce, with declines in income explaining a large portion of the tendency for divorce to affect father-chil...
Diel Activity in the Yellow Bullhead

Abstract Twelve adult yellow bullheads (Ictalurus natalis) were tested individually in an electronic shuttlebox device (Ichthyotron) to determine their diel activity pattern. Activity, monitored by photocells, was quantified as the bullheads shuttled between the chambers of the device. Data for 3-day tests on all 12 fish were pooled and expressed as hourly percentages of total activity during 24-h periods (12 h light, 12 h dark). Eighty percent of all activity occurred during the dark period, indicating a nocturnal activity pattern similar to that of brown bullheads (I. nebulosus) and black bullheads (I. melas).
The trade balance and real exchange rate under currency substitution

Abstract It is demonstrated that the Calvo and Rodriguez (1977) results hold up in a utility maximizing model, contrary to the claim of Liviatan (1981). It is argued that Liviatan's conclusions are based on a mistaken assumption. Having rescued Calvo-Rodriguez from Liviatan, it is then shown that the Calvo-Rodriguez results are dependent on two special assumptions—that there is only one foreign asset traded and its real return is zero. The paper also shows that there is an avenue for foreign inflation transmission under perfectly floating exchange rates even when goods prices are perfectly flexible. However, the direction of response of real variables is in general ambiguous.
Testing multiple equation systems for common nonlinear components

This paper provides a generalized method of moments test for common nonlinear components in multiple time series. The test statistic is presented in terms of the canonical correlations between the multiple series and a judicially chosen set of test regressors, and its performance in small samples is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations. Two applications highlight the usefulness of this test in multivariate modelling. The first shows that the asymmetries which characterize the US and Canadian business cycles can be attributed to a common nonlinear factor, while the second shows that a single nonlinear factor can account for neglected nonlinearity in an empirical real business cycle model. Each of the implied nonlinear factor models shows potential for forecasting.
Gattermann Synthesis of Aldehydes

THE observation was made recently that hydrogen cyanide promotes the growth of certain fungi1, which indicates the increased activity of the enzymes present in such circumstances. Earlier findings, on the other hand, had had some bearing on the mechanism of the mixed Cannizzaro reaction2. Investigations are now being carried out in this laboratory, in an attempt to contribute toward the elucidation of the mechanism of the, Gattermann synthesis of aldehydes3.
Precision-Based Robot Kinematics Design for Microassembly Applications

The kinematics of a robotic manipulator, including the type of joints, actuators, and other geometric parameters significantly affects its precision (or positioning uncertainty) at the end-effector. Modeling and prediction of these uncertainties can provide useful insight and serve as design guidelines for precision manipulators that are used in micro and nanomanufacturing. Of particular interest are micro scale assembly scenarios where the tolerance budgets are stringent and precision requirements are high, but there is little space for extensive sensor feedback due to a small work volume. In this paper, we investigate the effect of parametric uncertainties in a serial robot chain on overall positioning uncertainty at the end-effector. Two types of errors are considered: static errors due to misalignment and link parameter uncertainties, and dynamic errors due to inaccurate motion of individual links. Using uncertainty metrics we compare the precision of several different robot kinematic chain configurations.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Analgesic Efficacy of Zomepirac Sodium in Patients with Pain Due to Cancer

In a single-dose, a double-blind crossover study in 40 patients with chronic pain due to advanced cancer, zomepirac sodium (Zomax), a new, single-entity, non-narcotic analgesic, was compared to oxycodone with APC (Percodan) and placebo. Both a verbal and a curvilinear visual analog scale were used in the study, and the results obtained were comparable. Zomepirac sodium, 100 mg, provided analgesia equal to oxycodone with APC in all assessments of pain intensity and pain relief. The analgesic activity of zomepirac sodium was apparent by 1 hour, reached a peak between 3 and 4 hours after administration, and lasted at least 6 hours. Zomepirac sodium, 100 mg, appears to be an acceptable alternative to narcotic combinations such as oxycodone with APC in the management of moderate to severe cancer pain. The visual analog scale presented appears to be useful in the evaluation of analgesic efficacy and appears to be acceptable as an alternative to the more conventional verbal scale.
Fraud in radiologic research.

Research fraud is nothing new. Altering data to fit hypotheses has a long, largely unrecognized history. Modern analyses have shown that respectable figures from the archives of science, such as Galileo, Mendel, and Newton, improved their results by various manipulations that do not meet contemporary standards of accurate reporting. Wholesale invention of data also has occurred in the remote as well as the recent past. Broad and Wade [1 ] detail these and a host of other examples of the failure of science to live up to its ideals of truth and objectivity. One’s reaction on reading about these major and minor cases of misrepresentation or fraud is to think, “It can’t happen here.” But indeed it has happened in radiology, just as it has in other biomedical fields. The following case report concerns a person who is well known in radiology, but I have chosen to call him “Dr. A” in order to emphasize the general aspects of the problem rather than focus on issues specific to this case.
Reason and reaction: The utility of a dual‐focus, dual‐processing perspective on promotion and prevention of adolescent health risk behaviour

Purpose A brief overview of theories of health behaviour that are based on the expectancy-value perspective is presented. This approach maintains that health behaviours are the result of a deliberative decision-making process that involves consideration of behavioural options along with anticipated outcomes associated with those options. It is argued that this perspective is effective at explaining and predicting many types of health behaviour, including health-promoting actions (e.g. UV protection, condom use, smoking cessation), but less effective at predicting risky health behaviours, such as unprotected, casual sex, drunk driving or binge drinking. These are behaviours that are less reasoned or premeditated - especially among adolescents. An argument is made for incorporating elements of dual-processing theories in an effort to improve the 'utility' of these models. Specifically, it is suggested that adolescent health behaviour involves both analytic and heuristic processing. Both types of processing are incorporated in the prototype-willingness (prototype) model, which is described in some detail. Methods Studies of health behaviour based on the expectancy-value perspective (e.g. theory of reasoned action) are reviewed, along with studies based on the prototype model. Results These two sets of studies together suggest that the dual-processing perspective, in general, and the prototype model, in particular, add to the predictive validity of expectancy-value models for predicting adolescent health behaviour. Conclusion Research and interventions that incorporate elements of dual-processing and elements of expectancy-value are more effective at explaining and changing adolescent health behaviour than are those based on expectancy-value theories alone. Language: en
TRAUMATIC LOWER EXTREMITY AMPUTATIONS CAUSE DISTURBED BLOOD FLOW IN THE INFRARENAL AORTA LEADING TO ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURISMS

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. The most common place of AAA is infrarenal abdominal aorta where oscillatory shear stress (OSS) is present. OSS is known to initiate inflammatory endothelial response. Patients with lower extremity traumatic
Molecular genetics and physiology of alcohol dehydrogenase in woody plants

Abstract Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is an enzyme that plays a central role in the anaerobic metabolism of plants. In herbaceous and woody plants, ADH activity occurs in root apices and in germinating seeds. In trees, ADH activity also occurs in leaves and in stems, and it is particularly high in the vascular cambium, a site of ethanol synthesis. We are investigating the biochemical properties and physiological functions of ADH in trees, as well as the environmental and developmental circumstances in which ADH is expressed. ADH genes from a number of herbaceous angiosperms have been isolated and characterized, and specific DNA sequences have been implicated in regulating ADH gene expression. This information provides a good foundation from which we are beginning to characterize the regulation of ADH genes in hardwoods and conifers. The ability to manipulate ADH genes using molecular technology will facilitate detailed explorations of the unusual physiology and biochemistry of ADH expression in woody plants. Such experiments are especially important in trees because of the apparently widespread occurrence of hypoxic conditions in their tissues.
Observation of optically excited mechanical vibrations in a fluid containing microresonator

We experimentally show mechanical vibrations that are excited by radiation pressure in a fluid containing silica resonator. Vibrations at rates from 8 to 140 MHz are measured while liquid or gas is inside the resonator.
A scanning tunneling microscopy study of the oxidation of CO on Cu(110) at 400 K: site specificity and reaction kinetics

Abstract Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to study the oxidation of CO with O-precovered Cu(110) in the steady state at 400 K at the atomic level. There is a strong preference for CO to react with oxygen along the p(2 × 1) oxygen rows. The reaction appears to occur initially at the outer edge of an oxygen island, creating kink defects in the overlayer structure. Once created, these defects are more reactive than non-defect sites and play a dominant role in sustaining the reaction. The equilibrium distribution of adsorbed oxygen is not maintained in the reactive steady state. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that defect sites are 500–1000 times more reactive than non-defect sites. A model is presented in which adsorbed oxygen, formed by -Cu-O- chain scission at these defect sites, is reactive to CO, while p(2 × 1) oxygen atoms in the chain are not reactive. Copper atoms that make up the p(2 × 1) oxygen overlayer structure add to terrace edges after oxygen is reacted away and do not form small Cu islands that could eventually lead to surface roughening.
Climatology of Sleet in the United States

A climatology of sleet occurrences in the United States was compiled using data for 1950-2001 from 232 weather stations. Sleet is one of the damaging forms of winter precipitation. The average annual frequency of sleet events has a latitudinal distribution east of the Rockies with values ranging from less than 1 day a year in the Deep South to 5 or more days in the north. The highest averages are 14-20 days in the northern plains. Sleet does not occur in the Florida peninsula, extreme southern Texas and Arizona, and most of the southern half of California. Most areas of the nation have had years with no sleet, but the annual minimum is 1 or 2 sleet days in the High Plains and New England. Sleet first occurs in September in the mountainous areas and the Great Lakes; in October over large parts of the nation; in November in the South; and in December along the Gulf Coast. Sleet is most frequent at night and least frequent in afternoon hours, and its average duration is 2-3 hours per event. The season's last...
Competitive edge and environmentally‐ conscious design through concurrent engineering

The goal of concurrent or simultaneous engineering is to move a product concept based on a market need to a manufactured and marketable product in the shortest possible time and with minimum cost. The concurrent engineering approaches, processes, and systems should find increasing practical applications in the coming years. Several recent technological advances should help expedite this process.
Comment on women in surgery: little change in gender equality in Japanese medical societies over the past 3 years

Dr. Tomizawa has presented an eloquent review of the gender discrepancies that exist in Japan today [1]. She notes that gender equality in the member societies of the JAMS continues to lag behind that of other industrialized nations. The Japanese Association of Women Surgeons, of which Dr. Tomizawa is the president, has led the way in developing policies for change. In the USA, change has also been slow: Currently, fewer than 5 % of surgery department chairs are women. Moreover, women account for only 7 % of full professors of surgery versus 13 % of full professors of medicine. The American College of Surgeons has had two women presidents in 100 years but the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in Ireland, of England, Glasgow and Edinburgh have only had one woman president in their collective 1,000-year history! The reasons for these differences are multifactorial and include competing priorities for women making it more difficult to compete on an equal footing, particularly in the junior faculty years; implicit or unconscious bias, precluding women from being offered the opportunity to acquire the skills to become competitive; and occasionally, blatant discrimination. Since almost 40 % of the residents entering general surgery now are women, it is important to explore why they are still less likely than their male counterparts to receive tenure and to be underrepresented in higher faculty ranks and in leadership positions. Thus, those of us fortunate enough to have achieved success in our profession have an obligation to offer mentorship and support to the women who come after us, so that our successors can also achieve their personal and professional goals.
El último estadio de la Historia (Memoria, Rememoración y Bildung : sobre la teoría de la Modernidad en Hegel)

En el presente articulo la autora se plantea la posibilidad de supervivencia de la modernidad, tal y como Hegel aborda ese mas que crucial problema mediante el concepto de Mundo Moderno. Este concepto puede entenderse en tanto que tiempo presente historico absoluto, el cual lleva implicita la desmemoria historica, pero asimismo en tanto que continuo hacerse presente que, mediante la filosofia, rememora y dota de significado nuestra experiencia colectiva. La rememoracion es el instrumento de la modernidad que se apropia de su pasado para conocer las posibilidades del futuro, y el aliado de la Bildung (educacion) que caracteriza a aquellos individuos que todavia pretenden transformar las cosas y afirmar el reconocimiento mutuo como base de la autocomprension y la comprension del Otro. Sin embargo, la autora defiende frente a Hegel un poder de rememoracion que no cancela la moralidad kantiana, pues una descripcion normativa del mundo moderno ya no cuenta con un espiritu absoluto que supera la mera «historia empirica». Este siglo nos ha ofrecido -y todavia ofrece- un horror tan real que no se deja subsumir dentro de ningun sistema que, al fin y al cabo, no sabe distinguir el bien del mal en aras de lo absoluto.
The pattern of myeloid suppression and recovery after the addition of methotrexate to murine long-term bone marrow culture.

Abstract Treating long-term bone marrow culture with 10 −7 –10 −5 M methotrexate caused a 95% reduction in myelopoiesis as assessed by supernatant cell count and granulocyte/macrophage colony forming unit number. The suppression was irreversible with 10 −5 M methotrexate. Complete recovery of myeloid cell production occurred four and five weeks after cultures were treated with either 10 −7 M or 10 −6 M methotrexate, respectively. The suppression of myelopoiesis was completely prevented if 10 −3 M leucovorin was added to culture within 6 h of 10 −6 M methotrexate. The addition to culture of lung conditioned medium containing high concentrations of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor shortened the time of myelopoietic suppression by one week. The addition of WEHI-3B medium containing both interleukin 3 and GM-CSF shortened the suppression by two weeks. This in vitro model provides unique opportunities to examine mechanisms involved in the myelopoietic and chemotherapy-induced suppression. A close analysis of approaches to modify the recovery process will also be possible.
A gene-imposed nervous system difference influencing behavioral covariance.

Behavioral and physiological scores from 679 mice sampled from lines at various times during their response to bidirectional selection for divergent caudal nerve conduction velocity suggest broad-reaching behavioral effects of the gene differences among lines. Sciatic nerve conduction velocity differences as well as line differences in reflexive leg withdrawal indicate gene effects general to other peripheral nerves and to behaviors with known dependence on function by those nerves. Independently replicated line differences for open-field activity and defecation demonstrate effects on more complex behaviors with no obvious direct relationship to peripheral nerve conduction velocity. The direction of line differences in open-field behaviors suggests that genetic variance for peripheral nerve function may contribute to genetic covariance between these behaviors.
A CASE OF DOUBLE AUTOSOMAL TRISOMY WITH MOSAICISM: 48/XX (TRISOMY 18+21) AND 46/XX.

A female infant presenting predominantly with symptoms and signs of trisomy 18 was found, on chromosomal analysis, to have mosaicism of two cell lines: double autosomal trisomy of chromosomes Nos. 18 and 21, and a normal cell line. The various mechanisms which might have produced this anomaly are discussed, the one favored being mitotic nondisjunction of chromosomes 18 and 21 during the early post-zygotic stage after the first cleavage division. To our knowledge this is the first such case reported.
Abstract A53: Disparities in health information needs among long-term cancer survivors

Understanding the role of follow-up care on information needs in long-term cancer survivors is an important and understudied area for research and intervention. We examined health information needs in 1157 cancer survivors 4–14 years post-diagnosis from a population-based survey: the Follow-up Care Use among Survivors (FOCUS) study. Endorsement of six information needs categories (tests/treatments, side effects/symptoms, health promotion, interpersonal/emotional, insurance, and sexual functioning/fertility), total number of needs, and information self-efficacy were regressed on socio-demographic and clinical variables, quality of recent follow-up care, receipt of treatment summary, type of main follow-up doctor, and perceived social support. In the multivariate models, survivors who were younger, African American, and those with lower support (P Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):A53.
Current Status of Semionic Pairing Theory of High–Tc Superconductors

The existence of fractional statistics in nature and the ability of 1/2 statistics to cause superconductivity are now both firmly established. The more difficult question of whether fractional statistics accounts for high–Tc behavior is still unclear. The current status of semionic pairing theory is reviewed, and the case made that the situation is encouraging, notwithstanding the slowness of our progress in developing appropriate mathematical tools. Several key questions are identified and strategies for answering them suggested.
High-harmonic generation in strongly driven bulk periodic solid

We report on high-order harmonic generation from bulk zinc-oxide driven by a strong mid-infrared laser pulse. The harmonic spectra extend well above the band-gap and scales non-perturbatively with the laser intensity.
A protective eye shield for prevention of media opacities during small animal ocular imaging.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and other non-invasive imaging techniques are increasingly used in eye research to document disease-related changes in rodent eyes. Corneal dehydration is a major contributor to the formation of ocular opacities that can limit the repeated application of these techniques to individual animals. General anesthesia is usually required for imaging, which is accompanied by the loss of the blink reflex. As a consequence, the tear film cannot be maintained, drying occurs and the cornea becomes dehydrated. Without supplemental hydration, structural damage to the cornea quickly follows. Soon thereafter, anterior lens opacities can also develop. Collectively these changes ultimately compromise image quality, especially for studies involving repeated use of the same animal over several weeks or months. To minimize these changes, a protective shield was designed for mice and rats that prevent ocular dehydration during anesthesia. The eye shield, along with a semi-viscous ophthalmic solution, is placed over the corneas as soon as the anesthesia immobilizes the animal. Eye shields are removed for only the brief periods required for imaging and then reapplied before the fellow eye is examined. As a result, the corneal surface of each eye is exposed only for the time required for imaging. The device and detailed methods described here minimize the corneal and lens changes associated with ocular surface desiccation. When these methods are used consistently, high quality images can be obtained repeatedly from individual animals.
Clinical use of an implantable automatic tachycardia-terminating pacemaker.

Abstract A significant fraction of patients with supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia remains a therapeutic problem despite improvements in diagnostic testing, new drugs, and improved techniques for the evaluation of the efficacy of drug therapy. Pacing provides an alternative in selected patients. Pacing techniques may be used for arrhythmia suppression or termination and in rare instances may allow the substitution of a more easily managed arrhythmia. We have permanently implanted a new programmable, automatic tachycardia-terminating pacemaker in patients with drug-refractory supraventricular tachycardia. Following pacemaker implantation, successful tachycardia termination has been documented by ambulatory monitoring. Because of changing requirements for effective termination, we feel programmability is mandatory for successful long-term efficacy. We conclude that pacemaker therapy of supraventricular trachyarrhythmia with the automatic antitachycardia terminating pacemaker is safe, effective, and well tolerated.
Near simultaneous computed tomography image-guided stereotactic spinal radiotherapy: An emerging paradigm for achieving true stereotaxy

Abstract Purpose To report treatment setup data from an emerging technique using near-simultaneous computed tomography (CT) image-guided stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of spinal and paraspinal tumors. Methods and materials A targeting system that integrates a CT-on-rails scanner with a linear accelerator (LINAC) was evaluated in the lead-in portion of a Phase I/II protocol for treating patients with paraspinal metastases. Patients were immobilized in supine position by a moldable body cushion vacuum wrapped with a plastic fixation sheet. Planning CT and immediately repeated CT were performed on the LINAC/CT-on-rails unit to assess respiratory-related vertebral body motion. Coplanar intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) using 7–9 beams was used to deliver 30 Gy in five fractions to the target volume, while limiting the spinal cord dose to Results Based on a total of 36 CT scans (3 for planning, 3 for respiration study, 15 pretreatment, and 15 post-treatment) from 3 patients, no respiration-associated vertebral body motion was seen. A comparison of the corrected daily anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) digital portal images with the planning AP and LAT DRRs confirmed that the isocenter setup accuracy for the 15 treatments was within 1 mm of the planning isocenter. The results from the immediate post-treatment CT scans reconfirmed the findings from the portal images and verified the absence of spinal movement during the treatment. The ion-chamber measurement for the high-dose region was within 2% of the planning dose for three patient treatment plans. Film dose measurement in an IMRT quality assurance phantom demonstrated good agreement from 90% to 30% isodose lines between the planned and measured results. Conclusion Preliminary experience suggests that the near-simultaneous CT image-guided verification technique can be used as a new platform technology for extracranial applications of stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery to spinal and paraspinal tumors.
Looking at Behavior and Seeing as a Psychologist

Aqreeing with recent calls for more emphasis on observation and description, it is nevertheless argued that merely tabulating behavior does not address the basic conceptual and methodological problems responsible for the lack of a viable descriptive approach in social psychology. Social psycholonists are far more adept at quantifying or countinq behavior than in explicating what is of social or psychological interest in the phenomena studied. Thus, it is argued that the more basic issue is not the counting of behavior but the articulation of a psychological perspective. Graduate education, by stressing the direct observation and study of phenomena as they are lived, could promote greater appreciation of the difference between counting behaviors and seeini as a psychologist. The mental blindness of nearly every academic social psychologist for any observable fact of human nature is so unfailing and complete as almost to compel admiration. (Edwin Bissell Holt, 1935, p.172)
Cardiology Grand Rounds from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ABSTRACT Background The prevalence of abdominal aneurysms has increased due to the aging population, and endovascular repair has developed into an effective, less invasive treatment. Methods/Results Two recent cases at the University of Texas-Houston highlight a variety of clinical considerations that allow informed decision-making regarding optimal treatment of abdominal aneurysms. A thorough discussion of recent data summarizes the current understanding and techniques regarding abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Conclusions Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms has emerged as a viable and a safe alternative to surgical repair and may offer important advantages in a majority of patients with this disease.
Acquired Class D β-Lactamases

The Class D β-lactamases have emerged as a prominent resistance mechanism against β-lactam antibiotics that previously had efficacy against infections caused by pathogenic bacteria, especially by Acinetobacter baumannii and the Enterobacteriaceae. The phenotypic and structural characteristics of these enzymes correlate to activities that are classified either as a narrow spectrum, an extended spectrum, or a carbapenemase spectrum. We focus on Class D β-lactamases that are carried on plasmids and, thus, present particular clinical concern. Following a historical perspective, the susceptibility and kinetics patterns of the important plasmid-encoded Class D β-lactamases and the mechanisms for mobilization of the chromosomal Class D β-lactamases are discussed.
The Temperature-Dependence of the Saturation Voltage for Molecular Assembly System with the Effect of the Intermolecular Spacing

Numerical simulations have been performed to investigate the effect of the temperature on the electronic transport through a small group of molecular assembly system (MAS). The model involves two 1,4-dithiolbenzene (DTB) molecular units stacked in one dimension (1D). The currentvoltage (I-V) and the conductance voltage (G-V) analysis are presented under the influence of the temperature associated with the π-orbital coupling interactions controlled by the intermolecular spacing d. The MAS with reduced d affects significantly the conductance which results in reducing the conductance gap and the saturation voltage Vsat. In addition, the present results show that the temperature rise effect plays an important role in determining the current flow in the saturation region. In this region, it is important to note that Vsat increases linearly when T goes from 50 to 325 K.. To conclude, Vsat can be controlled either by changing the temperature or modifying its intermolecular spacing conformation.
The Balance of Power: Prescription, Concept, or Propaganda?

“The Soviet Union is now engaged in an audacious attempt JL to upset the established balance of power prevailing in Europe.” This statement was used by C. L. Sulzberger, writing in the New York Times for March 23, 1952, to open a discussion of the Soviet offer to establish a unified and neutral Germany. It symbolizes the startling renaissance of the balance of power concept in recent years not only in the pages of learned journals, but in the daily press and in radio as well. This rebirth is probably attributable to the effort to reconsider the notions concerning international relations generally held during the League of Nations period, notions which emphasized open diplomacy, collective security, and the use of arbitration instead of unilateral force. The apparent futility of these methods seemed to call for the reintroduction of more meaningful concepts into the analysis of international affairs, and the balance of power thus reappeared as part of the general trend to re-establish the primacy of power as the key to the understanding of interstate relations. There would be no difficulty in this development if the term “balance of power” were free from philological, semantic, and theoretical confusion. Unfortunately, it is not. The term is defined differently by different writers; it is used in varying senses, even if not defined exactly at all; and, finally, it is the focal concept in several quite distinct theories of international relations. The purpose of this article is the clarification, not only of the verbal differences in meaning, but also of the applied meanings of the “balance of power” phrase as they vary in accordance with the intentions of the users. The necessity for such an attempt may be demonstrated by an introductory discussion of the variety of thought on this topic, in terms of substantive meanings no less than in terms of systems of classification.
Fabrication of Organized Nanofibrous Scaffolds to Mimic the Macroscopic Curvature of the Meniscus: Structure and Mechanics

The menisci are crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous tissues which function to transmit and distribute loads between the femur and tibia of the knee joint. As such, the meniscus experiences complex loads, including tension, compression, and shear. Meniscus function in tension arises from an organized microstructure — bundles of highly aligned collagen circumnavigate the tissue between insertion sites on the tibial plateau (1). These aligned collagen bundles endow the tissue with mechanical properties that are highly anisotropic, and highest in the primary collagen orientation (2). Commercial products to replace the meniscus lack this unique structure and organization (3,4). To address engineering the knee meniscus, we have developed aligned nanofibrous scaffolds that can recapitulate this mechanical anisotropy (5,6). However promising, fibers within these scaffolds are unidirectional, while the fibers within the native tissue have a pronounced c-shaped macroscopic organization. To mimic this macroscopic orientation, we developed a new electrospinning method to collect organized fibers on a planar spinning disc (7). The objective of this study was to quantify the structure and mechanics of nanofibrous scaffolds collected using this novel technique and compare the data to aligned scaffolds obtained from a traditional electrospinning approach. We hypothesized that these circumferentially aligned (CircAl) scaffolds would behave similarly to linearly aligned (LinAl) scaffolds on short length scales, but exhibit marked differences in mechanics as the length scale increased.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Pathogenesis of Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome - Endotoxin, Inflammatory Cells, and Their Mediators: Cytokines and Reactive Oxygen Species

Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is caused by an overwhelming, uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response that is activated by a number of hostile stimuli including sepsis, hypovolemic s...
Development aspects of storage and retrieval

Abstract The present investigation examined the developmental characteristics of memory. For this purpose, the performance of third, fifth, and seventh graders was dichotomized into storage and retrieval phases. The storage phase was evaluated by analyses of overt rehearsal which yielded data on the amount and distribution of rehearsal during list presentation. Subject-paced free and serial recall tasks were used to provide control conditions to assess the extent to which externalized rehearsal changed the characteristics of overt processing. Correct responding and order of recall provided data relevant to the retrieval phase. Comparisons among the various measures indicated that (1) the amount of rehearsal increased with age, (2) the number of different items which are rehearsed at a given time increased with age, (3) both the amount and distribution of rehearsal were related to the level of correct responding, and (4) the order of item retrieval became increasingly serial with age. In addition, it was demonstrated that a marked change occurred in the nature of storage processing between the fifth and seventh grades.
Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy: 101 consecutive cases from a single surgeon

Abstract Background Intraoperative rapid parathyroid hormone (iPTH) assay is changing parathyroid surgery. One surgeon's experience at a tertiary care hospital was followed as minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) was adopted. Study design In this prospective case study, patients underwent technitium 99m sestamibi scanning, iPTH monitoring, and MIP. A sestamibi-directed incision was made, and iPTH was measured preincision, preexcision of abnormal gland(s), and at 5- and 10-minute intervals. MIP was complete after gland(s) was excised and iPTH fell to less than 50% of preoperative levels. Routine discharge was on the day of surgery with daily calcium and calcitriol to minimize outpatient hypocalcemia. Secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism patients were excluded. Results From December 1999 to June 2002, 101 patients underwent MIP. Patients were 27% men and 73% women, with two reoperations. Preoperation laboratory results averaged serum calcium 11.08 (normal 8.5 to 10.5 mg/dL) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) 169 pg/mL (normal 10 to 55 pg/mL). Average iPTH values at operative intervals were 152, 151, 68, and 50 pg/mL, respectively. Operation demonstrated 12% of patients had four-gland hyperplasia, 3% had double adenomas, 2% had parathyroid carcinomas, and 83% had single adenomas. Discharge on the day of surgery occurred in 83% of single-adenoma patients. Postoperative laboratory results averaged calcium 9.4 mg/dL (p Conclusions MIP with iPTH monitoring is a safe and effective means of treating hyperparathyroidism. This approach allows for limited dissection and early discharge for the majority of patients.