cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Learning to Conduct Psychotherapy with Psychotically Disturbed Patients

Abstract A first experience working therapeutically with a psy-chotically-impaired individual challenges a psychologist-in-training with a number of issues. These include how best to establish a therapeutic stance toward symptoms of cognitive disorganization and delusions, and countertransferential difficulties arising from the power differential between patient and therapist. These issues are explored in the context of a twice-weekly psychodynamic treatment with an involuntary patient on a locked inpatient facility. Challenges faced in this type of treatment are important training experiences, and can inform work with higher-functioning patients as well.
Costs of Education in China: Issues of Resource Mobilization, Equality, Equity and Efficiency.

This paper is a survey of the costs of education in one Asian country, China. It focuses on three areas of education costs: (1) national expenditures on education; (2) unit costs of education; and (3) educational cost functions. It relates the analysis of education costs to four enduring policy issues in education in China: resource mobilization, inequality, inequity and inefficiency. The analysis is based on primary and secondary data sources and on existing studies in both the Chinese and English literatures. Whenever appropriate, comparative discussion is made by drawing on cost studies on other (mostly Asian) countries. The paper is aimed at providing a review of the current state of knowledge, and identifying knowledge gaps and areas for future research on education costs in China.
Moving on: salaries and managing turnover

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reveal particular unique aspects of librarian pay, retention and hiring issues as a means of advocacy for managers searching for new ways to tackle this function of their work.Design/methodology/approach – The paper gives specific salary negotiation suggestions, and also provides strategic team building concerns on which future planning may be made.Findings – It is found that salary information is shared much more often between librarians at other institutions and this sharing leads to many negative and positive effects for future pay structures within organizations.Originality/value – The paper is original in the sense that it is written for librarians and non‐librarians alike. It presents the issue with candor as a means of sparking fruitful conversation aimed at stabilizing and increasing librarian pay through joint understanding of the issue.
Snow shielding factors for cosmogenic nuclide dating inferred from Monte Carlo neutron transport simulations

Abstract Conventional formulations of changes in cosmogenic nuclide production rates with snow cover are based on a mass-shielding approach, which neglects the role of neutron moderation by hydrogen. This approach can produce erroneous correction factors and add to the uncertainty of the calculated cosmogenic exposure ages. We use a Monte Carlo particle transport model to simulate fluxes of secondary cosmic-ray neutrons near the surface of the Earth and vary surface snow depth to show changes in neutron fluxes above rock or soil surface. To correspond with shielding factors for spallation and low-energy neutron capture, neutron fluxes are partitioned into high-energy, epithermal and thermal components. The results suggest that high-energy neutrons are attenuated by snow cover at a significantly higher rate (shorter attenuation length) than indicated by the commonly-used mass-shielding formulation. As thermal and epithermal neutrons derive from the moderation of high-energy neutrons, the presence of a strong moderator such as hydrogen in snow increases the thermal neutron flux both within the snow layer and above it. This means that low-energy production rates are affected by snow cover in a manner inconsistent with the mass-shielding approach and those formulations cannot be used to compute snow correction factors for nuclides produced by thermal neutrons. Additionally, as above-ground low-energy neutron fluxes vary with snow cover as a result of reduced diffusion from the ground, low-energy neutron fluxes are affected by snow even if the snow is at some distance from the site where measurements are made.
An evolutionary model for the duplication and divergence of esterase genes in Drosophila.

The esterase 5 (Est-5 = gene, EST 5 = protein) enzyme in Drosophila pseudoobscura is encoded by one of three paralogous genes, Est-5A, Est5B, and Est-5C, that are tightly clustered on the right arm of the X chromosome. The homologous Est-6 locus in Drosophila melanogaster has only one paralogous neighbor, Est-P. Comparisons of coding and flanking DNA sequences among the three D. pseudoobscura and two D. melanogaster genes suggest that two paralogous genes were present before the divergence of D. pseudoobscura from D. melanogaster and that, later, a second duplication occurred in D. pseudoobscura. Nucleotide sequences of the coding regions of the three D. pseudoobscura genes showed 78–85% similarity in pairwise comparisons, whereas the relatedness between Est-6 and Est-P was only 67%. The higher degree of conservation in D. pseudoobscura likely results from the comparatively recent divergence of Est-5B and Est-5C and from possible gene conversion events between Est-5A and Est-5B. Analyses of silent and replacement site differences in the two exons of the paralogous and orthologous genes in each species indicate that common selective forces are acting on all five loci. Further evidence for common purifying selective constraints comes from the conservation of hydropathy profiles and proposed catalytic residues. However, different levels of amino acid substitution between the paralogous genes in D. melanogaster relative to those in D. pseudoobscura suggest that interspecific differences in selection also exist.
Hypertriglyceridemia in Gout

Serum triglyceride levels were significantly higher in 34 patients with gout (42 mg. per 100 ml.) in comparison to the levels in 28 healthy men over 35 years of age (100 mg. per 100 ml.). There was no significant predictive relation between levels of serum uric acid and triglycerides in either group. No significant difference in serum cholesterol levels nor lipoprotein profile was apparent between the two groups. The patients with gout had been selected to exclude any manifestations of atherosclerosis or other disease known to be associated with abnormalities in circulating lipids. The results provide support for possible linkage of genetic factors influencing uric acid and triglyceride metabolism. The presence of hypertriglyceridemia in gout may be correlated with the increased incidence of arteriosclerosis.
Stereoselective high-performance liquid chromatography determination of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol in human plasma after pre-column derivatization

Abstract A stereoselective reversed-phase HPLC assay to quantify S -(−) and R -(+) enantiomers of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol in human plasma was developed. The method involved liquid–liquid extraction for sample clean-up and employed 2,3,4,6-tetra- O -acetyl-β-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate as a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent. The internal standard used was 4-methylpropranolol. The derivatized products were separated on an Altex C 18 column using a mixture of acetonitrile–water–phosphoric acid–triethylamine (58:42:0.1:0.06 and 50:50:0.15:0.06, v/v, for propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol, respectively) as mobile phase. The detection of propranolol derivatives was made at λ ex =280 nm and λ em =325 nm, and the corresponding 325 and 400 nm were used for 4-hydroxypropranolol derivatives. The assay was linear from 1 to 100 ng/ml and from 2 to 50 ng/ml using 0.5 ml of human plasma for propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol enantiomers, respectively. The present assay is used to quantify the enantiomers of propranolol and 4-hydroxypropranolol, respectively, in human plasma for pharmacokinetic studies.
Crisis management and sustainable development: a framework and proposed research agenda

The fields of crisis management and sustainable development have maintained separate research paths. However, these fields are closely linked. Crisis events can deplete resources needed by future generations, ultimately hindering efforts at sustainable development. This paper proposes a research agenda and provides a four-phase framework that integrates these two growing research fields.
Reduced labor force participation among primary care patients with headache

OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term impact of headache on labor force participation among primary care patients with headache.
To perform like athletes, surgeons must prepare like athletes

Arora is right that mental visualisation could help improve surgical performance.1 Positive imagery is one of several mental skills that successful surgeons and athletes have in common; others include distraction control, self …
Police research: merging the policy and action research traditions

In their recent paper, David Bradley and Christine Nixon (2009) have nicely critiqued two different research traditions in the study of the police and how these traditions have limited our ability ...
Ethanol at Pharmacologically Relevant Concentrations Inhibits Contractility of Isolated Smooth Muscle Cells of Cat Esophagus

Acute ethanol, in both man and cats, decreases contractility of both lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and smooth muscle portion of the lower esophageal (LE) body. Because these inhibitory effects were not abolished, in cats, by cervical vagotomy or intravenous tetrodotoxin, we surmised a direct inhibitory effect of ethanol on muscle cells. Accordingly, to test this possibility, we exposed isolated, esophageal smooth muscle cells (LES and LE) to ethanol (0-150 mM) for 0 to 40 min, and then a contractile agent, carbachol, or its vehicle was added. Thirty seconds later, cells were fixed and cell shortening was measured as an index of contractility. In the absence of ethanol, carbachol dose-dependently induced shortening of muscle cells from both LE and LES. Ethanol significantly attenuated carbachol-induced maximal shortening of cells from both LE and LES. Potency for carbachol in LES (but not LE) was also decreased by ethanol. Isolated muscle cells remained viable after incubation with ethanol. Thus inhibition by ethanol : can occur directly on esophageal muscle ; occurs at pharmacologically relevant ethanol concentrations ; and is not simply caused by cytotoxicity of ethanol.
Identity Dilemmas of Chronically Ill Men

Chronic illness frequently comes to men suddenly with immediate intensity, severity, and uncertainty. Because men contract more serious and life-threatening chronic illnesses than women, experienci...
Therapeutic approaches to human immunodeficiency virus: Structural studies on G-protein-coupled receptors

Abstract Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) requires the presence of a chemokine receptor on the susceptible cell. The expression of two different chemokine receptors on macrophages and lymphocytes explains the selectivity of different HIV isolates. The rationale behind the choice of the chemokine receptor (CCR5) expressed on macrophages as a therapeutic target is based on the epidemiological studies of the impact on HIV infectivity of a human mutation that prevents expression of this receptor. CCR5 is a member of the G-protein-coupled receptor family, which has yet to be characterized structurally at atomic resolution. Efforts to model the three-dimensional structure of such receptors and to characterize them experimentally are underway in many laboratories. As an example, structural studies determining the bound conformation of the C-terminal peptide of the α-subunit of transducin, the relevant G-protein of vision, with rhodopsin are presented.
Fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery for reirradiation of head-and-neck cancer.

Purpose Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is an appealing treatment option after previous radiotherapy because of its precision, conformality, and reduced treatment duration. We report our experience with reirradiation using fractionated SRS for head-and-neck cancer. Methods and Materials From 2002 to 2008, 65 patients received SRS to the oropharynx ( n = 13), hypopharynx ( n = 8), nasopharynx ( n = 7), paranasal sinus ( n = 7), neck ( n = 7), and other sites ( n = 23). Thirty-eight patients were treated definitively and 27 patients with metastatic disease and/or untreated local disease were treated palliatively. Nine patients underwent complete macroscopic resection before SRS. Thirty-three patients received concurrent chemoradiation. The median initial radiation dose was 67 Gy, and the median reirradiation SRS dose was 30 Gy (21–35 Gy) in 2–5 fractions. Results Median follow-up for surviving patients was 16 months. Fifty-six patients were evaluable for response: 30 (54%) had complete, 15 (27%) had partial, and 11 (20%) had no response. Median overall survival (OS) for all patients was 12 months. For definitively treated patients, the 2-year OS and locoregional control (LRC) rates were 41% and 30%, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that higher total dose, surgical resection, and nasopharynx site were significantly associated with improved LRC; surgical resection and nonsquamous histology were associated with improved OS. Seven patients (11%) experienced severe reirradiation-related toxicity, including one treatment-attributed death. Conclusion SRS reirradiation for head-and-neck cancer is feasible. This study demonstrates encouraging response rates with acceptable toxicity. Fractionated SRS reirradiation with concurrent chemotherapy in select patients warrants further study.
Patient Attitudes concerning Pharmacist Inquiry of Spirituality in a Community Pharmacy

Background:Health care professionals, including physicians and nurses, are becoming more aware of the importance of addressing and incorporating spirituality into patient care. Less is known concer...
The glycostatic action of purified growth hormone.

When food is withheld from hypophysectomized rats, the carbohydrate stores of the body become depleted more rapidly than in normal rats. The liver glycogen and blood glucose begin to fall within a few hours, and later the glycogen content of muscle (gastrocnemius) declines to levels well below those seen in normal rats even after prolonged fasting (Russell and Bennett, 1937). During a 24-hour fast, the muscle glycogen can be maintained at normal values or above by treatment through this time with alkaline anterior pituitary extracts, an action termed a “glycostatic” effect (Russell and Bennett, 1936; Russell, 1938). This effect is independent of the adrenal cortex (Bennett, 1938; Bennett and Perkins, 1945). In early tests of a variety of pituitary fractions (Russell, 1938), crude unfractioned extracts were found to be most active, and no relationship was indicated between the glycostatic factor and any of the known anterior lobe hormones.
Optimal Reserves in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union

Recent turbulence in global and Caribbean regional financial markets underscore the importance of reassessing the adequacy of international reserves held by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Using the Jeanne (2007) optimization framework, this paper finds that international reserves held by the ECCB are generally adequate for a variety of external current account and capital account shocks. However, the ECCB would be challenged in the event of moderate to severe deposit outflows.
Genetic Pathways in Disorders of Epidermal Differentiation

More than 100 human genetic skin diseases, impacting over 20% of the population, are characterized by disrupted epidermal differentiation. A significant proportion of the 90 genes identified in these disorders to date are concentrated within several functional pathways, suggesting the emergence of organizing themes in epidermal differentiation. Among these are the Notch, transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), IκB kinase (IKK), Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), p63, and Wnt signaling pathways, as well as core biological processes mediating calcium homeostasis, tissue integrity, cornification, and lipid biogenesis. Here, we review recent results supporting the central role of these pathways in epidermal differentiation, highlighting the integration of genetic information with functional studies to illuminate the biological actions of these pathways in humans as well as to guide development of future therapeutics to correct their dysfunction.
Evaluations of forcefields for aromatic polysiloxanes, and some applications to poly(diphenylsiloxane)

Abstract Two forcefields were evaluated for possible use in polysiloxanes containing aromatic phenyl or phenylene groups, either as side chains or as part of the chain backbone. The criterion was reproducing results on the crystal structure of the cyclic diphenylsiloxane trimer, and both forcefields were satisfactory. The better of the two was used to obtain conformational energies for estimating some of the statistical properties of the corresponding polymer poly(diphenylsiloxane) (PDPS) [Si(C 6 H 5 ) 2 –O–]. The calculations were based almost entirely on the rotational isomeric state (RIS) theory, but the possibility of using a Metropolis Monte Carlo method was also considered. Since the stiffness of the chains was of primary interest, the quantities calculated were the unperturbed dimensions and its temperature coefficient and the radii of gyration. Degrees of polymerization ranged from 40 to 400, and temperatures from 300 to 1000 K. The “characteristic ratio” (of the mean-square unperturbed dimensions to those of the corresponding freely-jointed chain) was found to be approximately 65 in the limit of very long chains. This is an order of magnitude larger than that of the much studied and very flexible poly(dimethylsiloxane), and the associated chain stiffness this indicates for PDPS seems to be consistent with its high transition temperatures and other properties.
A low latitude paleoclimate perspective on Atlantic multidecadal variability

Abstract Traces of environmental conditions found in natural archives can serve as proxies for direct climate measurements to extend our knowledge of past climate variability beyond the relatively short instrumental record. Such paleoclimate proxies have demonstrated significant multidecadal climate variability in the Atlantic sector since at least the mid-1700s. However, Atlantic multidecadal climate variability is primarily defined by fluctuations in sea surface temperature (SST) and the proxy evidence comes from a variety of sources, many of which are terrestrial and are not directly recording sea surface temperature. Further analysis into the causes and consequences of Atlantic multidecadal climate variability requires development of a spatial network of decadal resolution proxy SST records with both low and high latitude contributions. An initial attempt at a low latitude Atlantic SST reconstruction found only 4 sites with ≤ 5 year resolution data, demonstrating the paucity of appropriate data available. The 4-site average correlated significantly with instrumental average SST and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The full record, 1360–2000 C.E., and a shortened version 1460–1850 C.E., had significant multidecadal variability centered at a 60-year period. Comparing our reconstruction with reconstructions of SST anomalies in the North Atlantic shows that there is no consensus yet on the history of Atlantic multidecadal variability.
The Manner of Articulation of the emphatic /dˁ/in both Saudi and Palestinian dialects

This study aims at investigatingthe manner of articulation of the emphatic /dˁ/ sound in both the Saudi and Palestinian dialects. The subjects’ sound recordings have been digitized on a PC and analyzed via Praat.The results reveal that the Saudis produce /dˁ/ as an emphatic fricative, whereas the Palestinians as an emphatic plosive. The implications of this study suggest that /ðˁ/ (the fricative emphatic sound) and /dˁ/ (the plosive emphatic sound) merge into /ðˁ/ in Saudi Arabic, whereas they are distinct from one another in Palestinian Arabic. This is similar to Alani’s (1970: 46) finding that the /dˁ/ sound is pronounced as /ðˁ/ (emphatic fricative), but not as /dˁ/ (pharyngealized plosive) in Iraqi dialects except in the dialects of Iraqi Christians despite its orthographical representation as /dˁ/ in the writing system.
Beetles, parasitoids and tropical morning glories: a study in host discrimination

. 1. The common cassidid beetle, Stolas sp., feeds as both larva and adult on the leaves of the vine, Ipomoea asarifolia, a wild relative of the sweet potato. 2. In the region around Manaus (Amazonas State, Brazil) an average of 86% of the egg clutches were completely parasitized by the eulophid, Emersonella niveipes. 3. The wasp is phoretic on female beetles. In comparison with field beetles that lacked phoretic wasps, beetles associated with wasps produced eggs sooner, laid more egg clutches, and had a shorter laboratory life expectancy. 4. Host discrimination by the wasp is probably an active process rather than a passive association with randomly encountered beetles. 5. Emersonella niveipes also attacks Chelymorpha cassidea, a pest of sweet potato. Adults of Stolas sp. do not feed on sweet potato foliage nor occur in sweet potato fields, so they could provide a useful innocuous alternate host for Emersonella niveipes. 6. As some species in the Convovulaceae are important weeds in field crops, foliage-feeding cassidid beetles may play a useful role in weed suppression. Any biological control programme for the suppression of sweet potato pests may favour the spread of those noxious weeds that share the herbivore fauna of sweet potatoes.
Subsampling-Based Compression and Flow Visualization

As computational capabilities increasingly outpace disk speeds on leading supercomputers, scientists will, in turn, be increasingly unable to save their simulation data at its native resolution. One solution to this problem is to compress these data sets as they are generated and visualize the compressed results afterwards. We explore this approach, specifically subsampling velocity data and the resulting errors for particle advection-based flow visualization. We compare three techniques: random selection of subsamples, selection at regular locations corresponding to multi-resolution reduction, and introduce a novel technique for informed selection of subsamples. Furthermore, we explore an adaptive system which exchanges the subsampling budget over parallel tasks, to ensure that subsampling occurs at the highest rate in the areas that need it most. We perform supercomputing runs to measure the effectiveness of the selection and adaptation techniques. Overall, we find that adaptation is very effective, and, among selection techniques, our informed selection provides the most accurate results, followed by the multi-resolution selection, and with the worst accuracy coming from random subsamples.
Phytoplankton biomass and photosynthetic competency in the summertime Mertz Glacier Region of East Antarctica

Abstract Vertical profiles of water temperature, salinity, beam transmission, density, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a (Chl a) plus phaeophytin a), and photosynthetic competency (by fast repetition-rate fluorometry) are presented for the Mertz Glacier region, East Antarctica, for a 3-week period during the austral summer 2000–2001. Injection of low-salinity water from the melting of the ice pack formed a shallow (ca. 25 m) mixed layer offshore. Two distinct deep mixing features were observed associated to varying degrees with high chlorophyll levels and high photosynthetic competency. Along the Adelie Land coast, a deep mixing layer (1400 m) with Chl a concentrations of 386 mg m−2 and elevated Fv/Fm (>0.5) was observed. At the eastern end of the study area, along a seaward extension of fast-ice, a bloom of Phaeocystis antarctica bloom formed within a shallow (24 m) mixed layer, with surface Chl a concentrations of ca. 8 mg m−3 and elevated Fv/Fm (0.5). This feature also had high surface salinity (>34) and was contiguous with a deep-mixing feature (236 m). FRRF parameters Fv/Fm and σPSII were strongly suppressed in surface waters (
Left-Hemisphere Motor Dominance in Righthandersi

Abstract Left-hemisphere dominance for motor programming was tested in two experiments by measuring acquisition and cross-hand transfer of a complex key-pressing skill in righthanded adults. In the first experiment, visual feedback was excluded to insure unilaterality of motor control. Consistent with left-hemisphere motor dominance, males showed faster acquisition with righthand training than with left hand training and greater transfer from left to right than vice versa; but females exhibited neither asymmetry. To investigate the possibility that females relied on verbal strategies to remember which keys to press and that this prevented them from showing the predicted asymmetries, the need for such strategies was reduced in a second experiment by allowing visual feedback. Although the provision of visual input may have mitigated against motor asymmetries by directly engaging both hemispheres in the task, results showed more rapid improvement in skills with the right hand than with the left for both sexes, extending evidence for left-hemisphere motor dominance to a population including females as well as males.
Graphic precision: Controlling stimulus displays on IBM PC-compatible computers

Tachistoscopic presentation of stimuli on IBM PC-compatible computers is limited by a number of factors, including video retrace rates, screen scrolling, and the shape and density of picture elements. A method is presented for overcoming these difficulties through the use of enhanced graphic adapters or video graphic arrays. A C-language program demonstrates (1) synchronous scroll-free displays achieved by writing alternating images to “hidden” pages of video memory, (2) alternative techniques for erasing images, and (3) use of an empirically derived aspect ratio to produce symmetrical figures.
Pediatric oncology: methotrexate-exploring dosing and administration in ALCL.

Central nervous system prophylaxis is recommended with the administration of high-dose methotrexate and/or intrathecal injection of chemotherapy in patients with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). Researchers investigated whether methotrexate dose, infusion duration and intrathecal mode of administration had an impact on the risk of systemic and central nervous system relapses in children with ALCL.
Accommodation of failures in the F-16 aircraft using adaptive control

Surface and hardware failure affect the flight control system of the F-16 fighter aircraft. In the absence of failures and unpredictable changes, the controller, based on gain scheduling, performs very well and exhibits a good degree of robustness, even for high angles of attack. In order to accommodate for possible failure and maintain good performance characteristics, the control system is augmented with a hybrid adaptive linear quadratic control scheme. The augmented adaptive flight control system has the online capability for learning and accommodating to drastic changes in the aircraft dynamics due to surface or hardware failure. The proposed flight control system has been tested on the nonlinear model of the F-16 aircraft, and the simulation results demonstrate its ability to accommodate control failures and maintain good performance. >
Terrorism and Policy: Introduction

This article sets the stage for the special issue by indicating the current focus in the literature on applying analytical tools to enlighten policy makers in the practice of counterterrorism in the post-9/11 era. In particular, the article briefly indicates the main areas of recent work. The article also introduces some key concepts. Next, the article highlights the methodology and main contributions of each of the seven articles of the special issue. The novelty and policy insights of each article are emphasized.
Using rank factorization in calculating the Moore-Penrose generalized inverse

The rank factorization method is used to calculate the Moore-Penrose inverse of any arbitrary real m*n matrix A. The rank factorization method uses the fact that any matrix A of rank r can be factored as A=BC, where B is an m*r matrix of rank r and C is an r*n matrix of rank r. Using this factorization and other facts from matrix theory, the problem is reduced to that of calculating (B/sup T/B)/sup -1/ and (CC/sup T/)/sup -1/. After deriving an algorithm for calculating the Moore-Penrose inverse, the authors wrote a software package to perform the necessary computations and the actual generation of the Moore-Penrose inverse. >
Effect of weather on landmine chemical signatures for different climates

Buried landmines are often detected through their chemical signature in the thin air layer, or boundary layer, right above the soil surface by sensors or animals. Environmental processes play a significant role in the available chemical signature. Due to the shallow burial depth of landmines, the weather also influences the release of chemicals from the landmine, transport through the soil to the surface, and degradation processes in the soil. The effect of weather on the landmine chemical signature from a PMN landmine was evaluated with the T2TNT code for three different climates: Kabul, Afghanistan, Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA, and Napacala, Mozambique. Results for TNT gas-phase and solid-phase concentrations are presented as a function of time of the year.
Overeaters anonymous: Impact on bulimia

Patterns of utilization and effects of participation in Overeaters Anonymous (OA) in 40 individuals meeting DSM-III criteria for bulimia are described. All were abstinent from compulsive overeating for a mean of 3 years, with 21 (52.5%) initiating sustained abstinence within the first month of membership. Most attended meetings 5 times per week and called their sponsors daily, and 25 (62.5%) were in psychotherapy concurrently. The authors describe the nature and philosophy of OA and discuss factors which might explain the symptomatic control achieved by this group.
Lemonade from lemons: a program response to RRC-determined probation.

To assess resident satisfaction as a result of changes made to an integrated surgical residency in response to probation.The University of Connecticut Integrated General Surgery Residency (UCIGSR), which consists of 5 hospitals, 18 rotations, and has a complement of 44 residents, was placed on probation by the Residency Review Committee (RRC) in Surgery in November 1998. Among the deficiencies cited by the RRC were inadequate evaluation of the program, rotations, residents, and the faculty by the residents, along with inadequate documentation issues. Lack of organized educational conferences, lack of faculty involvement, excessive service responsibilities and work hours, and hospital environmental issues were also cited. It was also apparent that morale of the residents and faculty had significantly eroded. Rather than trying patchwork "fixes" of deficiencies, we used this opportunity to reengineer the program, rededicating ourselves to educating and developing future surgeons. Task forces, including joint faculty and resident participation, were set up to develop solutions, based on the answer to the question: "Do we want a residency or not?" This focus was especially helpful to create hospital administration and faculty support.A survey was created to assess the changes made in the program. The survey included 65 questions pertaining to the learning environment, hospital and departmental support, and balance between clinical and educational responsibilities and overall working environment. Each resident was asked to fill out 3 identical surveys, 1 just before the RRC report, and the other 2 at 6-month intervals after the probation announcement. A 4-point grading scale was used.Our results were reflective of resident perceptions of improvement and increased satisfaction. These data demonstrated that the changes implemented as a result of the RRC findings had a positive effect on the residency program, and they corresponded to the areas where changes were implemented. This survey also gave us a method to evaluate ongoing changes in our residency.Probation can be a potent stimulus for improvement of a surgical residency. (Curr Surg 57:373-376. Copyright 2000 by the Association of Program Directors in Surgery.)
The Ubiquitin Ligase CHIP Prevents SirT6 Degradation through Noncanonical Ubiquitination

The ubiquitin ligase CHIP (carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein) regulates protein quality control, and CHIP deletion accelerates aging and reduces the life span in mice. Here, we reveal a mechanism for CHIP's influence on longevity by demonstrating that CHIP stabilizes the sirtuin family member SirT6, a lysine deacetylase/ADP ribosylase involved in DNA repair, metabolism, and longevity. In CHIP-deficient cells, SirT6 protein half-life is substantially reduced due to increased proteasome-mediated degradation, but CHIP overexpression in these cells increases SirT6 protein expression without affecting SirT6 transcription. CHIP noncanonically ubiquitinates SirT6 at K170, which stabilizes SirT6 and prevents SirT6 canonical ubiquitination by other ubiquitin ligases. In CHIP-depleted cells, SirT6 K170 mutation increases SirT6 half-life and prevents proteasome-mediated degradation. The global decrease in SirT6 expression in the absence of CHIP is associated with decreased SirT6 promoter occupancy, which increases histone acetylation and promotes downstream gene transcription in CHIP-depleted cells. Cells lacking CHIP are hypersensitive to DNA-damaging agents, but DNA repair and cell viability are rescued by enforced expression of SirT6. The discovery of this CHIP-SirT6 interaction represents a novel protein-stabilizing mechanism and defines an intersection between protein quality control and epigenetic regulation to influence pathways that regulate the biology of aging.
From the Angio Suite to the γ-Camera: Vascular Mapping and 99mTc-MAA Hepatic Perfusion Imaging Before Liver Radioembolization—A Comprehensive Pictorial Review

Endovascular mapping and conjoint (99m)Tc-macroaggregated albumin ((99m)Tc-MAA) hepatic perfusion imaging provide essential information before liver radioembolization with (90)Y-loaded microspheres in patients with primary and secondary hepatic malignancies. The aims of this integrated procedure are to determine whether there is a risk for excessive shunting of (90)Y-microspheres to the lungs; to detect extrahepatic perfusion emerging from the injected vascular territory, which might lead to nontargeted radioembolization; to reveal incomplete coverage of the liver parenchyma involved by the tumor, which may be related to anatomic or acquired variants of the arterial vasculature; and to aid in calculation of the (90)Y-microsphere dose to be delivered to the liver. This pictorial essay presents an integrated comprehensive review of the anatomic, angiographic, and nuclear imaging aspects of planned liver radioembolization. The relevant anatomy of the liver, including the standard and the variant arterial vasculature, will be shown using digital subtraction angiography, SPECT/CT, contrast-enhanced CT, and anatomic illustrations. Technical details that will optimize the imaging protocols and important imaging findings will be discussed. From the angio suite to the γ-camera-the goal of this review is to help the reader better understand how the technical details of the angiographic procedure are reflected in the imaging findings of the (99m)Tc-MAA hepatic perfusion study. In addition, the reader should learn to better recognize the pertinent findings and their clinical implications. This knowledge will enable the reader to provide a more useful interpretation of this complex multidisciplinary procedure.
Sobre la paz perpetua y el ideal cosmopolita: un diálogo entre Kant y Rousseau

This article, which later takes the form of a dialogue between Kant and Rousseau, presents some basic similarities and differences in their proposals for eternal peace and the cosmopolitan idea of the time. In the second half of the eighteenth century, Rousseau wrote a summarized and annotated version of the Abbot of Saint-Pierre’s project for perpetual peace. Kant, for his part, influenced by Rousseau, wrote his proposal for Eternal Peace. Kant is regarded by many as a cosmopolitan, whereas Rousseau is considered an anti-cosmopolitan. The aim of this article is to discuss the idea according to which both authors represent opposite poles in relation to cosmopolitanism, ,and to argue, through a dialogue between them, that they share the idea of a moral cosmopolitanism.
SIGIRR promotes resistance against Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis by down-regulating type-1 immunity and IL-1R1 and TLR4 signaling.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis destroys the cornea in susceptible Th1 responder C57BL/6 (B6), but not resistant Th2 responder (BALB/c) mice. To determine whether single Ig IL-1R-related molecule (SIGIRR) played a role in resistance, mRNA and protein expression levels were tested. Both were constitutively expressed in the cornea of the two mouse groups. A disparate mRNA and protein expression pattern was detected in the cornea of BALB/c vs B6 mice after infection. SIGIRR protein decreased significantly in BALB/c over B6 mice at 1 day postinfection. Thus, BALB/c mice were injected with an anti-SIGIRR Ab or IgG control. Anti-SIGIRR Ab over control-treated mice showed increased corneal opacity, stromal damage, and bacterial load. Corneal mRNA levels for IL-1β, MIP-2, IL-1R1, TLR4, IL-18, and IFN-γ and protein levels for IL-1β and MIP-2 also were significantly up-regulated in anti-SIGIRR Ab over control mice, while no changes in polymorphonuclear cell number, IL-4, or IL-10 mRNA expression were detected. To further define the role of SIGIRR, RAW264.7 macrophage-like cells were transiently transfected with SIGIRR and stimulated with heat-killed P. aeruginosa or LPS. SIGIRR transfection significantly decreased mRNA levels for IL-1R1, TLR4, and type 1 immune response-associated cytokines (IL-12, IL-18, and IFN-γ) as well as proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and MIP-2 protein expression. SIGIRR also negatively regulated IL-1 and LPS, but not poly(I:C)-mediated signaling and NF-κB activation. These data provide evidence that SIGIRR is critical in resistance to P. aeruginosa corneal infection by down-regulating type 1 immunity, and that it negatively regulates IL-1 and TLR4 signaling.
Usefulness of apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I ratio to predict coronary artery disease independent of the metabolic syndrome in African Americans

Studies have demonstrated that the apolipoprotein B/apolipoprotein A-I (apoB/apoA-I) ratio predicts cardiovascular risk better than any of the cholesterol indexes. A number of factors that define the metabolic syndrome (MS) differ across African-American and European-American ethnicities. We assessed the relation of the apoB/apoA-I ratio to MS and coronary artery disease (CAD) in 224 African Americans and 304 European Americans. The MS was defined using the revised National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria, and CAD was assessed as ≥50% stenosis or a continuous cardiovascular score (0 to 75). The European Americans had a greater apoB/apoA-I ratio than the African Americans (1.15 vs 1.07, p = 0.008). The apoB/apoA-I ratio was associated with presence of the MS in both European Americans (odds ratio 5.9, 95% confidence interval 2.53 to 13.57, p <0.001) and African Americans (odds ratio 8.3, 95% confidence interval 3.52 to 19.25, p <0.001) and was greater in subjects with the MS than in those without the MS (1.21 vs 1.04, p <0.001, for European Americans and 1.20 vs 0.94, p <0.001, for African Americans). A stepwise increase was seen in the prevalence of the MS across the apoB/apoA-I ratio tertiles in both ethnic groups (chi-square = 13.1, p <0.001, for European Americans and chi-square = 19.6, p <0.001, for African Americans). On multiple regression analyses, the apoB/apoA-I ratio independently predicted CAD in African Americans (β = 0.242, p = 0.011). The cardiovascular score was significantly increased across the apoB/apoA-I ratio tertiles in the European-American subjects with the MS (p = 0.001). However, this association was seen in the African-American subjects without the MS (p = 0.023). In conclusion, the apoB/apoA-I ratio differed across ethnicities and was associated with presence of the MS in both groups. Among African Americans, an elevated apoB/apoA-I ratio independently predicted a greater risk of CAD.
The role of free-living daily walking in human weight gain and obesity.

OBJECTIVE —Diminished daily physical activity explains, in part, why obesity and diabetes have become worldwide epidemics. In particular, chair use has replaced ambulation, so that obese individuals tend to sit for ∼2.5 h/day more than lean counterparts. Here, we address the hypotheses that free-living daily walking distance is decreased in obesity compared with lean subjects and that experimental weight gain precipitates decreased daily walking. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS —During weight-maintenance feeding, we measured free-living walking using a validated system that captures locomotion and body movement for 10 days in 22 healthy lean and obese sedentary individuals. These measurements were then repeated after the lean and obese subjects were overfed by 1,000 kcal/day for 8 weeks. RESULTS —We found that free-living walking comprises many (∼47) short-duration ( n = 10, 10.3 ± 2.5 vs. n = 12, 6.7 ± 1.8 miles/day; P = 0.0009). With overfeeding, walking distance decreased by 1.5 miles/day compared with baseline values (−1.5 ± 1.7 miles/day; P = 0.0005). The decrease in walking that accompanied overfeeding occurred to a similar degree in the lean (−1.4 ± 1.9 miles/day; P = 0.04) and obese (−1.6 ± 1.7 miles/day; P = 0.008) subjects. CONCLUSIONS —Walking is decreased in obesity and declines with weight gain. This may represent a continuum whereby progressive increases in weight are associated with progressive decreases in walking distance. By identifying walking as pivotal in weight gain and obesity, we hope to add credence to an argument for an ambulatory future.
Chemokine Gene Silencing in Decidual Stromal Cells Limits T Cell Access to the Maternal-Fetal Interface

The chemokine-mediated recruitment of effector T cells to sites of inflammation is a central feature of the immune response. The extent to which chemokine expression levels are limited by the intrinsic developmental characteristics of a tissue has remained unexplored. We show in mice that effector T cells cannot accumulate within the decidua, the specialized stromal tissue encapsulating the fetus and placenta. Impaired accumulation was in part attributable to the epigenetic silencing of key T cell–attracting inflammatory chemokine genes in decidual stromal cells, as evidenced by promoter accrual of repressive histone marks. These findings give insight into mechanisms of fetomaternal immune tolerance, as well as reveal the epigenetic modification of tissue stromal cells as a modality for limiting effector T cell trafficking.
Summer Training Factors and Risk of Musculoskeletal Injury Among High School Cross-country Runners

Study Design Prospective cohort. Objectives To examine the relationship between summer training practices and risk of injury during the first month of a high school interscholastic cross-country season. Background Several prospective studies have reported a high incidence of injury in adolescent cross-country runners. However, limited reports exist on the role of summer training practices and risk of injury among these runners. Methods Four hundred twenty-one athletes (186 girls, 235 boys) who competed in interscholastic cross-country were followed during a cross-country season. At the start of the season, all participants completed a questionnaire regarding summer training routines. Time-loss, running-related injuries were tracked during the subsequent season. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of initial injury during the first month of the season associated with summer training variables. Results Sixty-seven runners (1...
Feedback control of onset of turbulence in hydrodynamic systems

In this paper, we discuss the possibility of using feedback controls for delaying the onset of turbulence in a hydrodynamic system describable by the Navier-Stokes equations. Attention is focused on the Couette flow of a viscous, incompressible fluid between two rotating concentric cylinders. Some preliminary theoretical results and directions of our on-going study are discussed.
Epidemiology of endometrial neoplasia.

Though among U.S. women endometrial cancer is the most common invasive gynecological cancer, it has a relatively favorable prognosis. From 1986–1990, approximately 19% of U.S. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program cases were diagnosed in women less than 55 years of age; however, the age-specific incidence (per 100,000) peaked at 70–74 years (110.7), which was 2.85 times the rate reported at 50–54 years (38.9). The incidence under 50 years was 2.19 times higher in U.S. White compared with U.S. Black women; for uterine corpus cancers diagnosed at 50 years and older, the ratio declined but continued to be elevated in Whites (1.46). In contrast, average annual age-adjusted mortality (per 100,000) from 1986–1990 for uterine corpus cancer (1970 U.S. standard) was almost twice as high in U.S. Black women (6.0) as in U.S. White women (3.3). The determinants of age-specific elevated risks in moratlity, in contrast to the lesser age-specific risks in incidence experienced by U.S. Black women compared with U.S. White women, may be explored with respect to socioeconomics and cultural factors that influence the distribution of epidemiologic risk factors such as reproductive history, choice of contraception methods, hormone replacement therapy, and dietary factors; age-specific prevalence of hysterectomy for other gynecological conditions; quality of medical care and surveillance practices; genetic factors infleuncing susceptibility; and tumor-associated biological factors. The majority of risk factors and medical conditions associated with endometrial cancer are related directly or indirectly to the levels and metabolic effects of the reproductive hormones, namely estrogens and progestogens. The molecular, genetic, and epidemiologic characterization of endometrial cancer is attempting to delineate the multiple steps in the natural history of estrogen-induced or estrogen-responsive neoplasms.
Cotton Fiber Nonwovens For Automotive Composites

With increasing demand for automobiles in the global market, and a simultaneous pressure to address the issue of sustainability, there is continuing need for the incorporation of natural fiber based materials into automotives. The focus of recent research has been to produce compostable cotton fiberbased composites that can be safely disposed off after their intended use without polluting the atmosphere, in an environmentally safe manner. It is evident from studies being done jointly at the University of Tennessee, University of Bremen, Germany and USDA, New Orleans, that by suitably combining cotton and other natural cellulosic fibers, with an appropriate biodegradable binder fiber in the right combination a moldable nonwoven fabric can be produced. Results from these studies addressing the structure and properties of the composites, with respect to their suitability for automotive applications are discussed.