cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective Antagonists of the Bronchiolar Epithelial NF-κB-Bromodomain-Containing Protein 4 Pathway in Viral-Induced Airway Inflammation

Summary The mechanisms by which the mammalian airway detects invading viral pathogens to trigger protective innate neutrophilic inflammation are incompletely understood. We observe that innate activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)/RelA transcription factor indirectly activates atypical BRD4 histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity, RNA polymerase II (Pol II) phosphorylation, and secretion of neutrophilic chemokines. To study this pathway in vivo, we developed a conditional knockout of RelA in distal airway epithelial cells; these animals have reduced mucosal BRD4/Pol II activation and neutrophilic inflammation to viral patterns. To further understand the role of BRD4 in vivo, two potent, highly selective small-molecule BRD4 inhibitors were developed. These well-tolerated inhibitors disrupt the BRD4 complex with Pol II and histones, completely blocking inducible epithelial chemokine production and neutrophilia. We conclude that RelA-BRD4 signaling in distal tracheobronchiolar epithelial cells mediates acute inflammation in response to luminal viral patterns. These potent BRD4 antagonists are versatile pharmacological tools for investigating BRD4 functions in vivo.
Prediction of Thermal Tissue Damage Using Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Tissue themial ablation techniques, especially radiofrequency ablation (RFA), have become important implements in the arsenal of therapies for treatment of primary and metastatic tumors of the liver. RFA can be performed percutaneously, laparoscopically, or during celiotomy as a primary therapy of an unresectable tumor. It may also be used as an adjunct to partial hepatectomy, which remains the gold standard for the treatment of hepatic tumors. The technique of RFA requires image guided placement of the needle electrode within the targeted tumor. The imaging techniques used are most often ultrasound or computed tomography (CT), but it can also be done using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Once activated, the RFA needle electrode causes destruction of the tumor cells via thermal conversion of the radiofrequency energy. The intrinsic electrical impedance of the tissue transforms the electrical current into heat, elevating the local tissue temperature and leading to coagulation necrosis. Clinically, RFA is a relatively safe procedure with a complication rate reported between 5 and 13% in most series (Bilchik et al. 2001; Curley et al. 2000; Wong et al. 2001). The efficacy of RFA, however, is not clear. There are no long term data regarding disease free survival, and the largest of clinical series report local recurrence rates as high as 39% (Bilchik et al. 1999; Curley et al. 1999; de Baere et al. 2000). Most clinicians believe that the large recurrence rates are due to either initial misplacement of the electrode or inadequate ablation of the tumor. The basic principles of oncologic surgery hold that a margin of non-cancerous tissue must be removed surrounding a tumor to insure
Neurologic disease in Sjögren's syndrome: mononuclear inflammatory vasculopathy affecting central/peripheral nervous system and muscle. A clinical review and update of immunopathogenesis.

There is a growing appreciation that a subset of patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) also may develop a spectrum of central nervous system (CNS) complications. This article defines SS and its significance; discusses CNS, peripheral nervous system, and muscular complications of SS; identifies those areas in general or internal medicine in which SS patients with potential neurologic complications may present; describes those neurologic disorders that SS may mimic; places into perspective the controversy regarding the frequency and significance of CNS-SS; and extends our observations on the immunopathogenesis of neurologic complications in SS.
Current Research in Far Infrared Interferometry

The historical development of interferometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been presented earlier in this volume; however, it should be noted that the first chemical applications of FT-IR spectroscopy were made in the far infrared region of the spectrum (~400 to 10 cm-1) because the instrumentation required to study this region was much simpler than that needed for the mid or near infrared regions. The instrumental advantages in the far infrared region included a lower tolerance for the mirror drive of a Michelson interferometer, a smaller dynamic range of the interferogram, and a longer sampling time which resulted in a reduced number of data points. However, far infrared spectroscopy also had its inherent difficulties such as low-energy sources, poor detectors, a lack of suitable optical materials, and spectral interference of water. Researchers in this area have overcome most of these difficulties and therefore investigations in the far infrared spectral region have become widespread. In the following sections, some of the applications of Fourier transform far infrared spectroscopy will be examined and, when applicable, they will be compared with the more conventional grating spectrometers. It seems appropriate to begin the discussion with a brief outline of some of the initial applications of far infrared interferometry.
Singular Eigenfunctions and an Integral Transform for Shear Flow

Euler’s equation linearized about a shear flow equilibrium is solved by means of a novel invertible integral transform that is a generalization of the Hilbert transform. The integral transform provides a means for describing the dynamics of the continuous spectrum that is well-known to occur in this and other systems. The results are interpreted briefly in the context of infinite dimensional Hamiltonian systems theory, which serves as a unifying principle.
Effective Field Theories and Gravitational Radiation

Abstract These lectures give an overview of the uses of effective field theories in describing gravitational radiation sources for LIGO or LISA. The first lecture reviews some of the standard ideas of effective field theory (decoupling, matching, power counting) mostly in the context of a simple toy model. The second lecture sets up the problem of calculating gravitational wave emission from non-relativistic binary stars by constructing a tower of effective theories that separately describe each scale in the problem: the internal size of each binary constituent, the orbital separation, and the wavelength of radiated gravitons.
FILT-PC, A One-Dimensional Fourier Transform Program In FORTRAN For The PC

ABSTRACT FILT-PC is a computer program written in FORTRAN 77 to calculate one-dimensional Fast Fourier Transforms using the algorithm of Good as modified by Cooley-Tukey, Gentleman-Sande, and Robinson-Cohn. Options permit the selection of time or distance to frequency or the inverse transforms. The program runs on an IBM PC or compatible. A test sample is given as an example.
OP092: Role of slug in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)

Objective hypothesis Hand neck malignancies account for 6% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States and result in ∼14,000 deaths annually. Our previous oligonucleotide microarray study (Ginos et al., 2004 Cancer Res.) identified Slug (SNAI2) over-expression in a signature associated with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) following definitive treatment. Slug, a zinc finger transcription factor family member, is critical in mediating epithelial to mesenchymal transitions (EMT) in developing organisms and in modulating sensitivity to apoptosis. Since acquisition of an invasive phenotype and resistance to apoptosis are primary characteristics of human cancer we hypothesized that Slug over-expression would induce EMT, increase invasion and evade apoptosis in HNSCC cell lines. Methods Baseline levels of Slug and E-cadherin were determined using Real time PCR and Western blotting in a variety of HNSCC cell lines. A cell line with high E-cadherin expression and low Slug expression was selected for transfection studies. We overexpressed Slug in a HNSCC cell line (SCC-15) and probed for epithelial and mesenchymal markers (E-cadherin, Vimentin and α -smooth muscle actin) using Immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Apoptosis evasion was tested using serum starvation and clonogenic assays. Results Epithelial marker, E-cadherin, expression was decreased significantly in the clones compared to mock transfectants. Increased mesenchymal markers Vimentin and α -smooth muscle actin expression was observed using both Immunofluorescence and western blotting. Slug-transfected cells showed reduced cell death in a serum starvation assay. Preliminary data also suggested that Slug-transfected clones show increased resistance to radiation-induced apoptosis using clonogenic assay. Conclusion Slug induces EMT when overexpressed in SCC-15 cell line. EMT induction includes loss of E-cadherin and therefore loss of epithelial integrity. Epithelial integrity loss leads to an altered phenotype and increased expression of mesenchymal markers Vimentin and α -smooth actin. Preliminary data from serum starvation and clonogenic assays suggest that Slug has a protective effect on the Slug-transfected clones when compared to the mock. The precise mechanism of this has yet to be explored in HNSCC cell lines. The above results suggest that Slug plays a strong role in recurrent disease through the malignant phenotype and evasion of apoptosis.
Social Indicators: A Focus for the Social Sciences

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the development of social indicators. The social indicators movement represents an interdisciplinary attempt at the scientific measurement of social change. There are many issues or debates that may be delineated: whether indicators are or should be neutral or normative; descriptive or analytical; aggregated or discrete; objective or subjective, based on data about individuals or about organizations; problem oriented or descriptive of the dynamics of systems; and so on. These issues reflect the diversity of disciplinary and professional affiliations of the participants in social indicators research as well as the heterogeneity in the substantive focus of research, methodology, geographic scale of study, and perceived purpose and audience of the research. Because of this diversity, research attention tends to get dispersed. One proceeds to application activities—forecasting, reporting, and advising—on the assumption that the data are already available or that they can be obtained easily. The search for reliable data, for meaningful measures, and for serviceable models of social change has made social indicators a genuinely interdisciplinary endeavor, and it is instructive to outline the contributions of the various social science disciplines to the development of the social indicators enterprise. Perhaps the strongest legacy in the social indicators movement is that of economics. Indeed the social in social indicators is often treated as a residual category denoting as to which is noneconomic. This definition of social indicators as parallel to economic indicators has been influential in shaping research priorities for the social indicators community.
Composición de la comunidad bioincrustante de un cultivo de ostras tropicales en un estuario del Amazonas, Estado de Pará, Norte de Brasil

Biofouling affects global aquaculture with significant impacts on productivity and profitability, especially in marine shellfish culture, where both the target culture species and/or infrastructure are exposed to a diverse array of fouling organisms. In oyster culture, fouling of stock causes physical damage, mechanical interference, biological competition and environmental modification, with infrastructure also colonized. The present study describes the composition of the biofouling community inhabiting the surface of the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae , cultivated in an Amazon estuary, in the state of Para, northern Brazil. In total, 6,124 macroinvertebrates were collected during July, August, October and December 2013. Collected epifauna was represented by 5 groups (Bivalvia, Gastropoda, Polychaeta, Crustacea and Anthozoa), 20 families and 37 species. Bivalvia was the most abundant class, with the mussel Mytella charruana by far the most dominant species with 5,183 individuals. Knowledge about the composition of biofouling as well as identifying the main species that cause direct impacts allows more tailored and strategic management options, minimizing the often-significant costs associated with biofouling control (antifouling)
Association Between Very Small Tumor Size and Decreased Overall Survival in Node-Positive Pancreatic Cancer.

In pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), increasing tumor size usually correlates with a worse prognosis. However, patients with a very small primary tumor who experience lymph node involvement may have a different disease biology. This study sought to determine the interaction between tumor size and lymph node involvement in terms of overall survival (OS). The study identified 17,073 patients with a diagnosis of M0 resected PDAC between 1983 and 2013 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The patients were stratified by lymph node involvement (N0 vs N+) and T stage (T1a–T1b vs T1c vs T2 vs T3 vs T4). The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate OS, and Cox regression analysis was used to compare survival between subgroups after adjustment for patient-specific factors. Lymph node involvement and T stage significantly interacted (p 0.2 in all cases). Among patients with lymph node-positive PDAC, very small primary tumors are associated with decreased OS. This finding raises the possibility that small tumors capable of lymph node metastasis might represent more biologically aggressive cancers.
An Enhanced Architecture for Serial Fusion based Multi-biometric Verification System

The traditional architecture of serial fusion based multi-biometric verification systems places an average performing or the worst performing individual verifier in the final stage. Because the final stage gives the verification decision using a single threshold and takes on the most confusing samples which are rejected by all previous stages, an average or the worst performing individual verifier may incur high verification errors in the final stage, which may negatively impact the performance of the whole system. Unfortunately, it is not possible to place a strong individual verifier in the final stage of a traditional architecture because if we place a strong individual verifier in the final stage, we will have to place a weak individual verifier in an earlier stage. Studies show that placing a weak individual verifier in an earlier stage worsens the performance of the whole system by giving more wrong decision earlier. Hence, the challenge is-how can we place the best performing individual verifier in the first stage and at the same time not place an average or the worst performing individual verifier in the final stage? In this paper, we address this challenge. We have come up with a very simple but effective solution. We have proposed a modification to the traditional architecture of serial fusion based multi-biometric verification systems. With rigorous experiments on the NIST multi-modal dataset and using three serial fusion based multi-biometric verification schemes, we demonstrated that our proposed architecture significantly improves the performance of serial fusion based multi-biometric verification systems.
Incomplete Suppression of HIV-1 by SAMHD1 Permits Efficient Macrophage Infection.

Background: Sterile alpha motif and histidine/aspartic acid domain-containing protein (SAMHD1) is a dNTP triphosphorylase that reduces cellular dNTP levels in non-dividing cells, such as macrophages. Since dNTPs are required for reverse transcription, HIV-2 and most SIVs encode a Vpx protein that promotes proteasomal degradation of SAMHD1. It is unclear how HIV-1, which does not appear to harbor a SAMHD1 escape mechanism, is able to infect macrophages in the face of SAMHD1 restriction. Methods: To assess whether HIV-1 had a mechanism to negate SAMHD1 activity, we compared SAMHD1 and dNTP levels in macrophages infected by HIV-1 and SIV. We examined whether macrophages infected by HIV-1 still harbored antiviral levels of SAMHD1 by assessing their susceptibility to superinfection by vpx-deleted SIV. Finally, to assess whether HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) has adapted to a low dNTP environment, we evaluated SAMHD1 sensitivity of chimeric HIV-1 and SIV variants in which the RT regions were functionally exchanged. Results: Here, we demonstrate that HIV-1 efficiently infects macrophages without modulating SAMHD1 activity or cellular dNTP levels, and that macrophages permissive to HIV-1 infection remained refractory to superinfection by vpx-deleted SIV. Furthermore, through the use of chimeric HIV/SIV, we demonstrate that the differential sensitivity of HIV-1 and SIV to SAMHD1 restriction is not dictated by RT. Conclusions: Our study reveals fundamental differences between HIV-1 and SIV in the strategy used to evade restriction by SAMHD1 and suggests a degree of resistance of HIV-1 to the antiviral environment created by SAMHD1. Understanding how these cellular restrictions antagonize viral replication will be important for the design of novel antiviral strategies. Keywords: HIV-1/ macrophages/ SAMHD1
Suprascapular nerve entrapment in young kayaker: a case report.

Kayaking has become one of the most popular paddle sports throughout the world. The shoulder is the most commonly injured area of the body among kayaking participants as a result of acute traumatic...
Optimization of Efficiency and Harmonics for Gbit Flash Memory based PWM Inverters

The Gbit-size Flash Memory based Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) algorithms for three-phase inverters differ from the conventional counter-based implementation since they follow a pre-programmed optimal PWM pattern. At a fixed sampling interval, each position within the complex plane may correspond to a different sequence of states or pulse structure. This paper extracts a set of rules for such an ideal PWM aiming at optimization of both current harmonics / flux error and power loss / efficiency. Patterns are optimized with MATLAB for harmonics and PSIM for thermo-electric modeling. Conclusions depict clearly the promising future of this novel technology.
Dynamic conformational changes of the left ventricular outflow tract compared to the aortic annulus and implications on transcatheter aortic valve selection and sizing

ECG-gated computed tomography angiography (CTA) has become the standard for assessing the aortic root prior to transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Current techniques rely primarily on systolic annular sizing for the selection and sizing of valve prostheses. We sought to evaluate the
CHAPTER 14 – Differentiable Mappings

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses differentiable mapping and its use in the tangent mapping associated with a differentiable mapping. The differentiable mappings are mappings between domains or regions in finite dimensional, real vector spaces. There are various ways in which domains can be defined in an n-dimensional space, but any such treatment leads inevitably to great complications. The three components of a differential mapping can be extracted by functions called dom, rules, and cod. Rules are supposed to be a list of expressions in the domain variables, whose length equals the length of the list of codomain variables. Equality test for differentiable mappings is called intentionalEqualQ, the term “intentional” suggesting that the expressions determining the mappings are compared instead of the values of two mappings. An important feature of mappings is that they can be composed provided the codomain of the first mapping is the same as the domain of the second. The Jacobian of a mapping is a linear map at each point of the domain of the mapping constructed from the derivatives of the rules of the mapping. The chain rule for functions of several variables suggests that the Jacobian of a composed map is the matrix product of the Jacobians of the factors.
Person-Specific Contributions of Brain Pathologies to Progressive Parkinsonism in Older Adults.

BACKGROUND Mixed-brain pathologies are the most common cause of progressive parkinsonism in older adults. We tested the hypothesis that the impact of individual pathologies associated with progressive parkinsonism differs among older adults. METHODS Data were from 1089 decedents who had undergone annual clinical testing and autopsy. Parkinsonism was based on a modified United Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Linear mixed-effects models were employed, to investigate the combinations of 9 pathologies related to progressive parkinsonism. Then we estimated the person-specific contributions of each pathology for progressive parkinsonism. RESULTS The average participant showed 3 pathologies. Parkinson's disease (PD) and 4 cerebrovascular pathologies (macroinfarcts, atherosclerosis, arteriolosclerosis, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy [CAA]), but not Alzheimer's disease, TDP-43, hippocampal sclerosis, and microinfarcts, were independently associated with progressive parkinsonism. These pathologies accounted for 13% of additional variance of progressive parkinsonism. Thirty-one different combinations of these 5 pathologies were observed to be associated with progressive parkinsonism observed. On average, PD and CAA accounted, respectively, for 66% and 65% of person-specific progression of parkinsonism, while macroinfarcts, atherosclerosis, and arteriolosclerosis accounted for 41%-48%. CONCLUSION There is much greater heterogeneity in the comorbidity and relative impact of individual brain pathologies affecting progressive parkinsonism than previously recognized and this may account in part for its phenotypic heterogeneity in older adults.
COVID-19 Pandemic: An analysis of what is working, what we have learned thus far, and the challenges that remain ahead.

The COVID-19 pandemic started globally with the first cases being reported as early as December 1, 2019 in Wuhan, China.1 The first US cases were reported January 20, 2020.2 To date we have 11,892,382 confirmed cases globally and 545,485 deaths.3 Ominously, as of July 2020, the number of cases continues to rise with the United States having the highest cases (3,016,515) and mortality rates in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges for emergency managers since most professionals have not experienced or managed a global pandemic. Complicating things further is the nature of SARS CoV-2 itself. As a novel virus we are still learning about the virus which requires adaptive changes to our current response as the pandemic evolves.
Supportive Care Aspects in Pediatric Population

The oncology journey of diagnosis and treatment is wrought with a myriad of emotions, physical difficulties, triumphs, and at times, disappointments. When this journey includes hematopoietic cell transplant, these aspects often intensify, thus, necessitating keen attention to the psychosocial and spiritual health of the patient and caregivers. All who endure this are in need of such supports; however, there are unique angles of care when the patient is a child. This chapter will seek to highlight these needs and their challenges through a longitudinal exploration of a child or young adult’s journey before, during, and after transplant. For purposes of this chapter, the focus will be on patients with an underlying oncologic process. However, many of the concepts put forth are applicable to those patients who pursue hematopoietic cell transplant for nononcological diseases.
T cell economics: precursor cells predict inflation

The presence of central memory precursor cells during the acute response to cytomegalovirus infection is the best predictor of whether a T cell family will contribute to the inflationary memory pool.
The protocol of the Application of Economics & Social psychology to improve Opioid Prescribing Safety Trial 1 (AESOPS-1): Electronic health record nudges.

Abstract Background: There is a lack of evidence that long-term opioid use offers benefit for noncancer pain and an abundance of evidence of harm. Despite clinical guidelines and education, prescribing continues at a higher rate than before the opioids crisis. The objective of trial 1 of the Application of Economics & Social psychology to improve Opioid Prescribing Safety (AESOPS-1) is to discourage unnecessary opioid prescribing in primary care by applying “behavioral insights”—empirically-tested social and psychological interventions that affect choice. Methods: AESOPS-1 randomizes primary care clinics in Illinois and California to behavioral intervention or control. Both arms receive opioid guideline education. Clinics randomized to the behavioral intervention arm receive nudges within the electronic health record (EHR) including: 1) an “accountable justification” entered in the chart, 2) a precommitment to address high-risk prescriptions, and 3) a “PainTracker” that broadens discussions about pain. The control arm receives no EHR-based intervention. The primary outcome is the change in weekly milligram morphine equivalents (MME) prescribed. The secondary outcome is the change in the proportion of patients prescribed at least 50 daily MME. To evaluate these outcomes, we will use a difference-in-differences mixed-effects regression model on clinician MME weekly or daily dose. The analysis will be “intent-to-treat.” The intervention period is 18-months, with a 6-month follow-up period to measure persistence of effects. Discussion: The AESOPS-1 trial will evaluate the effect of EHR-based interventions in reducing noncancer opioid prescribing in primary care. AESOPS-1 may demonstrate practical and scalable strategies to lower unnecessary population exposure to opioids.
Stringtheorie und Multiversum

Ein groser Teil der Forschung in der Teilchenphysik wurde von der Suche nach einer einheitlichen, grundlegenden Theorie der Natur inspiriert. Man hofft, dass es unter der Pluralitat der Teilchen und Krafte ein einziges mathematisches Gesetz gibt, das alle Naturphanomene umfasst. Ein wichtiger Schritt zur Vereinheitlichung der Krafte war die Entwicklung der elektroschwachen Theorie.
A Pluralist Approach to Democratizing Online Discourse.

Online discourse takes place in corporate-controlled spaces thought by users to be public realms. These platforms in name enable free speech but in practice implement varying degrees of censorship either by government edict or by uneven and unseen corporate policy. This kind of censorship has no countervailing accountability mechanism, and as such platform owners, moderators, and algorithms shape public discourse without recourse or transparency. Systems research has explored approaches to decentralizing or democratizing Internet infrastructure for decades. In parallel, the Internet censorship literature is replete with efforts to measure and overcome online censorship. However, in the course of designing specialized open-source platforms and tools, projects generally neglect the needs of supportive but uninvolved `average' users. In this paper, we propose a pluralistic approach to democratizing online discourse that considers both the systems-related and user-facing issues as first-order design goals.
A comparison of Cahn-Hilliard and Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard models on manifolds

We consider phase-field models with and without lateral flow for the numerical simulation of lateral phase separation and coarsening in lipid membranes. For the numerical solution of these models, we apply an unfitted finite element method that is flexible in handling complex and possibly evolving shapes in the absence of an explicit surface parametrization. Through several numerical tests, we investigate the effect of the presence of lateral flow on the evolution of phases. In particular, we focus on understanding how variable line tension, viscosity, membrane composition, and surface shape affect the pattern formation. Keywords: Lateral phase separation, surface Cahn-Hilliard equation, lateral flow, surface Navier-Stokes-Cahn-Hilliard system, TraceFEM
The Rise of Open Access Journals in Radiation Oncology: Are We Paying for Impact?

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) We aimed to examine how the rise of open access (OA) journals in biomedicine has impacted resident research in radiation oncology. MATERIALS/METHODS We built a comprehensive database of first-author, PubMed-searchable articles published by US radiation oncology residents who graduated between 2015 and 2019. We then classified each journal in which these manuscripts appeared as either OA or non-OA, and obtained the current article processing charge (APC) for every publication that appeared in an OA journal. Lastly, we performed a secondary analysis to identify the factors associated with publishing an article in an OA journal. RESULTS The US radiation oncology residents in this study published 2,637 first-author, PubMed-searchable manuscripts, 555 (21.0%) of which appeared in 138 OA journals. The number of publications in OA journals increased from 0.47 per resident for the class of 2015 to 0.79 per resident for the class of 2019. Likewise, the number of publications in OA journals with a 2019 impact factor of zero increased from 0.14 per resident for the class of 2015 to 0.43 per resident for the class of 2019. Publications in OA journals garnered fewer citations than those in non-OA journals (8.9 versus 14.9, P < 0.01). 90.6% of OA journals levy an APC for original research reports (median $1,896), which is positively correlated with their 2019 impact factor (r = 0.63, P < 0.01). Aggregate APCs totaled $900,319.21 for all US radiation oncology residency programs and appeared to increase over the study period. CONCLUSION The number of first-author, PubMed-searchable manuscripts published by graduating US radiation oncology residents in OA journals rose significantly over the study period. US radiation oncology residency programs appear to be investing increasing and significant sums of money to publish the work of their residents in these journals. A more substantive discussion about the proper role of OA journals in resident research is needed.
Chronic feelings of emptiness in a large undergraduate sample: Starting to fill the void.

Chronic emptiness in borderline personality disorder (BPD) has received little empirical attention. We sought to examine basic properties of a single chronic emptiness item, including prevalence, reliability, validity, the relation of the emptiness item to other BPD criteria, and measures of personality. Undergraduates enrolled in psychology courses over 12 years' time completed the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD) (N = 22,217). Subsets of participants completed the International Personality Disorder Examination-Screening Questionnaire (IPDE-SQ) (N = 2732), The Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Anxiety, Angry Hostility, Depression, Positive Emotions [reversed], and Impulsivity facets) (N = 10,506), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) (N = 1110) as validity indicators; 10.0% of respondents endorsed emptiness. Reliability indices suggested moderate levels of reliability between two emptiness items (r(2730) = 0.61, p < 0.001). Among BPD criteria, emptiness and identity disturbance correlated most strongly (r(22,215) = 0.81, p < 0.001). MSI emptiness was more correlated with depression on the NEO (r(10,504) = 0.43, p < 0.001) and DASS (r(1108) = 0.51, p < 0.001) than other facets of negative affect. Emptiness was more correlated with greater borderline pathology than any other MSI-BPD item (Sample 1, rtet = 0.87; Sample 2, rtet = 0.86). This criterion warrants further study and attention, especially related to assessment of BPD.
Assessing professional decision-making abilities

This paper describes a computer-based method of diagnosing supervisors’ abilities to make professional decisions, with supervisors being defined as principals, staff developers, and /or curriculum coordinators in elementary or secondary schools. The diagnostic approach-Teacher Development Decision Exercises or TeDDEx-was designed to simulate the assessment of supervisors’ abilities to use their professional knowledge to solve problems encountered with teachers in the field. Preactive or planning decisions were the focus of the exercises.
A new approach to nonlinear digital signal processing

A new approach to nonlinear digital signal processing has been proposed. Using a generic model it has been shown that one can implement general nonlinear systems using a combination of linear filters and a lookup table. In addition, methods of obtaining system equations are suggested which include the simulation of nonlinear analog circuits. Further research is needed to test the potential of this method. >
Crowding –Out and Fundraising Efforts: The impact of government grants on Symphony Orchestras

The crowding-out of private donations by government grants is an integral element in designing an efficient method of financing nonprofit activity. This article looks at elements of crowd-out, both the direct impact on donors and the indirect impact caused by the response of nonprofits. We include both theoretical and empirical analyses of the reactions by donors and nonprofits to an increase in government funding based on data from the League of American Orchestras’ annual reports from 2004 to 2007. To combat indirect crowd-out, renewed emphasis should be placed on grant design; for direct crowd-out, theories of collective action are appropriate.
Hall-effect measurements of HgBa2CaCu2O6+ delta.

The resistivity [rho] and Hall coefficient [ital R][sub [ital H]] have been measured for samples of the two-plane superconductor HgBa[sub 2]CaCu[sub 2]O[sub 6+[delta]] ([ital T][sub [ital c]][similar to]124 K) with different annealing histories. The observed temperature dependence [ital R][sub [ital H]][similar to]1/[ital T] (up to 470 K) matches the steep dependence previously seen in 90-K YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7[minus][delta]] and indicates low-impurity scattering. We find [ital T]-linear behavior for [rho] in the lowest-resistivity samples and confirm that cot[theta][sub [ital H]][similar to][ital T][sup 2]. These findings add support to Anderson's proposal of distinct longitudinal and transverse scattering times.
Covert Organizations' Asymmetric Arms Race: Comparative Case Study Toward Multi-Method Research

Modern terrorists may be skilled at high technology, but they still use old-fashioned, low-tech methods of overcoming higher-tech defenses. Technologies and ideologies change, yet such covert threats remain. From stone to cyber age, forces unable or unwilling to meet technological superiority in battle seek out simpler hard-to-detect means of subverting their advanced foes. Countering this technologically asymmetric threat requires a better understanding of the human networks that employ terror. How do they operate, hide and evolve? How can they be detected and defeated? Research shows how analyzing organizational technology use choices for communications can shed light on the stable principles behind covert networks which have withstood the tests of time and change. Results elucidate the underlying puzzle of when and why is it that some organizations choose lower, whereas others adopt higher, technological sophistication in this asymmetric arms race. The paper is a building block of a larger study exploring this puzzle. The study theorizes that useful information about a covert organization can be learned by analyzing the known means by which its members communicate, rather than the content of their communication (which may be disguised or misleading). The investigation combines two complementary approaches to explore both the general across-organizations patterns and the specific processes inside theoretically selected organizations that inform how and why these patterns emerge. An information theoretic quantitative analysis explores the patterns and provides insights and dimensions for case comparison. An organization-theoretic case study uses these dimensions and the structured, focused comparison method to establish a theoretical framework for case selection and systematic analysis. This framework is then used to compare two specific theoretically-selected cases: al Qaeda’s 1998 bombing plot and KGB’s 1954 assassination plot presented in this paper. In each case, the main perpetrator lived to tell, despite organizational security designs. The comparable data for each case combine internal participant records with external observations from contemporary and modern sources. The analysis traces the logic of action, organizational structure, and technology choices as each operation unfolded. Results are expected to provide new cumulative insights into organizations generally, and terrorist groups in particular.
Resilience in the Face of Disaster: Accounting for Varying Disaster Magnitudes, Resource Topologies, and (Sub)Population Distributions in the PLAN C Emergency Planning Tool

PLAN C, an Agent-Based Model platform for urban disaster simulation and emergency planning, features a variety of reality-based agents interacting on a realistic city map and can simulate the complex dynamics of emergency responses in different urban catastrophe scenarios. Work reported here focuses on the incorporation of specific subpopulations of person agents, reflecting the existence of individuals with specific defining characteristics and needs, and their interactions with the available resources. Performance of these subpopulations are compared in both point-source attack and distributed disaster scenarios for disasters of different magnitudes. Specific "recovery points" can be derived both for total- and sub-populations, which estimate the duration of a response system's/city's vulnerability. The effect of varying topologies of available resources, i.e. different hospital maps, provides particular insight into the dynamics that can emerge in this complex system. PLAN C produces interesting emergent behavior which is often consistent with the literature on emergency medicine of previous events.
Synthetic Single-Nanopore and Nanotube Membranes

There is increasing interest in investigating transport and electrochemical phenomena in synthetic membrane samples that contain a single pore of nanoscopic diameter. Approaches used to date for preparing such single-nanopore membranes include microfabrication-based methods, the track-etch method, and a method based on the incorporation of a single fullerene nanotube within a synthetic membrane. We describe here an alternative approach that we believe is easier and more accessible than the previously described methods. This method is based on a very low pore density track-etch membrane obtained from commercial sources. Fluorescence microscopy is used to identify and isolate a single nanopore in this membrane. Membrane samples containing single nanopores with diameters as small as 30 nm have been prepared. Furthermore, we show here that an electroless plating method can be used to deposit a gold nanotube within the single nanopore, and this provides a route for further decreasing the inside diameter of the...
Quantification of static and dynamic supraglottic activity.

For estimating supraglottic compression in disordered voice production, categorical rating scales of true vocal fold coverage by supraglottic structures are the current standard. Quantification of ...
Alteration of natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity in rats treated with selenium, diethylnitrosamine and ethylnitrosourea

Abstract Weanling, female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 14 separate groups. Three of these groups were administered 0.5, 2.0 or 5.0 ppm selenium (Se) in the drinking water for 10 weeks. Three groups received intraperitoneal injections of 1, 5 or 10 mg/kg diethylnitrosamine (DEN) twice weekly for 10 weeks. The remaining animals received 0.150% or 0.316% ethylurea (EU) in the feed and 1 or 10 ppm nitrite as sodium nitrite in the drinking water either alone or in combination. Separate groups of rats treated with cyclophosphamide (CY) were included as positive immunosuppressed controls. Following the 10-week chemical exposure period, splenic natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytotoxicity was assessed by a 4-h chromium release assay using YAC-1 tumor cells as targets. The NK cell cytotoxic response was enhanced in both the low and medium dose selenium-exposed groups. In contrast, rats exposed to 0.316% EU + 10 ppm NO 2 had significantly depressed NK cell activity. CY treatment also resulted in a significant reduction of splenic NK cell cytotoxicity.
Fetal growth after preterm premature rupture of membranes: is it related to amniotic fluid volume?

Objective. Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) has been associated with an increased rate of fetal growth restriction (FGR). It is unknown whether impairment of fetal growth is mediated through external compression from decreased amniotic fluid volume or (an)other mechanism(s).Methods. Over a three-year period all patients with singleton pregnancies experiencing PPROM at <37 weeks lasting greater than 10 days, and who underwent serial sonograms to assess fetal biometry after PPROM, were included in the study. Patients were excluded for congenital anomalies or other inherent risk factors for abnormal fetal growth. Fetal abdominal circumference (AC) percentiles were compared between the first sonographic exam after PPROM and the last exam before delivery. The median amniotic fluid index between PPROM and delivery was correlated with the change in AC percentiles while controlling for the duration of PPROM. Statistical analysis utilized one-way analysis of variance and correlation; a p value of <0....
Total Thyroidectomy for Human Diabetes Insipidus

ConclusionsTotal thyroidectomy on a case of clinical diabetes insipidus diminished the diuretic effect of sodium chloride and increased the antidiuretic effect of pitressin. It failed, however, to reduce urine flow below the limits set by a low-salt diet.
Characterization and stabilization of progesterone receptors in human benign prostatic hypertrophy

Experimental conditions for the optimum detection and measurement of the cytosolic progestogen receptor in human prostatic hyperplasia and neoplasia are described. In presence of 20 mM molybdate ion and a reaction time of 0.5-2 h at 0-2 degrees C, we are able to detect the appearance of a [6.7-3H]-17,21-dimethyl-19-nor-4,9-pregnadiene-3,20-dione ([3H]-R5020) and [3H]-progesterone binding moiety in human prostatic cytosol. The [3H]-R5020 binding protein sediments at approximately 8-11S in a glycerol density gradient centrifuged in a Sorvall TV865 rotor (vertical rotor). Maximal binding of [3H]-R5020 occurs at 30 min at 25 degrees C and 1 h at 0 degree C. Considerable overall improvement in receptor detection and measurement was made when gradient centrifugation was carried out in a vertical rotor instead of swing bucket rotor. The specifically bound [3H]-R5020 is displaced by progesterone, triamcinolone acetonide and R5020, but not by cortisol, dihydrotestosterone, 17 beta-estradiol, or diethylstilbestrol. High affinity was demonstrated by Scatchard analysis on binding of [3H]-5020 to receptors from cytosol of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) giving a KD of 2.4 X 10(-10)M and a binding site concentration of 50 fmol/mg protein. Molybdate ion maintains the hormone receptor complex in 8-11S form which is totally converted to the 4-5S form in the presence of 0.6 M K Cl. The optimum concentration of fluoride ion for enhancing the specific binding of [3H]-R5020 was determined to be between 20 and 50 mM. Cytosol from human BPH in the presence of 25 mM sodium fluoride contains [3H]-R5020 receptors which sedimented mostly in the 4-5S region of glycerol density gradient. Sodium-molybdate and sodium fluoride stabilize and stimulate the specific [3H]-R5020 receptor complex at 25 and 0 degree C. The loss of specific receptor hormone binding capacity can be reversed by fluoride and, to a lesser extent, by molybdate.
Uncertainty reduction, conditioned reinforcement, and observing

In a concurrent-chains procedure, pigeons chose between equivalent mixed and multiple fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement. In the first experiment, preference for the multiple schedule was higher when the probability of the shorter fixed interval was less than .50 than for complementary points, an outcome consistent with the delay-reduction hypothesis of conditioned reinforcement and observing, but inconsistent with the uncertainty-reduction hypothesis which requires symmetrical preferences with a maximum when the two intervals are equiprobable. A second experiment assessed preference for equivalent mixed and multiple schedules when each choice outcome resulted in two reinforcements, one on the longer and one on the shorter fixed interval. The order of the two fixed intervals was determined probabilistically. Pigeons again preferred multiple to mixed schedules, although multiple-schedule preference did not vary systematically with the likelihood of the shorter fixed interval occurring first. The results from these choice procedures are consistent with those from the observing-response literature in suggesting that the strength of a stimulus cannot be well described as a function of the degree of uncertainty reduction the stimulus provides about reinforcement.
Status of NuMI experiments: MINOS+ and NOνA

Abstract The NuMI beam at Fermilab has been upgraded and is now capable of producing a 700 kW neutrino beam. Two major long-baseline neutrino experiments, MINOS+ and NOνA, have started data collection in the new NuMI configuration. This paper describes the latest developments of MINOS+ and NOνA. MINOS+ constitutes a new phase of the MINOS experiment and will provide improved sensitivity to new physics phenomena with a higher energy beam. NOνA will take advantage of its off-axis position to deliver precise measurements of ν μ → ν e and ν ¯ μ → ν ¯ e appearance, probing the neutrino mass ordering, the octant of θ 23 , and the value of the CP violating phase δ C P .
Chemistry of Isotopes: Isotope chemistry has opened new areas of chemical physics, geochemistry, and molecular biology.

With the exception of the field of chemical kinetics, a brief survey has been presented of the principles of isotope chemistry and their utility in the ever-unfolding panorama of scientific research. We have come a long way since Soddy and Fajans arrived at the concept of chemical twins—isotopes. There are still places to go.
The Hydraulic Permeability of Blood Clots as a Function of Fibrin and Platelet Density

Interstitial fluid flow within blood clots is a biophysical mechanism that regulates clot growth and dissolution. Assuming that a clot can be modeled as a porous medium, the physical property that dictates interstitial fluid flow is the hydraulic permeability. The objective of this study was to bound the possible values of the hydraulic permeability in clots formed in vivo and present relationships that can be used to estimate clot permeability as a function of composition. A series of clots with known densities of fibrin and platelets, the two major components of a clot, were formed under static conditions. The permeability was calculated by measuring the interstitial fluid velocity through the clots at a constant pressure gradient. Fibrin gels formed with a fiber volume fraction of 0.02–0.54 had permeabilities of 1.2 × 10−1–1.5 × 10−4μm2. Platelet-rich clots with a platelet volume fraction of 0.01–0.61 and a fibrin volume fraction of 0.03 had permeabilities over a range of 1.1 × 10−2–1.5 × 10−5μm2. The permeability of fibrin gels and of clots with platelet volume fraction of 0.2 were modeled as a Brinkman medium of coarse solids (platelets) embedded in a mesh of fine fibers (fibrin). Our data suggest that the permeability of clots formed in vivo can vary by up to five orders of magnitude, with pore sizes that range from 4 to 350 nm. These findings have important implications for the transport of coagulation zymogens/enzymes in the interstitial spaces during clot formation, as well as the design of fibrinolytic drug delivery strategies.