cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of closed heart discrete cryomodification of atrioventricular conduction : electrophysiologic effects in the canine heart

Discrete cryosurgical modification of atrioventricular conduction abolishes refractory atrioventricular node reentry tachycardia with preservation of antegrade atrioventricular nodal conduction. This procedure presently requires cardiopulmonary bypass. To modify atrioventricular conduction without cardiac surgery, we evaluated the electrophysiologic effects of cryolesions applied to the peri-nodal area in the closed heart in 16 dogs before operation, during cryothermic exposure, and at 1 hour and 3 hours after operation. The electrophysiologic effects were evaluated in 10 of the 16 dogs at 2 weeks postoperatively. The dogs were given general anesthetics, and a cryoprobe was introduced into the right atrial cavity through the right atrial appendage. Cryolesions (-60 degrees C) were placed at nine to eleven preselected points around the perinodal area guided by electrodes on the tip of the cryoprobe. Postoperatively, there were significant prolongations of the atrio-His interval, Wenckebach's point, effective refractory period, and functional refractory period of the atrioventricular node. Atrial echo beats were eliminated or decreased in frequency. There was also a significant increase in retrograde ventriculoatrial conduction time. In the long-term observation period the atrio-His intervals remained significantly prolonged in comparison with the preoperative values, the atrial echoes progressively decreased, and ventriculoatrial conduction was absent in five of seven animals. A serendipitous atrioventricular node reentry tachycardia that was inducible in one animal with dual atrioventricular node conduction pathways was successfully eliminated and was not inducible at 2 weeks postoperatively. Complete atrioventricular block occurred during attempts to produce greater atrio-His prolongation in three of the 16 animals and persisted in two for the 2-week period of observation. Closed heart intracardiac cryomodification of atrioventricular conduction is feasible, with the cryoprobe in normothermic blood, producing changes in atrioventricular conduction similar to the open cardiac procedure.
Induction of ovulation and multiple ovulations in seasonally anovulatory and ovulatory mares with an equine pituitary extract.

A crude equine pituitary ethanol extract (EE) was used to induce single and miltiple ovulations in seasonally anovulatory pony mares 3-15 years of age. 12 mares were injected daily for 14 days with EE; 6 of the EE-treated mares were also treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and 6 control mares received saline vehicle only. In a 2nd experiment designed to determine if EE treatment could induce multiple ovulations in seasonally ovulatory mares 7 mares were treated during diestrus 7 mares were treated beginning on Day 1 of estrus and 7 remained untreated. The results of experiment 1 confirmed that EE treatment can induce ovulation in mares during the anovulatory season that the timing of ovulation can be improved with HCG and that ova from induced ovulations are fertilizable. Results of experiment 2 demonstrated that EE treatment can induce follicular activity and multiple ovulations during the ovulatory season.
The Importance of Bringing Science and Medicine to Lay Audiences

As a faculty member in the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, I have spent the past 6 years working to help scientists and medical professionals learn to communicate more effectively about their work. I can cite many reasons why this is important, and later in this article I will. But the one that comes first to mind is a personal one. I see myself, 25 years younger, standing on the street outside a medical center, sobbing into a pay phone as I wait for my mother’s cardiologist to come on the line. A surgeon had just performed an aortic value replacement on my mother. Then, with eyes fixed on the floor, he had delivered a cryptic 15-second update that left me believing she had had a stroke of unknown magnitude. I knew her cardiologist was a good listener and patient talker and I was hoping that, for better or worse, he could explain things to me. Just as I felt on that street corner, lay people are yearning for information they can understand. They need explanations in plain language that fit their level of knowledge and anxiety, the chance to air options and risks with someone they can trust. They want someone to hear the uncertainty in their voice and respond to it, to anticipate the areas of likely confusion and deal with misconceptions and fears that may never be voiced. This is true whether the people are patients, relatives of patients, or just 21st Century humans trying to make sense of successive waves of diet trends, child-rearing advice, and as-seen-on-TV prescription drugs. Not to mention the difficult issues of advanced directives and end-of-life care. Ironically, it has never been easier for lay people to find information about health and science. All they have to …
Sources and ages of fine-grained sediment to streams using fallout radionuclides in the Midwestern United States.

Abstract Fallout radionuclides, 7 Be and 210 Pb ex , sampled in bed sediment for 99 watersheds in the Midwestern region of the United States and in 15 samples of suspended sediment from 3 of these watersheds were used to partition upland from channel sources and to estimate the age or the time since the surface-derived portion of sediment was on the land surface (0–∼1 year). Channel sources dominate: 78 of the 99 bed material sites (79%) have >50% channel-derived sediment, and 9 of the 15 suspended-sediment samples (60%) have >50% channel-derived sediment. 7 Be was detected in 82 bed sediment samples and all 15 suspended-sediment samples. The surface-derived portion of 54 of the 80 (68%) streams with detectable 7 Be and 210 Pb ex were ≤ 100 days old and the surface-derived portion of all suspended-sediment samples were ≤ 100 days old, indicating that surface-derived fine-grained sediment moves rapidly though these systems. The concentrations of two hydrophobic pesticides–DDE and bifenthrin–are correlated with the proportion of surface-derived sediment, indicating a link between geomorphic processes and particle-associated contaminants in streams. Urban areas had the highest pesticide concentrations and the largest percentage of surface-derived sediment. Although the percentage of surface-derived sediment is less than channel sources at most of the study sites, the relatively young age of the surface-derived sediment might indicate that management actions to reduce sediment contamination where the land surface is an important source could have noticeable effects.
A revision of the Aphaenogaster phalangium complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

The Aphaenogaster phalangium complex is a lineage of rainforest ants endemic to Central America. The complex is revised and interpreted as two parapatric species, A. phalangium and A. araneoides, with extensive geographic variation. Character variation is discordant within species, but in some cases appears to vary in parallel between the two species, such that both species vary the same way in montane versus lowland sites. Aphaenogaster inermis Forel 1899, A. nitidiventris Forel 1912, and A. canalis Enzmann 1947 are synonymized under A. phalangium Emery 1890; and A. brevicollis Forel 1899 is synonymized under A. araneoides Emery 1890. The complex lacks winged queens and instead has ergatoid queens with enlarged postpetiole and gaster.
The use of digital images to determine deformation throughout a microstructure. Part II. Application to cement paste

The deformation mapping technique (DMT) was applied to the problem of studying shrinkage in cement paste during drying. The results are used to help refine our understanding of the mechanisms that cause shrinkage for different relative humidity ranges. The influences of the age, water : cement ratio, and curing temperature on drying shrinkage are examined. In all cases, shrinkage of bulk samples results from the interaction between expanding regions (rarefactions) and contracting regions (compactions) within the microstructure. Very large local deformations are associated with the collapse of the colloid networks of C-S-H. Damage, akin to fracture, is observed in stiffer samples.
The Business Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa

This chapter briefly presents an overview of the sub-Saharan African region. An understanding of the challenges and potential of this region could help to have a better grasp of the importance of this book and its call for a framework to spur economic development and growth. The chapter uses the PEST model to underline the importance of the institutional environment (economic, political, social, and technological) in the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems in sub-Saharan Africa. The chapter also uses the rankings of the Ease of Doing Business Report and the Economic Freedom Index to assess the business environment of sub-Saharan African countries. Before discussing the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, I briefly present an overview of the sub-Saharan African region.
Programmed cell death-1 pathway inhibition in myeloid malignancies: implications for myeloproliferative neoplasms

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are clonal hematopoietic diseases that belong to the spectrum of myeloid malignancies (MyMs), which also include myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). While hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative therapeutic approach to many MyMs, the associated morbidity and mortality have necessitated the development of non-HSCT therapeutics for symptom management and disease course modification. Immune checkpoint inhibition, in particular along the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/B7-H1 (PD-L1) axis, is an established strategy in solid tumors with potential as an adjunctive therapy in hematologic malignancies. Seminal studies suggest that the pro-inflammatory microenvironment of MyMs can suppress T lymphocyte-mediated immunity via PD-1 signaling and that response to mainstay epigenetic therapies for MyMs may be governed by PD-1 gene regulation. Although the role of PD-1 signaling in MPN pathogenesis and progression is as yet unclear, research in MPN patients has revealed expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which may effect host immune tolerance of tumor via temporally and spatially specific activation of PD-1/PD-L1 signaling. The current understanding of immune dysfunction in MPNs and analogous MyMs offers a compelling rationale to study PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition in patients as a novel treatment option.
Avian relationships with wildfire at two dry forest locations with different historical fire regimes

Wildfire is a key factor influencing bird community composition in western North American forests. We need to understand species and community responses to wildfire and how responses vary regionally to effectively manage dry conifer forests for maintaining biodiversity. We compared avian relationships with wildfire burn severity between two dry forest locations of Arizona and Idaho. We predicted different responses to wildfire between locations due to regional differences in historical fire regime. We conducted point count surveys for 3 yr following wildfire (Arizona: 1997-1999; Idaho: 2008-2010) and used multispecies hierarchical models to analyze relationships of bird occupancy with burn severity. Consistent with our prediction for mixed- severity fire regimes characterizing the Idaho location, we observed proportionately more positive species occupancy relationships and, consequently, a positive species richness relationship with burn severity in Idaho. We also observed the opposite pattern in Arizona, which was congruent with our prediction for the low- severity fire regime characterizing that location. Cavity nesters and aerial insectivores occupied more severely burned sites following wildfire, corresponding with predicted increases in nesting substrate and foraging opportunities for these species. In contrast, canopy- nesting foliage gleaners and pine seed consumers exhibited negative relationships with burn severity. Our results were consistent with predictions based on species life histories and with patterns from the literature, suggesting generality of observed relationships and locational difference in relationships with wildfire. We therefore suggest that optimal management strategies for maintaining avian diversity could differ regionally. Specifically, intensive fuels management may be ecologically less appropriate for promoting biodiversity in areas such as the Idaho location where mixed- severity wildfires and dense forest stands were historically more common.
Trajectories of self-care agency and associated factors in lung transplant recipients over the first 12 months following transplantation.

Self-care agency (SCA), defined as one's ability and willingness to engage in self-care behaviors, can influence actual performance of self-care behaviors in lung transplant recipients (LTRs). Understanding patterns of SCA over time may inform the design of interventions to promote self-care in LTRs. Using group-based trajectory modeling, we sought to identify patterns and correlates of SCA among 94 LTRs over the first 12-months post-transplant. Baseline measures of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors, and longitudinally assessed psychological distress were examined for their associations with predicted trajectory group membership. Three distinct stable (i.e., zero slope) SCA trajectories were identified: persistently low, persistently moderate, and persistently high. Based on the final multivariate model, requiring a re-intubation after transplant (p=.043), discharged to a facility rather than home (p=.048), and reporting a higher level of baseline anxiety (p=.001) were significantly associated with lower SCA. Linear mixed models revealed that higher levels of anxiety and depression were associated with lower SCA in the persistently moderate and low SCA groups over the 12-month time period (ps<.05). LTRs who require a re-intubation after transplant and are discharged to a facility other than home, and report high psychological distress, may need additional assistance to engage in post-transplant self-care behaviors. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Navigating Discourses of Power Through Relationships: A Professional and Technical Communication Intern Negotiates a Meaningful Identity Within a State Legislature

This article applies identity construction concepts to a professional and technical communication student intern’s use of agency as she negotiates a unique identity for herself within a state legis...
Banking Crisis, Currency Crisis and Growth

This paper examines the effect of banking and currency crises on long-run growth. Our data cover 130 economies from 1800 to 2010, some dating from 1800 with the rest beginning in later years. The data include banking crises, currency crises, output per worker, growth rate of population and regional dummies. We found that both the frequency of banking crises and the frequency of currency crises have a negative and statistically significant effect on growth in the short run and a positive effect on growth, though statistically insignificant, in the longer run. While the frequency of currency crisis has a more negative impact on growth in the short to medium run (10 decades) than does the frequency of banking crisis, the effects of both become insignificantly positive in the longer run. More specifically, we show that the frequency of banking crisis is statistically significantly correlated to growth for the time windows of 1 decade and 2 decades, this negative relationship becoming increasingly more statistically insignificant overall for time windows from 3 decades to 10 decades before finally becoming positive, though statistically insignificant, for the time windows of 13 decades and longer for our sample. The frequency of currency crisis is statistically significantly negatively associated with growth overall for the time windows of 1 decade to 10 decades, before becoming insignificantly positive for time windows of 13 decades and longer for our sample.
Adjuvant radiation for T1-2N1 oral cavity cancer survival outcomes and utilization treatment trends: Analysis of the SEER database.

Abstract Objective Evaluate current practice patterns in the use of adjuvant radiation for T1-2N1 OCSCC patients and investigate its efficacy in the population-based setting. Materials and methods This study extracted patients who were treated surgically for T1N1 and T2N1 OCSCC without adverse nodal features from the SEER database from 2004 to 2013. Patients with distant metastatic disease, unknown surgery or radiation status, or prior malignancies were excluded. Patients were divided into those who underwent surgical resection with and without adjuvant radiation. Disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) were the primary outcomes measured. Results 746 patients met inclusion criteria and 70% received adjuvant radiation therapy. Treatment with adjuvant radiation therapy was significantly associated with improved 5-year DSS (65% versus 51%; p Conclusion Adjuvant radiation therapy is independently associated with a significant survival benefit for patients with both T1N1 and T2N1 OCSCC. However, this study demonstrates that patients with T1N1 cancer are less likely to receive adjuvant radiation and utilization is decreasing.
Morbilliform Drug Eruption

Morbilliform drug eruptions are the most common type of cutaneous adverse drug eruption comprising 75–90% of all drug reactions.
Automatic Frame-Cut Detection for Self-Diagnostics of Video Surveillance Systems

There are thousands of hours of digital video recorded everyday by surveillance cameras, dashboard cameras, police body cameras, that are often used as court evidence. These video recordings could have been edited before being archived and there is no easy way to know if they have been tampered with unless visually and carefully examined. A jump-cut could also be the result of faulty camera sensor, processing software failure, or transmission error. With the vast application span of security and surveillance cameras from banks, airports, borders, ports of entry, high value government properties such as embassies, it is important to have video security or surveillance system capable of self-diagnostics. In this research, we propose an automatic method that can examine video recordings and detect frame-cuts without any human intervention. Our algorithm could assist law enforcement, department of justice, department of home land security, customs and border protection, and other government agencies to examine thousands of hours of video recordings quickly and autonomously and produce the list of possible frame cuts with their timestamps.
Wasserstein Distance and the Distributionally Robust TSP

One of the most common strategies used in large-scale logistics problems is districting, in which one divides a service region into smaller pieces. This is particularly useful when one does not kno...
'Officers' in the Supreme Court: Lucia v. SEC

This article appeared in the Cato Supreme Court Review addressing the Court's October Term 2017. The article addresses the Court's June 2018 opinion in Lucia v. SEC, which held that administrative law judges in the Securities and Exchange Commission are "Officers of the United States" within the meaning of the Constitution's Appointments Clause. Significant portions of this article are based on my earlier study of the original meaning of the Appointments Clause that the Stanford Law Review published in February 2018, see 73 Stan. L. Rev. 443 (2018).
Antibodies from Lampreys as Smart Anti-Glycan Reagents (SAGRs): Perspectives on Their Specificity, Structure, and Glyco-genomics

The repertoire of glycans expressed by individual cells and tissues is enormous, and various estimates indicate that thousands of different glycans and "glycan determinants" are critical for functional recognition by glycan-binding proteins. Defining the steady-state expression and functional impacts of the human glycome will require a concerted worldwide effort, along with the development of new immunological, genetic, chemical, and biochemical technologies. Here, we describe the generation of smart anti-glycan reagents (SAGRs), recombinant antibodies that recognize novel glycan determinants. The antibodies are generated by the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), through immunization with glycoconjugates, cells, and even tissues. SAGRs represent a versatile immunological tool for defining the expression of glycans in cells and tissues. We also present a comparison of lamprey-derived anti-carbohydrate antibodies that have been characterized to date. Finally, we explore the unique glyco-genome of the lamprey itself as it compares to those of humans and mice and how it may relate to the lamprey's inherent capacity to produce antibodies to mammalian glycans.
Development of a tension pneumomediastinum during mechanical ventilation of a young Irish Wolfhound

Objective To report the development of a tension pneumomediastinum during mechanical ventilation of a young Irish Wolfhound with aspiration pneumonia. Case summary A 9-month-old intact female Irish Wolfhound was presented for clinical signs consistent with aspiration pneumonia. Evaluation of her pedigree and clinical signs prompted suspicion of Irish Wolfhound rhinitis bronchopneumonia syndrome as a contributing factor. Despite supportive care for bronchopneumonia, progressive hypoxemia and increased work of breathing required mechanical ventilation (MV). Development of a pneumothorax 36 hours after initiation of MV necessitated bilateral thoracostomy tubes. Cardiovascular decline persisted despite resolution of the pneumothorax and 1 hour later the dog was humanely euthanized. On necropsy, severe pneumomediastinum was identified without other evidence of barotrauma. Necropsy results suggested tension pneumomediastinum as the cause of pneumothorax and cardiovascular deterioration. New or unique information provided Pneumomediastinum has not been described in dogs receiving MV. This case highlights the importance of rapid detection of pneumomediastinum during MV, as the complication can quickly become life-threatening.
Association Between Cannabis Use and Healthcare Utilization in Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a frequent cause of abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, which is associated with significant healthcare utilization. The effects of the active compound of cannabis, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), on gut motility and tone have been studied in several experimental models. It is unknown whether these effects correlate with improved healthcare utilization among cannabis users. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of cannabis use on inpatient length of stay and resource utilization for patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of IBS. Methods Data were extracted from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Nationwide Inpatient Sample database from 2010 to 2014 for all patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of IBS. Cannabis users (n=246) and non-users (n=9147) were directly compared for various clinical outcomes. Results Cannabis users were less likely to have the following: upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (17.9% vs. 26.1%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.51 [0.36 to 0.73]; p<0.001) and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (21.1% vs. 28.7%; aOR: 0.54 [0.39 to 0.75]; p<0.001). Additionally, cannabis users had shorter length of stay (2.8 days vs. 3.6 days; p=0.004) and less total charges (US$20,388 vs. US$23,624). There was no difference in the frequency of CT abdomen performed. Conclusions Cannabis use may decrease inpatient healthcare utilization in IBS patients. These effects could possibly be through the effect of cannabis on the endocannabinoid system.
A cinematic analysis of the leadership behaviours of Robin Hood

This study conducts a critical examination of leadership behaviour practices in a selection of film adaptations of the Robin Hood legend. This paper extends traditional efforts with theorizing lead...
Strategies for the Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of α-Trifluoromethyl Amines

The exploitation of the α-trifluoromethylamino group as an amide surrogate in peptidomimetics and drug candidates has been on the rise. In a large number of these cases, this moiety bears stereoche...
An AlGaN Tunnel Junction Light Emitting Diode operating at 255 nm

We report on the demonstration of high-performance tunnel junction deep ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The device heterostructure was grown under slightly Ga-rich conditions to promote the formation of nanoscale clusters in the active region. The device operates at ∼255 nm with a maximum external quantum efficiency of 7.2% and wall-plug of 4%, which are nearly one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of previously reported tunnel junction devices operating at this wavelength. The devices exhibit highly stable emission, with a nearly constant emission peak with increasing current, due to the strong charge carrier confinement related to the presence of Ga-rich nanoclusters. Efficiency droop, however, is observed at relatively low current densities. Detailed temperature-dependent measurements suggest that the presence of efficiency droop of deep UV LEDs is largely due to electron overflow.
Vietnam: An Overview Economic Reform ‘Đổi Mới’

This article provides an overview of the Vietnam Economic reform, Đổi Mới. The article also examines the “Đổi Mới” policy and economic development since 1986.
Evolution of Total Angular Momentum and Berry Phase in 3D Structured Light

Vector beams can be structured to change their polarization state and topological charge locally with propagation. We report on the observation of Berry phase factor accompanying these transitions and provide a recipe for engineering it on demand.
The Straight White Male

Why am I now apologizing for being a straight white male, in the midst of Covid 19? It is due to the fact that when the vaccine for this dread disease was discovered, there was, horrors!, a plethora of evil cis-gendered straight white males heavily involved in the laboratory. Hence, the timing of this apology.
Transdiagnostic and functional predictors of depression severity and trajectory in the Penn state psychiatry clinical assessment and rating evaluation system (PCARES) registry.

Background Timely, accurate diagnosis and subsequent identification of risk factors for depression that is difficult-to-treat can aid in decreasing the burden of depressive illness and reducing probability of future disability. We aimed to identify sociodemographic, clinical, and functional factors that predict depression severity over one year in a real-world, naturalistic, transdiagnostic clinical sample. A subset sample with moderate depression was examined to determine the magnitude of improvement. Methods The Penn State Psychiatry Clinical Assessment and Rating System (PCARES) Registry houses data from systematically-structured patient-reported outcomes and clinical data from an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) gathered during routine clinical care of patients seeking mental health care at a mid-Atlantic clinic. Self-report symptom and functional measures were obtained, and sociodemographic features and clinical diagnoses were extracted from the EMR from 1,766 patients between 2/6/2016 to 9/30/2019. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) depression scale was obtained at each visit. Using a discrete mixture clustering model, the study population was divided into five longitudinal trajectory groups, termed depression severity groups, based on intra-individual PHQ-9 score trajectories over one year. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to evaluate associations between characteristics and the likelihood of depression severity group membership. To determine the magnitude of improvement, predictors of the slope of the PHQ-9 trajectory were examined for patients with moderate depression. Results The strongest predictors of high depression severity over one year were poor functioning, high transdiagnostic DSM-5 Level 1 crosscutting symptom score, diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), public/self-pay insurance, female gender, and non-White race. Among the subset of patients with moderate depression, strong predictors of improvement were commercial insurance and exposure to trauma; the strongest predictors of worsening were high functional impairment, high transdiagnostic Level 1 symptom score, diagnosis of PTSD, diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and marital status of single or formerly married; depression-specific symptom measures were not predictive. Limitations Limitations include inferring education and income status from zip code level-data, the non-random missingness of data, and the use of diagnoses collected from the electronic medical record. Conclusion Functional impairment, transdiagnostic measures of symptom burden, and insurance status are strong predictors of depression severity and poor outcome.
In-Situ Magnetization of a Cold Sprayed Permanent Magnet Rotor Using an Impulse Magnetizer

The design, simulation and testing of an impulse magnetizer and the in-situ post-assembly magnetization of a permanent magnet (PM) rotor manufactured by a cold spray additive manufacturing (AM) using the prototyped magnetizer is presented in this paper. A software based finite element simulation is done to obtain the level of magnetization current required. An impulse magnetizer is built for this specification. A 4-pole rotor with cold-sprayed rectangular magnets is magnetized in this work after assembling it in the stator. Various stator terminal connection configurations are analyzed. The machine is magnetized and the back-EMF waveform and the rotor magnetization profile is obtained.
Cavity-enhanced mid-IR optical frequency comb spectroscopy: Enhanced time and spectral resolution

Cavity-Enhanced Direct Frequency Comb Spectroscopy has been applied to buffer gas cooled acetylene achieving a Doppler-limited spectral resolution of 90 MHz. Additionally Time Resolved Frequency Comb Spectroscopy allows for the detection of trans-DOCO in photolysis reaction kinetics with a molecular sensitivity of 1010 cm−3.
Tele-help line for caregivers (TLC) : A comprehensive telehealth intervention for rural family caregivers

This article presents a brief overview of the literature on the unique and diverse needs of rural caregivers and issues related to the design and implementation of caregiving interventions in rural areas. The Tele-Help Line for Caregivers (TLC), a clinical telehealth intervention currently underway for rural caregivers, is described. A case example is presented, demonstrating the benefits of a telehealth intervention for the rural caregiver. Each component of the intervention is described and preliminary outcome data are discussed. Issues related to the applicability of the intervention for a racially/ethnically diverse group of caregivers are also addressed.
Local exploration: online algorithms and a probabilistic framework

Mapping an environment with an imaging sensor becomes very challenging if the environment to be mapped is unknown and has to be explored. Exploration involves the planning of views so that the entire environment is covered. The majority of implemented mapping systems use a heuristic planning while theoretical approaches regard only the traveled distance as cost. However, practical range acquisition systems spend a considerable amount of time for acquisition. In this paper, we address the problem of minimizing the cost of looking around a corner, involving the time spent in traveling as well as the time spent for reconstruction. Such a local exploration can be used as a subroutine for global algorithms. We prove competitive ratios for two online algorithms. Then, we provide two representations of local exploration as a Markov Decision Process and apply a known policy iteration algorithm. Simulation results show that for some distributions the probabilistic approach outperforms deterministic strategies.
The Pars Intermedia: An Anatomic Basis for a Coordinated Vascular Response to Female Genital Arousal

ABSTRACT Introduction The pars intermedia is an area of the vulva that has been inconsistently described in the literature. Aim We conducted anatomic studies to better describe the tissues and vascular structures of the pars intermedia and proposed a functional rationale of the pars intermedia in the female sexual response. Methods Nine cadaveric vulvectomy specimens were used. Each was serially sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome. Main Outcome Measures Histologic ultrastructural description of the pars intermedia. Results The pars intermedia contains veins traveling longitudinally in the angle of the clitoris, supported by collagen‐rich stromal tissues. These veins drain the different vascular compartments of the vulva, including the clitoris, the bulbs, and labia minora; also, the interconnecting veins link the different vascular compartments. The pars intermedia is not composed of erectile tissue, distinguishing it from the erectile tissues of the corpora cavernosa of the clitoris as well as the corpus spongiosum of the clitoral (vestibular) bulbs. Conclusions The venous communications of the pars intermedia, linking the erectile tissues with the other vascular compartments of the vulva, appear to provide the anatomic basis for a coordinated vascular response during female sexual arousal.
The Role of the Face and Body in Unfamiliar Person Identification

Summary Information useful for identifying a person can be found both in the face and body. Previous studies indicate that when an entire person is visible, we rely strongly on the face for identification, even if the body can be useful. We measured the utility of the face versus body for identification, by using images of unfamiliar people that varied in the quality of identity information in the face. Face quality was varied using similarity scores generated by state-of-the-art face recognition algorithms from an international competition. These algorithms estimated the similarity of faces in a large set (>1 000 000) of image pairs that showed ‘people’, including the face and the top half of the body. By using these similarity scores, image pairs were stratified into three groups representing good, moderate, and poor performance for the face recognition algorithm. Participants matched identity in image pairs sampled from the three groups, by using versions of the stimuli edited digitally to show only the face or body. Consistent with the algorithm stratifications, performance with the face declined across the three conditions. The face supported more accurate identification than the body in the good and moderate conditions. In the poor condition, performance from the face and body was comparable. Using data from a previous study, we compared the face-only and body-only identity judgments with judgments based on the original image. The original unedited image supported the best overall performance in the good and moderate conditions. Notably, performance in the poor condition was equivalent for the face, body, and original images. The results indicate that in poor viewing conditions, identification decisions from the body may be as accurate as those made from the face or the entire person. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Civil War in Europe, 1905–1949: The Russian Civil War, 1917???1922

The Russian civil war was the paradigmatic revolutionary civil war of the twentieth century, but the term is an oversimplification for the extensive series of military conflicts waged in the remnants of the tsarist empire between 1917 and 1922. “The wars of the tsarist succession” would be a more adequate description. There was indeed a massive civil war among Russians, but in addition both Russian sides sought to extend their control over all the non-Russian peoples of the former empire, among whom a lengthy and confusing series of campaigns were waged. One historian has counted eleven different armies that at one time or another fought in Ukraine. Independent rulers briefly emerged in remote areas, while criminal bands ravaged sizable districts. The major powers intervened militarily on the periphery, but without determination or effectiveness, except in the Baltic. Even before winning the civil war in Russia proper, the new Bolshevik dictatorship attempted to send its poorly organized forces into Europe, producing a major war with Poland in 1920 and, more successfully, carrying out the conquest of Mongolia in 1921, extending its control even beyond the former tsarist domains. All the while, the last phases of the intra-Russian civil war were being fought within ethnic Russia. This enormous series of struggles, which lasted for five years, produced immense collateral damage among civilians in terms of executions, famine, and mass epidemics, and cost nearly five times as many lives as were lost on the eastern front in World War I.
Model for Farm Irrigation in Humid Areas

A multicrop, multisoil, farm irrigation system is broken down into a number of discrete units, and then analyzed by means of a two-level optimization approach. At the first level of optimization dynamic programming is used to determine, on a per acre basis, the optimal irrigation policy, the maximum expected profit, and the expected monthly irrigation labor and water requirements for each crop-soil combination and each level of irrigation development. At the next level of optimization linear programming is used to determine the irrigation system, the level of irrigation development, and the crop mix, which maximize the expected farm profit without violating any of the farm resource limitations. The model assumes that water supply is the important variable which controls plant growth, and uses a production function which is based on the concept of stress days. To show how the procedure may be set up on a computer, a hypothetical two-crop, two-soil, farm irrigation system is analyzed considering several resource combinations.
Thin-film silicon-on-insulator (SOI) device applications of selective epitaxial growth

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology has surged into a position of prominence in recent years. SOI devices provide a viable technology for high-density, large-scale-integration and high performance VLSI circuits. Of late, the potential applications of SOI devices have extended to the field of power devices and mixed-mode analog-digital circuits. In this field of application in particular, selective epitaxial growth techniques such as epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) and Confined Lateral Selective Epitaxial Growth (CLSEG) provide attractive alternatives to SIMOX. ELO and CLSEG provide the means of selectively growing SOI islands in regions where high performance digital MOS circuitry are desired. Due to the low temperatures involved in selective epitaxy, mixed mode integration becomes a lot easier. This paper presents results from fully-depleted SOI devices fabricated by ELO and provides for the first time a study of interface state densities across the various interfaces in the device. In addition, thin-film fully-depleted SOI devices have been fabricated for the first time in SOI device islands fabricated by CLSEG, and the devices have been used to characterize the material. >
A new synthesis of the labeling precursor for [18F]- fluoromisonidazole

[18F]-Fluoromisonidazole is the most widely used radiopharmaceutical for imaging hypoxia in tumors. The precursor for [18F]-fluoromisonidazole was prepared from 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol in 5 steps from available materials and straightforward purification steps. The overall yield for this synthesis was 18%. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Central nervous system effects of hypothalamic peptides.

Intravenous (i.v.) administration of TRF (1 mg⁄kg) increases the LD50 of pentobarbital (PB) by 25% while the same dose of somatostatin results in a 30% reduction in PB LD50. A similar increase of PB LD50 by TRF was observed in hypophysectomized rats. Mortality was completely abolished in rats receiving TRF (1 mg⁄kg) ten minutes after a lethal dose of PB (120 mg⁄kg). Somatostatin (1 mg⁄kg) decreases strychnine-induced seizure duration and increases strychnine LD50 by 21% while TRF lowers the strychnine LD50 by 28%. These observations are consistent with central nervous system sites of action for TRF and somatostatin.
Aerogels as a tool to study the electrical properties of ruthenium dioxide

RuO2 is a well-known oxidation catalyst for electrolytic generation of Cl2. Although bulk RuO2 is a metallic conductor, studies of mixed-oxide aerogels containing RuO2 confirm that the surface of RuO2 is a hydrous oxide and a mixed conductor. Our previous work showed that at room temperature, protonic and electronic conductivity occurs in mixed phase aerogels of RuO2+TiO2 (designated as (Ru–Ti)Ox). Impedance measurements up to 340°C demonstrate that electron hopping and/or semiconduction also occurs in (Ru–Ti)Ox aerogels. Electron hopping may occur between Ru3+ and Ru4+ ions in the ruthenia, while n-type semiconduction may be introduced into the titania by Ru3+ defects. The multiplicity of charge-transfer mechanisms measured on the surfaces of RuO2-based aerogels is indicative of the complexity of the catalytic and electrocatalytic chemistry performed on RuO2.
Stories on the Skin: Tattoo Culture at a South Florida University.

This paper describes a multidisciplinary creative and research project at a South Florida public university. “Stories on the Skin: Tattoo Culture at FAU” has explored and presented tattoos as a sha...
Mother-teacher congruence in perceptions of the child's competence and school engagement: links to academic achievement

Abstract This study was designed to determine whether mother-teacher congruence in perceptions of a child's overall competence and engagement in school was related to the child's academic achievement. The sample consisted of 117 mothers and 45 teachers of a first-or fourth-grade child; the sample of mothers had relatively low annual family household incomes and were from diverse racial backgrounds. The children of mother-teacher dyads who were relatively high in congruence (i.e., dyads who had similar perceptions of the child's overall competence and school engagement) had significantly higher standardized grade point averages in school than did the children of mother-teacher dyads who were relatively low in congruence (i.e., dyads who had less similar perceptions of the child's overall competence and school engagement). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that within the fourth-grade sample, mother-teacher congruence significantly contributed to children's report card grades after mothers' and teachers' individual perceptions entered the regression equation. Mothers' and teachers' perceptions of the child's competence and engagement in school were moderately and positively correlated. Little evidence was found to suggest that the relationship between mother-teacher congruence and children's academic achievement differs based on the mother's ethnicity. The findings point to parent-teacher congruence in perceptions of the child as a promising focus of experimental attempts to strengthen linkages between home and school.
Ultrastructural characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-producing neurons.

By means of preembedding immunohistochemistry, two types of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) positive neurons in the rat could be identified and characterized in the preoptic region and in the diagonal band: (1) a “smooth” GnRH neuron with relatively even cytoplasmic contours, and (2) a “spiny” GnRH neuron with thorn-like protrusions of the perikaryon and cell processes. Both cell types contain the same organelles in similar number and distribution, but they differ in the number of synaptic contacts. In general, GnRH cell bodies have a large round or ovoid nucleus, well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum arranged in multilayered stacks or as individual cisternae, and several Golgi complexes. Lysosomes are not numerous under the conditions studied. Specializations include kinocilia, nematosomes, and lamellar whorls. Throughout the cytoplasm, scattered dense core vesicles with a diameter of 100 nm and clear vesicles with a diameter of 30–40 nm can be seen with a preferential localization close to the cell membrane. The cell processes of smooth GnRH cells close to the perikaryon appear as extensions of the perikaryal cytoplasm with all organelles except the nucleus. The two neurites originate from the perikaryon as tapering cones over a distance of 200–300 μm, until they reach a diameter of 0.5–3 μm. Cell processes of spiny GnRH cells show bifurcations, protrusions, or invaginations and contain clear and dense core vesicles in their spines. In areas distant from the perikaryon, immunoreactive fibers with a large number of dense core and clear vesicles can occasionally be seen to terminate synaptically or asynaptically on other neurons. The GnRH neurons show postsynaptic specializations at the level of the perikaryon and at cell processes, when apposed by a presynaptic terminal. Such synaptic contacts are seen less frequently on smooth cells than on spiny cells. Large areas of the GnRH cell may be covered by a thin glial lamella, which separates the cell body from the surrounding neuropil. The results indicate the existence of two populations of GnRH cell bodies with different patterns of innervation, which suggest different integrative capacities.
Integrating a Global Health Economics Study within a Phase III Clinical Trial

This paper covers Eli Lilly and Company's experiences and lessons learned while integrating a very large global pharmacoeconomic and quality of life study within a Phase III clinical trial. The information contained in this report will assist in outlining the required work and providing a framework for completing the project efficiently. Five steps are covered: background research, development of the pharmacoeconomic plan, development of the quality of life plan, obtaining local input into the proposal, and dissemination of results.
Two-dimensional angular optical scattering (TAOS) measurements of single airborne microparticles: transition to clusters and dual-wavelength absorption studies

We extend our previous work on two-dimensional angular optical scattering (TAOS) patterns to water droplets with inclusions and absorption studies at two different wavelengths. Using an acoustic levitator, the TAOS from water droplets containing polystyrene latex sphere inclusions is observed as the droplet evaporates leaving only a dry aggregate of spheres. Dramatic changes in the TAOS patterns occur even when the droplet still has a large volume fraction of water. Two wavelengths (266 nm and 532 nm) are used to examine the TAOS patterns from droplets containing tryptophan. The effect absorption has on the angular scattering peaks is presented. Such dual wavelength measurements can provide useful information to those working on the inverse problem.