cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous classical communication and quantum key distribution using continuous variables

Presently, classical optical communication systems employing strong laser pulses and quantum key distribution (QKD) systems working at single-photon levels are very different communication modalities. Dedicated devices are commonly required to implement QKD. In this paper, we propose a scheme which allows classical communication and QKD to be implemented simultaneously using the same communication infrastructure. More specially, we propose a coherent communication scheme where both the bits for classical communication and the Gaussian distributed random numbers for QKD are encoded on the same weak coherent pulse and decoded by the same coherent receiver. Simulation results based on practical system parameters show that both deterministic classical communication with a bit error rate of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}9}$ and secure key distribution could be achieved over tens of kilometers of single-mode fibers. It is conceivable that in the future coherent optical communication network, QKD will be operated in the background of classical communication at a minimal cost.
Pain, Racial Discrimination, and Depressive Symptoms among African American Women.

African American women with osteoarthritis (OA) are at high risk of experiencing pain. They report more pain than non-Hispanic White women and men of other racial/ethnic groups. This pain can limit independence and diminish their quality of life. Despite the detrimental effects that pain can have on older African American women with OA, there is a dearth of literature examining factors beyond the OA pathology that are associated with pain outcomes within this population. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms with pain intensity in African American women with OA. The sample comprised of 120 African American women, aged 50-80 years, with OA, from Texas and New Mexico. The women completed survey booklets to answer study questionnaires. We used multiple linear regression to test associations between racial discrimination, depressive symptoms, and pain intensity. We tested whether depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between racial discrimination and pain intensity by using bootstrapping. Results indicated that racial discrimination was significantly associated with pain intensity and that this relationship was mediated by depressive symptoms, even after controlling for body mass index, years of education, and length of time with OA. Both depressive symptoms and racial discrimination may be modifiable. If these modifiable factors are addressed in this population, there may be decreased pain in middle-aged and older African American women.
Home opioid use following cesarean delivery: How many opioid tablets should obstetricians prescribe?

Aim To quantify home opioid use after cesarean delivery and identify factors associated with increased opioid use. Methods A convenience sample of women discharged by postoperative day 2 following a term cesarean delivery of a singleton fetus from May 2015 to May 2016 were contacted 2 weeks post-partum and questioned regarding opioid use, pain control and pain expectations. Results Among 141 women included in the analysis, the median number of opioid tablets used was 36 (interquartile range 16-45) and the median number prescribed was 60 (interquartile range 42-65). Logistic regression identified operative time ≥59.5 min and number of opioid tablets prescribed as two factors independently associated with opioid use in the top quartile. Conclusion In the first 2 weeks post-partum, 75% of women used 45 or fewer opioid tablets. Operative time over 1 h and increased number of opioid tablets prescribed are factors associated with higher post-partum opioid use.
The Structure and Generality of Spoken Route Instructions

A robust system that understands route instructions should be able to process instructions generated naturally by humans. Also desirable would be the ability to handle repairs and other modifications to existing instructions. To this end, we collected a corpus of spoken instructions (and modified instructions) produced by subjects provided with an origin and a destination. We found that instructions could be classified into four categories, depending on their intent such as imperative, feedback, or meta comment. We asked a different set of subjects to follow these instructions to determine the usefulness and comprehensibility of individual instructions. Finally, we constructed a semantic grammar and evaluated its coverage. To determine whether instruction-giving forms a predictable sub-language, we tested the grammar on three corpora collected by others and determined that this was largely the case. Our work suggests that predictable sub-languages may exist for well-defined tasks.
CHAPTER 1 – Preliminaries

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a preliminary idea of the scope of applicability of time series analysis. It illustrates the physical processes that are designed for models of time series and presents some of the basic features of the models. The central feature of all models is the existence of a spectrum by which the time series is decomposed into a linear combination of sines and cosines. Generally, several kinds of spectral or Fourier decompositions are used in time series analysis and it is somewhat of a problem to remember them clearly. They all have properties in common that are essentially geometric in character. Moreover, the same geometry, which is basically the geometry of vector spaces, plays a central role in the construction and interpretation of the important stochastic time series model.
Substance Use in Muslim Culture: Social and Generational Changes in Acceptance and Practice in Jordan

Through narrative analysis, this paper explores the changes in acceptance of and response to substance use in Muslim culture by evaluating data collected in qualitative interviews in Jordan in 2013. What is known and unknown about substance use in Muslim culture throughout the Arab world from previous research findings provides a foundation from which to explore new perspectives and compare themes between younger and older generations in Jordan. Trends of social change and behavioral expression influenced by dramatic political and social upheaval in the Arab world in the last 5 years will also be evaluated for the way in which they may be influencing both substance use and its acceptance among young adults in this population. Recommendations for future research and work in this area are also provided based on these findings.
Profound muscle weakness associated with axis cylinder ballooning. A case report.

Multifocal central white matter axonal swelling characterized electron microscopically by focal axonal mitochondrial and membraneous body enrichment occurred in a 52 year old man who presented with the chief complaint of severe progressive muscular weakness accompanied by disorientation. The clinical and pathological findings in this patient appear unique and are presented in order to broaden our concepts of axis cylinder pathology.
Dissemination and Implementation of Patient-centered Indicators of Pain Care Quality and Outcomes

BACKGROUND Previous approaches to measuring and improving nursing-sensitive, patient-centered metrics of pain quality and outcomes in hospitalized patients have been limited. METHODS In this translational research study, we disseminated and implemented pain quality indicators in 1611 medical and/or surgical, step-down, rehabilitation, critical access, and obstetrical (postpartum) units from 326 US hospitals participating in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. Eligible patients were English-speaking adults in pain. Trained nurses collected patients' perceptions via structured interview including 9 pain quality indicators, demographic, and clinical variables; these patient experience data were merged with unit and hospital level data. Analyses included geographic mapping; summary statistics and 3-level mixed effects modeling. RESULTS Hospitals in 45 states and District of Columbia participated. Of 22,293 screened patients, 15,012 were eligible; 82% verbally consented and participated. Pain prevalence was 72%. Participants were 59.4% female; ages ranged from 19 to 90+ (median: 59 y); 27.3% were nonwhite and 6.5% were Hispanic. Pain intensity on average over the past 24 hours was 6.03 (SD=2.45) on a 0-10 scale. 28.5% of patients were in severe pain frequently or constantly. Race (nonwhite), younger age, being female and nonsurgical were associated (P<0.001) with greater pain. Care quality indicators ranking lowest related to discussion of analgesic side effects and use of nonpharmacologic approaches. CONCLUSIONS Unrelieved pain remains a high-volume problem. Individual factors and unit type were significantly associated with pain outcomes. Hospitals can employ these quality indicators to direct continuous quality improvement targeting pain care quality.
Orbital fat expansion in thyroid eye disease is related to age.

Purpose:To objectively measure the differential expansion of orbital fat and muscle volume in patients with thyroid eye disease.Methods:In this retrospective study, eligible participants were adult...
Cesarean delivery to prevent anal incontinence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cesarean delivery (CD), is increasingly recommended as a mode of delivery that prevents the anal incontinence (AI) that arises in some women after vaginal delivery (VD). The assessment of the efficacy of CD in this regard was the subject of this systematic review. Searches were conducted in Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. Both randomized (RCTs) and non-randomized trials (NRTs) comparing the risk of sustained fecal and/or flatus incontinence after VD or CD were sought from 1966 to 1 January, 2019. Studies were eligible if they assessed AI more than 6 months after birth, and had statistical adjustment for at least one of the three major confounders for AI: age, maternal weight or parity. In addition, each study was required to contain more than 250 participants, more than 50 CDs and more than 25 cases of AI. Data after screening and selection were abstracted and entered into Revman for meta-analysis. Analyses were done for combined fecal and flatus incontinence (comAI), fecal incontinence (FI), gas incontinence (GI), CD before or during labor, time trend of incontinence after delivery, assessment of both statistical and clinical heterogeneity, parity and late incident AI. Out of the 2526 titles and abstracts found, 24 eligible studies were analyzed, 23 NRTs and one RCT. These included women with 29,597 VDs and women with 6821 CDs. Among the primary outcomes, VD was found not to be a significant predictor of postpartum comAI compared to CD in 6 studies, incorporating 18,951 deliveries (OR = 0.74; 0.54–1.02). VD was also not a significant predictor of FI in 14 studies, incorporating 29,367 deliveries, (OR = 0.89; 0.76–1.05). VD was not a significant predictor of GI in six studies, incorporating 6724 deliveries (OR = 0.96; 0.79–1.18). The strength of the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE) evidence for each of these was low for comAI and moderate for FI and GI (upgrade for lack of expected effect). Time trend FI showed incontinence at 3 months often resolved at 1 year. Other secondary analyses assessing parity, delayed incidence of FI, clinical and statistical heterogeneity, spontaneous VD only, late risk of incidence of AI, and CD in or prior to labor all had similar results as in the primary outcomes. There are three components of pelvic floor dysfunction that are thought to be caused by VD and hopefully prevented by CD: AI, urinary incontinence and pelvic floor prolapse. Of these, AI was not found to be reliably prevented by CD in this review.
Responding to Implicit Bias in Abusive Head Trauma Evaluations and Reporting in the PICU: Ethical Consideration During a Clinical Trial.

When considering the ethical nature of a research study, we find it helpful to specify the potential social relevance or importance of the research study’s goals (Emanuel et al. 2000). Abusive head...
Growing a Garden Community: A Film Review

First paragraphs: “It’s not about the vegetables. It’s about community.” Are you looking for some inspiration for a local food group, garden club, or association meeting? Would you like to set the stage of an event—perhaps a food summit or a gardening or agricultural conference—with a positive message about food and community? A Garden Experience: Growing Organic, a film about an organic community garden project in Colorado, may provide that inspiration. As one of the participating gardeners says, “It’s not about the vegetables. It’s about community.”. . .
CHAPTER 1 – Microbial Forensics

Publisher Summary This chapter reflects the threat of existence and potential usage of bioweapons elaborating upon the history, programs, epidemiology, tools, bioinformatics and genetics of microbial forensics. Science plays an important role in criminal investigation, and microbial forensic science continues to assist in solving crimes by characterizing physical evidence found at a crime scene. Advances in technology will develop better treatments and therapies for many microbial diseases that affect humans, animals, and plants. However, technology can be misused to challenge the national and international security by using pathogens or toxins as weapons. In forensics, the crime scene is recognized and secured to preserve the quality of the evidence. Vigilance is necessary to detect the use of bioweapons. The chapter also stresses on educational efforts as a key to disease surveillance and appropriate public response to a disease outbreak, whether it is intentional or natural. By developing a robust microbial forensics field supported by the Bio forensic Analysis Center (BFAC), a developed knowledge base, integration of government; academic; and private sector institutions, and the standing working group— Scientific Working Group on Microbial Genetics and Forensics (SWGMGF), the global society can overcome the challenge of bioterrorism.
Visualizing Improvisation in LuminAI, an AI Partner for Co-Creative Dance

LuminAI is an art installation in which participants can improvise movements with an AI dance partner. In this practice work, we will present the LuminAI installation as well as two visualization tools that interactively demonstrate how the LuminAI agent reasons about movement using both bottom-up learned knowledge and top-down domain knowledge. Participants will first be invited to interact with the LuminAI installation, where they can improvise movement with an AI agent projected onto a screen. They can then see how LuminAI learns relationships between gestures by interacting with MoViz, a visualization in which participants can explore the agent's gesture memory and qualitatively compare the efficacy of unsupervised learning algorithms at clustering gestures. Finally, participants will be invited to interact with a third tool, where they can explore how LuminAI applies top-down domain knowledge to gesture reasoning. Participants will be able to interactively explore how LuminAI uses Laban Movement Analysis's conception of Space to analyze learned movements in terms of the geometric properties of Laban's icosahedron and manipulate these properties to transform and generate new movements. The two visualization tools both represent novel approaches to understanding and analyzing improvisational movement in creative domains.
National health care expenditures associated with disability

Background In 2003, national disability-associated health care expenditures (DAHE) were $398 billion. Updated estimates will improve our understanding of current DAHE. Objective The objective of this study was to estimate national DAHE for the US adult population and analyze spending by insurance and service categories and to assess changes in spending over the past decade. Research design Data from the 2013-2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to estimate DAHE for noninstitutionalized adults. These estimates were reconciled with National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) data and adjusted to 2017 medical prices. Expenditures for institutionalized adults were added from NHEA data. Measures National DAHE in total, by insurance and service categories, and percentage of total expenditures associated with disability. Results DAHE in 2015 were $868 billion (at 2017 prices), representing 36% of total national health care spending (up from 27% in 2003). DAHE per person with disability increased from $13,395 in 2003 to $17,431 in 2015, whereas nondisability per-person spending remained constant (about $6700). Public insurers paid 69% of DAHE. Medicare paid the largest portion ($324.7 billion), and Medicaid DAHE were $277.2 billion. More than half (54%) of all Medicare expenditures and 72% of all Medicaid expenditures were associated with disability. Conclusions The share of health care expenditures associated with disability has increased substantially over the past decade. The high proportion of DAHE paid by public insurers reinforces the importance of public programs designed to improve health care for people with disabilities and emphasizes the need for evaluating programs and health services available to this vulnerable population.
Abstract P046: Variable Effect Of Gstm1 Knockout In Mice

Glutathione S-transferase μ-1 (GSTM1) is an enzyme that has a role in the detoxification of electrophiles, including xenobiotics and products of oxidative stress. In humans, the GSTM1(0) null allel...
XMM-Newton Observations of Two BAL QSOs: Q1246-057 and SBS1542+541

We report on the results of XMM-Newton observations of two Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs), Q1246-057 and SBS 1542+541. Unprecedented sensitivity of XMM allows spectral analysis of these X-ray weak sources. The X-ray spectral data of these sources can be fitted by a power-law with alpha_X=1.0-1.2 and either a partially covering absorber or an ionized absorber model. Rest frame UV spectroscopy together with polarimetry favors the model with a partially covering absorber with column density a few times 10^22 cm^-2 and a covering fraction of about 0.80. After correcting for absorption, the X-ray loudness of these BAL QSOs appears to be similar to other, unabsorbed quasars. The mystery of X-ray weakness of BAL QSOs appears to be all but solved, with strong absorption being the primary reason. With the available X-ray data, however, the issue of whether BAL QSOs represent highly accreting/ younger population of quasars remains unsettled.
Toward a New Evidence-Based Fitting Paradigm for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Purpose This dual-aim study was intended to develop and validate a new fitting paradigm for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. Aim 1 was undertaken to create a limited set of evidence-based preconfigured gain-frequency responses ("presets") for use in OTC devices. Aim 2 tested the efficacy of the presets relative to best-practice verification and determined the best method(s) for older adults to self-select amplification from the set. Method In Aim 1, audiometry data from 267 older adults with mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Using these data and the National Acoustic Laboratories-Non-Linear 2 (NAL-NL2) prescriptive formula, a set of four presets were created that can fit a large percentage of older Americans with presbycusis. In Aim 2, 37 older adults with hearing loss used five methods to select presets. The selection methods were select-by-audiogram, select-by-self-test, select-by-trying, select-by-questionnaire, and random assignment. Using a crossover design, each participant completed speech recognition testing and sound quality ratings in quiet and noise for all selection methods and a verified NAL-NL2 condition. Results The set of presets can fit 67.9% of older Americans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss (Aim 1). Controlling for hearing thresholds and sound quality ratings, liner mixed-effects models indicated that speech recognition scores for select-by-audiogram, select-by-self-test, and select-by-trying were not statistically different from the NAL-NL2 condition. Statistical analysis indicated that select-by-self-test produced outcomes most consistent with individual outcomes for the NAL-NL2 condition (Aim 2). Conclusion This newly developed fitting paradigm may provide efficacy comparable to best-practice verification and could be used in OTC hearing aids.
Learning Culture and Computational Thinking in a Spanish Course: A Development Model:

Computer science and computational thinking (CT) education in K-12 schools have been escalating in recent years. A couple of CT instructional models have been proposed to depict the roles of CT in ...
Online Postsecondary Adult Learners: An Analysis of Adult Learner Characteristics and Online Course Taking Preferences

This study examines the selection of online course taking by adult learners. Specifically, this study evaluates the relationship between adult learner characteristics and their choice of online, hy...
Resource Letter BP-1: Biological physics

This Resource Letter provides an overview of the literature in biological physics, a vast, active, and expanding field that links the phenomena of the living world to the tools and perspectives of physics. While no survey of this area could be complete, this list and commentary are intended to help provide an entry point for upper-level undergraduates, graduate students, researchers new to biophysics, or workers in subfields of biophysics who wish to expand their horizons. Topics covered include subcellular structure and function, cell-scale mechanics and organization, collective behaviors and embryogenesis, genetic networks, and ecological dynamics.
Culture and Certainty: Legal History and the Reconstructive Project

PEOPLE like their conclusions to sound inevitable. A defining characteristic of the Western tradition is that argumentation follows from first principles through deductive logic to objective truth. A traditional argument begins with a highly abstract principle-for example, that human life is sacred. Then, as one's opponents are lulled into agreement, the argument takes unexpected turns: fetuses are babies, babies are human, and abortion is murder.... The traditional argument proceeds through logic to certainty. A defining strategy of modernism3 is to challenge this argumenta-
Geostatistical Site Characterization of Hydraulic Head and Uranium Concentration in Groundwater

The first case study presented in this paper describes an assessment of the spatial distribution and temporal changes in hydraulic head pressure in the groundwater beneath a retired federal government uranium processing facility. Analysis of the hydraulic heads involved ordinary kriging which was found to be a better mapping method than such alternatives as inverse-distance weighting, mainly because kriging provides measures of estimation uncertainty. The objective of this kriging was to provide estimated steady-state head values for use in calibrating a groundwater flow model for the site. In the second case study, the spatial distribution of potential uranium contamination in the aquifer was assessed with lognormal kriging. Uranium measurements for this analysis were available at roughly three-month intervals across a four-year time period. The objective of the analysis was to assess where the uranium concentrations were highest. A second objective, not addressed in this paper, was to determine if the concentrations were changing significantly during the four-year time period.
Time series in m dimensions: Autoregressive models

Spatially dependent autoregressive models in m dimensions are defined. The conditions for stationarity and invertibility are determined. The autocorrelation function and Yule-Walker equations are obtained for the general case, and as particular cases for special discrete values for various grids in plane and for orders 1 and 2 in time. The spectra are obtained for these particular cases, and some results for the partial autocorrelation function. All results are new. The notation, definitions, and assumptions are those given by Voss et al. (1980). We assume stationarity of z over time t, where an m dimensional vec 12m tor. We assume the covariance structure as given by Hannan (1970), 2 with and all covariances existing. Nonstationary models will be considered in later papers.
Measuring technical efficiency with panel data: A dual approach

Abstract Fare and Lovell (1978) derive Farrell (1957) measures of output and input technical efficiency in terms of a production frontier. Because cost function estimation is often preferable on econometric grounds, we extend these measures to cost frontiers. We obtain bounded dual measures of both types of inefficiency, which are equivalent only under constant returns to scale. Estimates from translog versions of our cost frontiers, using panel data on the airline industry, indicate substantial cardinal and ordinal differences between the two types of efficiency.
Away-From-Home and At-Home Consumption of Alcohol: An Investigation of Socio-Demographic Factors

This article examines the impact of socio-demographic factors on individual consumption of alcohol from both the away-from-home and at-home markets. Factors considered are urbanization, race, ethnicity, region, weight, height, sex, food stamp participation, employment status, diet status, day of consumption, household size, age, and income. Results from the economic models developed indicate that various sets of socio-demographic factors affect the consumption of alcohol away from home and at home. Findings imply that men residing in urban areas in the Northeast, Midwest, and West consume more alcohol away from home than do others while individuals residing in suburban areas in the south consume more alcohol at home than do others.
Insulin receptors in cystic fibrosis: increased receptor number and altered affinity.

Patients with cystic fibrosis are known to have pancreatic disorganization with associated pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Endocrine hormonal secretion is also affected but diminution in insulin secretion is rarely accompanied by overt diabetes. We studied seven patients with cystic fibrosis to determine their carbohydrate tolerance and the status of peripheral monocyte insulin receptors. Oral glucose tolerance tests showed the presence of mild hyperglycemia and diminished insulin secretion. Mean insulin receptor sites per cell were markedly increased above controls, 25,000 vs 13,100 sites per cell while receptor affinity was diminished. The increase in receptor number could be a consequence of the insulinopenia and/or the decreased body weight of the patients and serve as a compensatory mechanism maintaining a degree of relative insulin sensitivity. Ultimate carbohydrate tolerance may be a function of the patient9s ability to maintain increased receptor numbers in the face of hypoinsulinemia and impaired receptor affinity.
Fuzzy Logic: A Framework for the New Millennium

The past two decades have witnessed a dramatic growth in the use of probability based methods in a wide variety of applications centering on automation of decision-making in an environment of uncertainty and incompleteness of information.
A Review of: “Computer Mediated Communication: Social Interaction and the Internet”

By now, the subject of computer mediated communication has been taught within a broad range of academic fields for over a decade. Computer Mediated Communication: Social Interaction and the Interne...
A prospective study of chemotherapy immunologic effects and predictors of humoral influenza vaccine responses in a pediatric oncology cohort.

Please cite this paper as: Kersun et al. (2013) A prospective study of chemotherapy immunologic effects and predictors of humoral influenza vaccine responses in a pediatric oncology cohort. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(6), 1158–1167. Background: Pediatric oncology patients represent a cohort of individuals uniquely at risk of complications from influenza, yet less likely to respond to the vaccine. It is not yet clear how to best protect this vulnerable population. Methods: We performed a prospective analysis of 177 pediatric oncology patients to define the predictors of influenza vaccine responses. Each variable was examined over three time points and a repeated measure analysis was performed. Results: Patients with ALL vaccinated during induction phase had superior influenza vaccine responses than those subjects vaccinated during post-induction or maintenance phases (P = 0·0237). Higher aggregate HAI titer responses were associated with a higher baseline B-cell count (P = 0·0240), and higher CD4 and CD8 influenza-specific T-cell responses, suggesting prior antigen exposure is a significant contributor. The solid tumor cohort had equivalent responses during all time frames of chemotherapy. Discussion: The optimal protection from influenza of pediatric patients on chemotherapy should include vaccination, but it is clear that not all patients produce high titers of antibodies after vaccination. This study identified biomarkers that could be used to individualize vaccine approaches. Immunologic predictors might have a role in targeting resources, as B-cell counts predicted of vaccine responses among the patients with ALL.
A quantitative image evaluation study of a concurrent photon amplification treated emulsion

Abstract : This thesis evaluates the effect of concurrent photon amplification (CPA) on Kodak Tri-X Pan emulsion in regard to image quality. The study evaluated detective quantum efficiency (DQE), modulation transfer function (MTF), and information content (IC) as a function of exposure in a comparison between normal exposure and CPA. The results showed CPA to enhance image quality relative to normal exposure at very low exposure levels. As the exposure was increased, normally exposed images became comparable and then exceeded CPA exposures in image quality. The exposure level at which normal exposure became preferential was distinct with each image quality measure. A computer program is included.
Comparing Jamaican Students Performance With Students In The United States, The Grand Bahamas And The Online Program

This study documents learning and student performance through objective tests with graduate students in Kingston-Jamaica and compares the final exam results with students taking the same course, the same test, with the same instructor at different sites throughout the United States and in the Nassau cluster, Grand Bahamas. The scores are further compared with students who completed this course and final exam in the online format. The group of Jamaican, Bahamian and students in Tampa completing this course received traditional, face-to-face instruction in a classroom setting, with classes delivered in a weekend format with 32 face-to-face contact hours during the semester. As expected, findings revealed that there was a statistically significant difference (% = .05) in the mean test scores of the pre-test and post-test for this group of students enrolled at the Kingston cluster.Furthermore, the results of final exam comparison with similar groups in the United States and Bahamas showed no significant differences. The comparison of student performance in Kingston with online students is also discussed.Overall, it is concluded that many of the learning outcomes designed to be achieved as a result of the course activities, specifically the final exam, were achieved consistently for students taking this course with the assigned faculty member in Jamaica, the United States and the Grand Bahamas.
Regional differences in the cellular immune response to experimental cutaneous or visceral infection with Leishmania donovani

Infection with the protozoan Leishmania donovani can cause serious visceral disease or subclinical infection in humans. To better understand the pathogenesis of this dichotomy, we have investigated the host cellular immune response to cutaneous or visceral infection in a murine model. Mice infected in the skin developed no detectable visceral parasitism, whereas intravenous inoculation resulted in hepatosplenomegaly and an increasing visceral parasite burden. Spleen cells from mice with locally controlled cutaneous infection showed strong parasite-specific proliferative and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) responses, but spleen cells from systemically infected mice were unresponsive to parasite antigens. The in situ expression of IFN-gamma, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, IL-12, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNAs was determined in the spleen, draining lymph node (LN), and cutaneous site of inoculation. There was considerably greater expression of IFN-gamma and IL-12 p40 mRNAs in the LN draining a locally controlled cutaneous infection than in the spleen following systemic infection. Similarly, there was a high level of IFN-gamma production by LN cells following subcutaneous infection but no IFN-gamma production by spleen cells following systemic infection. Splenic IL-4 expression was transiently increased early after systemic infection, but splenic IL-10 transcripts increased throughout the course of visceral infection. IL-4 and IL-10 mRNAs were also increased in the LN following cutaneous infection. iNOS mRNA was detected earlier in the LN draining a cutaneous site of infection compared to the spleen following systemic challenge. Thus, locally controlled cutaneous infection was associated with antigen-specific spleen cell responsiveness and markedly increased levels of IFN-gamma, IL-12, and iNOS mRNA in the draining LN. Progressive splenic parasitism was associated with an early IL-4 response, markedly increased IL-10 but minimal IL-12 expression, and delayed expression of iNOS.
Lineage divergence and speciation in the Web-toed Salamanders (Plethodontidae: Hydromantes) of the Sierra Nevada, California.

Peripatric speciation and the importance of founder effects have long been controversial, and multilocus sequence data and coalescent methods now allow hypotheses of peripatric speciation to be tested in a rigorous manner. Using a multilocus phylogeographical data set for two species of salamanders (genus Hydromantes) from the Sierra Nevada of California, hypotheses of recent divergence by peripatric speciation and older, allopatric divergence were tested. Phylogeographical analysis revealed two divergent lineages within Hydromantes platycephalus, which were estimated to have diverged in the Pliocene. By contrast, a low-elevation species, Hydromantes brunus, diverged from within the northern lineage of H. platycephalus much more recently (mid-Pleistocene), during a time of major climatic change in the Sierra Nevada. Multilocus species tree estimation and coalescent estimates of divergence time, migration rate, and growth rate reject a scenario of ancient speciation of H. brunus with subsequent gene flow and introgression from H. platycephalus, instead supporting a more recent divergence with population expansion. Although the small, peripheral distribution of H. brunus suggests the possibility of peripatric speciation, the estimated founding population size of the species was too large to have allowed founder effects to be important in its divergence. These results provide evidence for both recent speciation, most likely tied to the climatic changes of the Pleistocene, and older lineage divergence, possibly due to geological events, and add to evidence that Pleistocene glacial cycles were an important driver of diversification in the Sierra Nevada.
Acute ethanol administration and reinforcer magnitude reduction both reduce responding and increase response latency in a Go/No-Go task

Background: Ethanol (EtOH) administration decreases behavioral inhibition in human subjects, assessed using cued Go/No-Go tasks, in which an unreliable cue suggests whether participants will be required to respond or not when a signal occurs. Few studies have examined EtOH’s effects on behavioral inhibition in animals, and those that have done so have used Go/No-Go tasks in which no warning cue was provided. Methods: Two cohorts of male Long-Evans rats were trained and tested on 2 different Go/No-Go procedures with differing ratios of Go to No-Go trials (25 to 75 and 50 to 50). Using a within-subjects design, each rat was administered 0.0, 0.63, 0.95, and 1.27 g/kg of EtOH (i.p.) on 3 separate occasions according to an incomplete Latin square. An additional experiment examined the effects of reducing the amount of sucrose given for correct responses to either the Go or the No-Go signal in the absence of EtOH administration. Results: Acute intraperitoneal EtOH administration dose-dependently decreased responding during the No-Go signal (false alarms), the Go signal (hits), and responding prior to the occurrence of either signal (precue response rate). These effects were more pronounced in rats with the 50 to 50 ratio. Reducing the amount of sucrose presented generally led to a decrease in responding, although this effect was also moderated by the Go to No-Go ratio employed and the contingency relationship (reduced sucrose for correct Go trial responding or for correct No-Go trial response withholding). Conclusions: Acute EtOH administration does not decrease behavioral inhibition in rats in this task. Rather EtOH appears to dose-dependently decrease behavior in general, possibly by reducing the efficacy of the sucrose reinforcer, as both EtOH administration and sucrose reduction for Go trials yielded similar patterns of behavioral responding in this task in rats.
LONG‐TERM MORTALITY EXPERIENCE OF CHRYSOTILE MINERS AND MILLERS IN THETFORD MINES, QUEBEC*

Among a cohort of 544 men with at least 20 years of employment in chrysotile mining and milling at Thetford Mines, Canada, 16% of the deaths were from lung cancer and 15% from asbestosis. The excess over expected deaths from these causes account for 43 of 178 deaths in the group. The risk of death of asbestosis, at equal times fron onset of exposure, is very similar in miners and millers, factory workmen and insulators. The ratio of observed to expected deaths from lung cancer is similar in the miners and millers and factory workers, but higher in insulators. The risk of death of mesothelioma in miners and millers is decidedly less than the other two groups. The exact causes of the reduced risk in this category are not yet completely clarified.
Brevetoxin depresses synaptic transmission in guinea pig hippocampal slices

Abstract : Brevetoxin depresses synaptic transmission in guinea pig hippocampal slices. Brain Res Bull 31(1/2) 201-207, 1993.--Extracellular recordings were obtained from area CA1 of guinea pig hippocampal slices. PbTx-3, a brevetoxin fraction isolated from the red tide dinoflagellate Ptychodiscus brevis, was applied by bath perfusion. The toxin produced a concentration-dependent depression of the orthodromically evoked population spike with an EC50 of 37.5 nM. Brevetoxin concentrations below 10 nM were without effect, and concentrations above 100 nM led to total inhibition of evoked responses. PbTx-3 did not produce spontaneous synchronous discharges but did induce after- discharges following evoked responses in about 50% of the slices tested, particularly at concentrations between 10 nM and 100 nM. Orthodromically evoked responses were more sensitive to PbTx-3 than were those elicited by antidromic stimulation. High-Ca2+ solution, 4-aminopyridine, and tetraethylammonium failed to antagonize either orthodromic or antidromic effects of the toxin. Although the precise mechanism by which PbTx-3 depresses evoked responses is not certain, depolarization of the presynaptic nerve terminals leading to failure of transmitter release could explain the toxin's actions. This is the first report of the effects of brevetoxin applied directly to central nervous system tissue.
Excitation of magnetosonic waves in the terrestrial magnetosphere: Particle-in-cell simulations

[1] Two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations are performed to study the temporal development of an ion Bernstein instability driven by a proton velocity distribution with positive slope in the perpendicular velocity distribution fp(v⊥), where ⊥ denotes directions perpendicular to the background magnetic field B0. A subtracted Maxwellian distribution is first used to construct the positive slope in fp(v⊥), and linear kinetic dispersion analysis is performed. The results of a simulation using such an initial proton distribution agree well with the linear kinetic analysis. The simulation results demonstrate that the ion Bernstein instability grows at propagation angles nearly perpendicular to B0 and at frequencies close to the harmonics of the proton cyclotron frequency. The distribution in the simulation is further generalized to contain a proton shell with a finite thermal spread and a relatively cold ion background. The simulation results show that the presence of the cold background protons and the increase of the shell velocity shift the excited waves close to the cold plasma dispersion relation for magnetosonic waves, i.e., ωr = kvA, where ωr is the wave frequency, k is the wave number, and vA is the Alfven velocity. The general features of the simulated field fluctuations resemble observations of fast magnetosonic waves near the geomagnetic equator in the terrestrial magnetosphere. A test particle computation of energetic electrons interacting with the simulated electromagnetic fluctuations suggests that this growing mode may play an important role in the acceleration of radiation belt relativistic electrons.
Practical considerations for achieving SI traceability in microwave remote sensing

Microwave brightness temperature (T b ) observations by satellite sounders represent some of the most important input data for numerical weather prediction (NWP) models as well as providing vital records for climate trend detection. Each flight instrument, even if built to nominally identical specifications, has a unique calibration, typically based on the implicit assumption that the on-board black body target is well understood and characterized, but even more importantly that the transfer function between the T b received at the antenna and the thermometry embedded in the target is well determined.
Science metrics for a NASA large optic x-ray microcalorimeter mission

In September 2011 NASA released a Request for Information on “Concepts for the Next NASA X-ray Astronomy Mission” and formed a Community Science Team to help study the submitted concepts and evaluate their science return relative to the goals identified by the 2010 Astrophysics Decadal Survey “New Worlds, New Horizons” report. After reading the responses and participating in a community workshop, the team identified a number of candidate mission concepts, including one combining advances in large-area precision optics with new X-ray microcalorimeter technology. However, the exact mission requirements (effective area, field of view, point spread function, etc) were not fixed. We will present a range of mission designs, describing the results of the NASA/GSFC Mission Design Lab study of one possible mission along with available deltas that would increase capability or decrease cost.
Epitaxial growth of iron oxide films on Ag(111)

Abstract Epitaxial iron oxide films are grown on Ag(1 1 1) by two methods. The oxide films are characterized using low-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron diffraction. The first growth method is deposition of Fe films with thickness ranging from 1–10 monolayers on Ag(1 1 1) and oxidizing these films. The Fe film structure prior to oxidation is identified as poorly ordered bcc-Fe(1 1 0), and oxidation leads to the growth of poorly ordered FeO(1 1 1) films. The second method is sequential deposition of sub-monolayer Fe films (typically ⩽0.5 ML) followed by oxidation. This procedure is repeated until the desired oxide film thickness is achieved. Iron oxide films grown by sequential deposition are identified as FeO(1 1 1) for oxide film thickness below ∼10 A with growth of Fe 3 O 4 (1 1 1) for thicker films. Iron oxide films grown by the sequential deposition method have much better crystallographic order than those grown by oxidizing thicker iron films. Finally, the surface termination of the Fe 3 O 4 (1 1 1) films is investigated using X-ray photoelectron diffraction.
Bernini and the art of social satire

(1983). Bernini and the art of social satire. History of European Ideas: Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 365-420.
Growth study of epitaxial FexZn1−xF2 thin films

The FexZn1−xF2 alloy has been shown to be a model system for studying the magnetic phase diagram of dilute magnets. Whereas the growth of bulk single crystals with fixed Zn concentrations is difficult, the thin film growth is comparatively simpler and more flexible. To gain an understanding of the growth of FexZn1−xF2 films, a method was developed to grow smooth films at fixed concentrations. This was done by depositing a MgF2 buffer layer on MgF2(001) substrates and then depositing FeF2 and ZnF2 [001]-orientated epitaxial thin films at different temperatures. Surprisingly, the lattice spacing depends strongly on the growth temperature, for 44-nm-thick FeF2 films and 77-nm-thick ZnF2 films. This indicates a significant amount of stress, despite the close lattice match between the films and the MgF2 substrate. Thick alloy samples (approximately 500 nm thick) were grown by co-evaporation from the FeF2 and ZnF2 sources at the ideal temperature determined from the growth study, and their concentration was accurately determined using x-ray diffraction.
Racial, Ethnic, and Insurance Status Disparities in Use of Posthospitalization Care after Trauma

were discharged home (78.9%); fewer went to home health (3.3%), rehabilitation (5.0%), and nursing facilities (5.4%). When compared with white patients in adjusted analysis, relative risk ratios of discharge to rehabilitation were 0.61 (95% CI 0.56, 0.66) and 0.44 (95% CI 0.40, 0.49) for blacks and Hispanics, respectively. Compared with privately insured white patients, Hispanics had lower rates of discharge to rehabilitation whether privately insured (RRR 0.45, 95% CI 0.40, 0.52), publicly insured (RRR 0.51, 95% CI 0.42, 0.61), or uninsured (RRR 0.20, 95% CI 0.17, 0.24). Black patients had similarly low rates: private (RRR 0.63, 95% CI 0.56, 0.71), public (RRR 0.72, 95% CI 0.63, 0.82), or uninsured (RRR 0.27, 95% CI 0.23, 0.32). Relative risk ratios of discharge to home health or nursing facilities showed similar trends among blacks and Hispanics regardless of insurance, except for black patients with insurance whose discharge to nursing facilities was similar to their white counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Disadvantaged populations have more limited use of posthospitalization care such as rehabilitation after trauma, suggesting a potential improvement in trauma care for the underprivileged. (J Am Coll Surg 2011;213:699–708. © 2011 by the American College of Surgeons)
The Transformation of Singapore's Public Libraries: A Case Study

This article is an overview of the vast changes that were made in Singapore's public libraries, focusing especially on how leadership made the reforms both relevant and healthy for the future of th...