cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytokines and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is unique among psychiatric syndromes in that a state of threatened homeostasis, or stress, is a known direct precipitant for the disorder. Thus, an essential diagnostic criterion for PTSD is exposure to an environmental traumatic event or stressor, during which the individual subjectively experiences extreme fear for self or someone else, feels helplessness and often a sense of horror, emotions that initiate a strong and prolonged psychophysiologic response. Although predisposing vulnerabilities are likely (1, 2, 3) the inability to fully re-establish pre-stress homeostasis and the subsequent post-stress maladaptive accommodation result in PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD, once established, often persist for years. The post-trauma emotional changes include persistent re-experiencing of the adverse event through intrusive thoughts and nightmares, emotional numbing, avoidance of stimuli that might be a reminder of the event, memory and cognitive difficulties, as well as a state of increased arousal experienced as difficulty sleeping, irritability, increased startle and hypervigilence. The disorder is associated with well-documented physiologic abnormalities in the major stress response systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) (4, 5, 6) as well as other brain systems (7) for review.
A Comparison of Two Methodologies in HAZARD I Fire Egress Analysis

Within the framework of HAZARD I, fire egress analysis is performed using the EXITT program. Yet another way to analyze fire egress employs newly developed multiple objective dynamic programming. This paper compares these two approaches by applying them to a model fire of moderate power in a residential building. The findings demonstrate that multiple objective dynamic programming can compute all the paths EXITT finds, but EXITT can't find all the paths multiple objective programming can. Some trade-offs inherent in choosing among the computed egress paths are discussed, and the features of the two fire egress methods are contrasted.
Proprietary Costs of Mandatory Disclosure and the Decision to First Access the Public Market

This study examines whether and how proprietary costs of mandatory disclosure influence a firm’s decision to first access the public bond market. First access to the public market implies a pre-commitment to mandatory disclosure. Both the industry-level and firm-level evidence suggest that an important economic determinant of the financing decision is proprietary costs of mandatory disclosure. More specifically, I characterize product markets where a firm’s marginal profit decreases (increases) in response to a rival’s increase in output as one where firms compete as strategic substitutes (complements). First, a larger proportion of firms in product markets characterized as “strategic complements” choose not to access the public bond market, which is consistent with the interpretation that firms in “strategic complements” prefer no pre-commitment to disclosure of proprietary information on firm-specific values. Second, when the potential cost of disclosing proprietary information on market-wide values is high, a larger proportion of firms in product markets characterized as “strategic substitutes” choose not to access the public bond market, which is consistent with the interpretation that firms in “strategic substitutes” prefer no pre-commitment to disclosure of market-wide values. Finally, in a given product market, more profitable firms are less likely to access the public bond market because they have economic incentives to avoid public disclosure in order to protect their abnormal profitability from competition.
Neural Control of Cardiovascular Function During Exercise in Hypertension

During both static and dynamic exercise hypertensive subjects can experience robust increases in arterial pressure to such an extent that heavy exercise is often not recommended in these patients due to the dangerously high levels of blood pressure sometimes observed. Currently, the mechanisms mediating this cardiovascular dysfunction during exercise in hypertension are not fully understood. The major reflexes thought to mediate the cardiovascular responses to exercise in normotensive healthy subjects are central command, arterial baroreflex and responses to stimulation of skeletal muscle mechano-sensitive and metabo-sensitive afferents. This review will summarize our current understanding of the roles of these reflexes and their interactions in mediating the altered cardiovascular responses to exercise observed in hypertension. We conclude that much work is needed to fully understand the mechanisms mediating excessive pressor response to exercise often seen in hypertensive patients.
Fine-Needle Aspiration

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a quick, valuable, minimally invasive procedure to assess the nature of a thyroidal mass. It should not be confused with “needle biopsy,” which requires a Tru-cut or Vim-Silverman needle and yields tissue fragments for histologic diagnosis. Details of the FNA technique (as we practice it) and the equipment required are described in refs. 1 and 2. Of particular importance are the use of a syringe holder and needles with clear plastic hubs (3). It is essential to use little or no suction when aspirating the lesions (4).
A meta-analysis of cortisol reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test in virtual environments.

Abstract Background Maladaptive responses to stressors can lead to poor physical and psychological health outcomes. Laboratory studies of stress induction commonly use the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The TSST has been shown to reliably induce a stress response, most commonly measured via cortisol reactivity. Recently, researchers have used virtual environment versions of the TSST (V-TSST) in place of the traditional TSST. The V-TSST has many advantages over the traditional TSST, including increased standardization and use of fewer resources, but V-TSST has yet to be quantitatively reviewed and compared to the traditional TSST. This review aims to quantifying the effectiveness of V-TSST with a meta-analysis of cortisol response effects and identify potential moderating variables that are more likely to induce a cortisol response with V-TSST. Methods Literature searches were conducted including the key words Trier Social Stress Test, TSST, and virtual reality. Thirteen studies were included in this meta-analysis after meeting the inclusion criteria of utilizing a V-TSST and having cortisol measurements at baseline and peak stress to assess cortisol reactivity. The standardized mean gain effect size was used. Results and discussion There was a medium average effect size (ESsg = 0.65) across all studies for increase in cortisol from baseline to peak measurement. Significant moderating effects were seen for participant age, sex, and level of immersivity of the virtual environment. Studies in which participants were under 25 years old, or all male, showed greater effect sizes for cortisol reactivity. Virtual environments that were more immersive also evidenced greater effect sizes. Although the V-TSST is effective at inducing psychosocial stress, the magnitude of this response is less than the traditional TSST. Based on these results, recommendations for future research are provided.
Self-renewing endometrial epithelial organoids of the human uterus

The human endometrium is essential in providing the site for implantation and maintaining the growth and survival of the conceptus. An unreceptive endometrium and disrupted maternal−conceptus interactions can cause infertility due to pregnancy loss or later pregnancy complications. Despite this, the role of uterine glands in first trimester human pregnancy is little understood. An established organoid protocol was used to generate and comprehensively analyze 3-dimensional endometrial epithelial organoid (EEO) cultures from human endometrial biopsies. The derived EEO expand long-term, are genetically stable, and can be cryopreserved. Using endometrium from 2 different donors, EEO were derived and then treated with estrogen (E2) for 2 d or E2 and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) for 6 d. EEO cells were positive for the gland marker, FOXA2, and exhibited appropriate hormonal regulation of steroid hormone receptor expression. Real-time qPCR and bulk RNA-sequencing analysis revealed effects of hormone treatment on gene expression that recapitulated changes in proliferative and secretory phase endometrium. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that several different epithelial cell types are present in the EEO whose proportion and gene expression changed with hormone treatment. The EEO model serves as an important platform for studying the physiology and pathology of the human endometrium.
Dilation of Multiple Eccrine Ducts as a Highly Specific Marker for Cicatricial Alopecia

BACKGROUND Eccrine duct dilation (EDD) was recently described to occur more frequently in cicatricial alopecias than noncicatricial alopecias. Because single EDD can be useful in the evaluation of alopecias, we aimed to determine whether dilation of multiple eccrine duct units, or "multiple eccrine duct dilation (MEDD)," could more specifically discriminate between cicatricial and noncicatricial alopecias. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 611 scalp biopsies (342 cicatricial alopecias and 269 noncicatricial alopecias). RESULTS Among cicatricial alopecias, MEDD was found in 21% (25/118) of central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, 26% (29/109) of lichen planopilaris, 13% (10/73) of discoid lupus erythematosus, 31% (5/16) of acne keloidalis nuchae, and 26% (7/26) of folliculitis decalvans. In noncicatricial alopecias, MEDD was found in 1% (1/102) of androgenetic alopecia, 0.7% (1/150) of alopecia areata, and 0% (0/17) of telogen effluvium. In cicatricial alopecias, MEDD occurred in a significantly higher frequency (22%; 76/342) compared with noncicatricial alopecias (0.7%; 2/269) (P-value <0.0001). The presence of MEDD correlated with a diagnosis of cicatricial alopecia with 22% sensitivity and 99% specificity. MEDD also occurred more frequently in cases with moderate to severe inflammation and fibroplasia, suggesting that EDD is a reactive change secondary to the scarring processes. CONCLUSION The presence of MEDD on scalp biopsies may be a highly specific marker of cicatricial alopecia and can aid in rendering a more accurate diagnosis. MEDD without other definitive histopathologic features of cicatricial alopecia may compel pathologists to pursue additional workup and/or raise the possibility that a cicatricial alopecia cannot be entirely excluded.
Mathematical Models of the Tear Film

The complex dynamics of the tear film are affected by its many processes and components. Mathematical models of the tear film allow the selective elimination or inclusion of various effects that are not otherwise possible in human subjects. Such models have been able to provide local estimates of osmolarity in tear break up (TBU), for example, which to our knowledge cannot be measured directly. Models also suggest that different modes of TBU must be considered to make sense of in vivo data regarding response of the ocular epithelia and causes of dry eye. More complex models that include tear film formation via blinking are within our grasp, which will no doubt extend our knowledge of the tear film, its dynamics, and its role in ocular surface health.
EcoTypes: exploring environmental ideas, discovering deep difference

The EcoTypes initiative, launched in early 2017, is a joint research and educational effort focusing primarily on students enrolled in undergraduate environmental courses in US institutions of higher education. EcoTypes was designed for participants to explore the fundamental ideas that shape how they approach environmental issues. They do so via a survey consisting of 15 key scales or axes (e.g., Aesthetics, Change, or Diversity); in the last 2 years, the EcoTypes survey has been completed approximately 3000 times by students in roughly 50 institutions. These 15 axes can be gathered via statistical analysis into three themes, including Place (human/nonhuman), Knowledge (old/new), and Action (small/big). The tensions and contradictions inherent in each theme suggest deep difference, an unsettled environmental contradiction with plural truths that cannot readily be harmonized. EcoTypes themes offer participants an opportunity to discover and engage across deep difference in a manner resonant with the coproduction of knowledge, though never toward some static consensus. EcoTypes suggests that the disagreement and difference we commonly experience today are inherent in environmental issues, not simply a matter of differing opinion, challenging us to take seriously the necessity of engagement across difference.
Phenomenology as Descriptive Psychology

Farber has suggested that Husserl’s works can be grouped, chronologically, into three broadly defined periods: a psychologistic period, a simple descriptive phenomenological period, and a transcendental phenomenological period (1940, p. 11). The psychologistic period consists of Husserl’s earliest writings through the Philosophy of Arithmetic, while the simple descriptive phenomenological period consists of the first edition of the Logical Investigations and the transcendental period subsumes all of the work following the Logical Investigations and Husserl’s “breakthrough” to the transcendental of 1907–1908. Farber’s heuristic is helpful for our own purposes here, except that we will be mainly interested in the last two of these three periods: those which Farber refers to as the “two major periods” of Husserl’s thought, and which he designates as “pre-transcendental” and “transcendental” periods (1940, p. 11). We will, likewise, divide our treatment of Husserl into these two phases of development.
Navigating Fragility and Building Resilience: A School–University Partnership to Support the Development of a Full-Service Community School:

Background/ContextThe literature review by Phelps in this special issue highlights the challenges of research–practice partnerships and other forms of insider–outsider collaboration in education. I...
AI education matters: EAAI mentored undergraduate research challenges past, present, and future

In this column, we recount the history of EAAI mentored undergraduate research challenges from 2014 through the present and share a vision of how such offerings may become more diverse and engage a broader range of faculty mentors and undergraduate researchers. Unlike many academic disciplines, Computer Science undergraduate majors currently are not usually required to take or even offered a research methods course. Even so, many graduate schools desire to admit graduate students with undergraduate research experience. The EAAI Symposium has historically affirmed the value of mentored undergraduate research as an important part of undergraduate AI education. It has expressed this value through the support of a number of mentored undergraduate research challenges, described below.
Pet Food-Associated Dietary Exogenous Thyrotoxicosis: Retrospective Study (2016-2018) and Clinical Considerations.

Abstract Dietary exogenous thyrotoxicosis is infrequently observed in pet food. A retrospective evaluation of pet food investigations (PFI) was conducted for 17 dogs, including review of medical records, dietary and environmental exposure interviews, food testing, and regulatory action. Five PFIs occurring between 2016 and 2018 involved 7 food products including two food types, jerky treats or canned food, made from beef or bison. The dogs’ serum thyroid hormone concentrations were evaluated before and after diet change. The foods were tested for active thyroid hormones and hormone precursors using high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry detection. The foods were also examined microscopically. Serum thyroid hormone concentrations of thyroxine (T4) varied depending on the food type consumed. Dogs that consumed dried jerky containing greater T4 concentrations often had increased serum T4 concentrations, whereas dogs that consumed canned products containing greater and 3,4,5- and 3,5,3’-triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations often had decreased serum T4 concentrations. After the diets were changed, serum T4 and T3 concentrations normalized at 1 month. Seven foods containing beef or bison had iodine concentrations greater than 11 mg/kg, and iodine speciation identified variable concentrations of iodide, T4, T3, monoiodotyrosine (MIT), and di-iodotyrosine (DIT). Thyroid gland was found in microscopic sections from one finished food and one ingredient, gullet. FDA performed Health Hazard Evaluations to categorize the exposure risk, and five foods were recalled for which the product packaging had not been discarded. Dietary exogenous thyrotoxicosis should be considered in dogs exhibiting clinical signs compatible with hyperthyroidism, especially if consuming beef-based food. A thyroid panel that includes serum iodine, coupled with a thorough feeding history can aid in diagnosis. Thyrotoxicosis is typically reversible after removing the contaminated food from the diet.
Critical Congenital Heart Disease Detection in the Screening Era: Do Not Neglect the Examination!

Pulse oximetry oxygen saturation (SpO2)-based critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening is effective in detection of cyanotic heart lesions. We report a full-term male infant with normal perfusion who had passed the CCHD screening at approximately 24 hours after birth with preductal SpO2 of 99% and postductal SpO2 of 97%. Detection of a loud systolic cardiac murmur before discharge led to the diagnosis of pulmonary atresia (PA) with ventricular septal defect (PA-VSD) by echocardiogram. The infant was transferred to a tertiary care center after initiation of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) therapy. Throughout the initial course, he was breathing comfortably without respiratory distress or desaturations on pulse oximetry. We believe that this is the first documented report of PA missed by CCHD screening. Thorough and serial clinical examinations of the newborn infant proved vital in the timely diagnosis of this critical disease. We review the hemodynamics and the recent literature evaluating utility of CCHD screening in the diagnosis of PA-VSD. Pulse oximetry–based CCHD screening should be considered a tool to enhance CCHD detection with an emphasis on detailed serial physical examinations in newborn infants.
Human Capital Equity Returns: Evidence from the National Football League

Human capital comprises a substantial portion of global wealth, but equity claims to human capital are not publicly traded. I analyze ten transactions between April 2014 and July 2016 in which ten active players in the National Football League (NFL) sell equity claims to their future labor income. The proceeds from these equity contracts total more than $38 million and value the human capital of these athletes at more than $357 million. These transactions represent the largest, most transparent dealings in human capital equity contracts by private parties. I estimate the expected returns of these human capital initial public offerings (IPO) using NFL contract data and player performance statistics. The average expected return of these IPOs is 5.9% before expenses. Expected returns are larger for human capital equity investments in players from teams in smaller geographic markets.
Regulatory Economics: Twenty Years of Progress?

In the 20 years since the Center for Research in Regulated Industries' Eastern Conference has been in existence there have been numerous changes in regulatory economics and regulation. This paper provides a review of the major changes seen from our own perspective. We review some of the major developments in theory as well as key developments in the theory and practice of incentive regulation. We are critical of some of the theory as well as the effectiveness of deregulation.
Thermal effects on heart rate of the neonate.

Abstract An evaluation was undertaken of changing skin temperatures and heart rates of neonates during their first 30 minutes. Of 81 newborn infants, 54 had a decrease in basal heart rate associated with an increase in abdominal skin temperature. There was a significant relationship between the newborn infant's abdominal skin temperature and heart rate. We observed that skin temperature and heart rate were dependent in part upon the degree of external warming. The immediately newborn infant's basal heart rate is generally 160 to 180 beats per minute, and by 30 minutes of age the heart rate usually had returned to previous in utero values of 120 to 140 beats per minute.
Conditioned immune responses and pharmacotherapy

Data on the conditioned modulation of immune responses are briefly reviewed, and the successful application of conditioning operations to the pharmacotherapy of autoimmune disease in lupus-prone mice is described. These data provide the background for a discussion of the role of conditioning in pharmacotherapy and an experimental analysis of the "placebo effect" as a conditioned response.
Electronic structure of ZnCNi 3

According to a recent report by Park et al., ${\mathrm{ZnCNi}}_{3}$ is isostructural and isovalent to the superconducting $({T}_{c}\ensuremath{\sim}8\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K})$ antiperovskite, ${\mathrm{MgCNi}}_{3}$, but shows no indication of a superconducting transition down to $2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. A comparison of calculated electronic structures shows that the main features of ${\mathrm{MgCNi}}_{3}$, particularly the van Hove singularity near the Fermi energy $({E}_{F})$, are preserved in ${\mathrm{ZnCNi}}_{3}$. Thus, the reported lack of superconductivity in ${\mathrm{ZnCNi}}_{3}$ is not explainable in terms of ${T}_{c}$ being driven to a very low value by a small Fermi level density of states. We propose that the lack of superconductivity, the small value of the linear specific heat coefficient $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ and the discrepancy between theoretical and experimental lattice constants can all be explained if the material is assumed to be a C-deficient $\ensuremath{\alpha}{\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{ZrCNi}}_{3}$ similar to the analogous nonsuperconducting phase of ${\mathrm{MgCNi}}_{3}$.
Characteristics of auras in patients undergoing temporal lobectomy.

Object Prior studies suggest that aura semiology may have localizing value. However, temporal lobe aura characteristics and response to surgery have not been studied in large patient series. Methods The authors retrospectively analyzed the case records of 182 patients undergoing temporal lobectomy for medically intractable epilepsy at a single institution. They analyzed the frequency and type of auras and seizures preoperatively, and at 3 months and 1 year after temporal lobectomy. Auras were divided into medial semiology (rising epigastric, olfactory/gustatory, experiential, and fear) and lateral semiology (auditory, somatosensory, and visual), or other. Results Of 182 patients, 150 were included in this study. The preoperative prevalence of auras was 77%. Multiple types of auras were present in 20% of patients. The most common aura was rising epigastric (26% of all auras). Postoperatively, auras were eliminated in 63% of patients at 3 months and in 64% at 1 year. Seventy-seven patients (51%) were seizur...
Geo Data Annotator: a Web Framework for Collaborative Annotation of Geographical Datasets

In this paper we illustrate the Geo Data Annotator (GDA), a framework which helps a user to build a ground-truth dataset, starting from two separate geographical datasets. GDA exploits two kinds of indices to ease the task of manual annotation: geographical-based and string-based. GDA provides also a mechanism to evaluate the quality of the built ground-truth dataset. This is achieved through a collaborative platform, which allows many users to work to the same project. The quality evaluation is based on annotator agreement, which exploits the Fleiss' kappa statistic.
Dermographism: its definition, demonstration, and prevalence.

Abstract Dermographism has always been defined in general terms. Quite often it has been difficult, in practice, to determine whether a response to a scratch was abnormal. The authors describe a device which produces a known pressure on the skin and present the results of their experience with this instrument in different groups. Dermographism is then defined in quantitative terms as the occurrence of a wheal of 3 mm. or more in diameter with the use of a force of 400 Gm. or less. With this definition 1.5 per cent of a normal group exhibited dermographism, as compared to 7.4 per cent in patients with chronic urticaria and 2.7 per cent in those with seasonal allergic rhinitis.
Expression of human catalase in acatalasemic murine SV-B2 cells confers protection from oxidative damage

Abstract Reactive oxygen species have been implicated in aerobic organisms as causative agents in damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids. Catalase is a major enzyme in the defense against such oxidant damage. To determine whether increased catalase expression confers greater resistance to oxidant stress, a eukaryotic expression vector harboring a human catalase cDNA clone was constructed. Acatalasemic murine fibroblasts were then co-transfected with the catalase expression vector and pSV2-neo, and successfully transfected cells were identified by their ability to grow in the presence of geneticin. Clones that contained integrated copies of the catalase expression vector were identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) analysis. Stably transfected geneticin-resistant cell lines that overexpressed catalase in potentially positive cell lines were confirmed by catalase enzyme assays. To examine the physiological relevance of catalase overexpression, cells were exposed to oxidant stresses (hydrogen peroxide and hyperoxia), and survival rates were determined. Results demonstrated a significant resistance to oxidative stress in cells overexpressing catalase when compared to controls. These transfected cell lines will provide important models for further evaluation of the role of catalase in protecting cells against the toxic effects of oxygen-derived free radicals and their derivatives.
Evaluation of the Use of Rural Transportation Infrastructure in Evacuation Operations

The coastal communities of the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGM), which stretches from Florida to Louisiana, are predominantly rural and are under the constant threat of hurricanes each fall. In the last five years, deadly hurricanes such as Katrina, Rita, Ivan, and Gustav have required mass evacuations and other major emergency transportation services to be deployed. The rural transportation network is a major component of a larger, multimodal system that is critical for mobility of people, goods, and services. Rural roads have a larger role in evacuation than is currently recognized. The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of rural transportation infrastructure in evacuation operations in the NGM. A survey of the communities in the NGM was conducted to analyze the current state of the practice in rural evacuations. The evaluation of rural transportation infrastructure included the use and efficiency of evacuation tools, evacuee flow and traffic volume levels on evacuation routes, evacuation prepa...
NEW TRILOBITE TAXA FROM UPPER CAMBRIAN MICROBIAL REEFS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS

Abstract Previously undescribed trilobites associated with microbial patch reefs have been recovered from the Upper Cambrian (upper Steptoean Stage) Ore Hill Limestone Member of the Gatesburg Formation in south-central Pennsylvania. Reefs in the Imler Quarry and Drab-Beaverton measured sections yielded low-diversity assemblages of trilobites that we assign to the uppermost Cliffia lataegenae Subzone of the Elvinia Zone. The faunas are dominated by the catillicephalid Buttsia drabensis Wilson, 1951, and include several new taxa that are not known from coeval off-reef facies. Fine-scale correlation between the two sections reveals that the reefs in the Drab-Beavertown section are slightly younger than those at Imler Quarry and represent the youngest Steptoean fauna described from the Appalachian region. New taxa include Imlerella n. gen. (type species Imlerella praecipita n. sp.), Stittaspis n. gen. (type species Stittaspis loria n. sp.), and Dellea rogersi n. sp. Stigmacephalus? distorta Wilson, 1951, is r...
Do colonial people exist? Rethinking ethno-genesis and peoplehood through the longue durée in south-east central Africa

In the austral spring of 1999, I walked up the dirt driveway to the home of an informant located on the outskirts of Blantyre, Malawi. The daughter of a person whose life I had been researching at ...
Ultrasonic rf-based imaging for the purposes of characterizing the microstructure of solid tumors

Eight retired breeder rats were acquired that had developed spontaneous mammary tumors. Tumors were diagnosed microscopically as mammary gland fibroadenomas. Two-dimensional gray-scale B-mode images of the tumors in the rats were constructed from backscattered echoes using an 8 MHz (90% bandwidth) single element ultrasonic transducer. From the gray-scale B-mode images, regions-of-interest (ROIs) were selected in the tumors and surrounding tissues. The power spectra of backscattered RF echoes gated from the ROIs were used to estimate the average scatterer diameters and concentrations. A unique estimation scheme was used to obtain the average scatterer diameters and concentrations. The average scatterer diameter was related to the slope of the best-fit line to the reduced measured power spectrum versus the frequency squared. The scatterer concentration was determined from the intercept of the best-fit line. The reduced measured power spectrum is the measured power spectrum minus 40 log of the frequency. Parametric B-mode images were constructed by converting ROI boxes into colored pixels. The color of the pixels was related to the estimated scatterer properties. The images showed a distinct difference between the tumor and surrounding healthy tissues. Scatterer sizes inside the tumor were on average 30% larger than scatterer sizes in surrounding normal tissues.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Spinal Cord Injury without Radiographic Abnormality in Children

Seven children aged birth to 17 years with spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) were studied with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between 3 hours and 16 days after the injury. There were six cervical cord injuries and one thoracic cord injury. The MRI findings were divided into two groups: extraneural and neural. The extraneural findings included one case of anterior longitudinal ligament disruption and anterior C6-C7 disc herniation associated with hyperextension; one case of posterior longitudinal ligament disruption and C2-C3 disc herniation associated with lateral flexion; and one case of C6-C7 disc abnormality consistent with increased water content occurring with hyperflexion. These ligament and disc injuries did not correlate with late instability. The neural MRI findings included one case of cord transection with rostral cord stump hemorrhage and one case of hemorrhage involving the majority of the cord's transverse diameter, both associated with permanent complete cord injuries; one case of hemorrhage involving a minor portion of the cord and of the brain stem's transverse diameter associated with a severe partial cord injury but subsequent incomplete improvement; one case of edema without hemorrhage associated with Brown-Sequard syndrome and subsequent incomplete improvement; and three cases of normal cord signal and outline. Two of the latter patients had mild cord injuries that recovered completely. In the third, a child with complete T12 sensorimotor paralysis at presentation, the normal MRI findings predicted the subsequent complete recovery. No extraaxial compressive lesion was demonstrated in these seven children.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Optimization of electron-beam deposition uniformity for large aperture NIF substrates in a planetary rotation system

Optical-thin-film uniformity for 0.9-m-aperture optics in a 72-in. coating chamber is optimized for planetary rotation by analyzing source placement, planetary gearing, and mask design. Source efficiency is considered in achieving deposition nonuniformity of approximately 0.5%.
High-power terahertz synchrotron sources.

Electromagnetic waves, or light, are produced by accelerating electrons according to the formula assigned the name of Sir Joseph Larmor, who was secretary of The Royal Society from 1901 to 1912. For relativistic electrons the emission is enhanced by the fourth power of the increase in mass. Thus for 10 MeV electrons, for which the mass increases by a factor of 21, the enhancement is a factor of 200000. We have generated high–power broadband THz light using relativistic electrons and demonstrated that ca. 100 W can readily be produced in a band from 0.1 to 3 THz with possible extensions to 6 THz. The experiments use a new generation of light source in which bunches of electrons circulate once, but in which their energy is recovered. In such a machine the electron bunches can be very much shorter than those, say, in storage rings or synchrotrons.
On understanding without words: Communication between a deaf-blind child and her parents

This paper is an empirical inquiry into the nature of human communication and understanding. It is organized into three sections. First, there is an overview of the ethnomethodological critique of mainstream social scientific research methodology and the relevance of this critique to clinical behavioral research. Second, the details of an ethnomethodological study of communication practices in a family with an alingual, deaf-blind child are provided. Third, implications of the case study are presented.
TH-C-BRB-09: Commissioning of Intensity Modulated Neutron Radiotherapy (IMNRT)

Purpose: A system for planning and delivery of Intensity Modulated NeutronRadiotherapy (IMNRT) was developed using in‐house treatment planning and delivery systems. Results of commissioning tests are presented including validation measurements using representative patient plans and the TG‐119 test suite, and evaluation of total body dose.Methods:Tissue Equivalent (TE) ionization chambers flowed with TE gas and an ionization chamber array filled with TE gas were used for point dose and planar dose distribution comparisons with calculated values. Validation plans were delivered to water and solid water phantoms using TG‐119 measurement points and evaluation techniques. Planar dose measurements were performed in solid water and gamma pass rates calculated using 3%/3mm and 5% threshold criteria. Gamma and neutrondoses were evaluated at 50cm off axis for IMNRT and conventional neutron therapy plans to evaluate effects on out‐of‐field dose.Results: Measured and calculated doses for eleven representative plans (6 prostate/5 H&N) agree to within ‐0.8±1.4% and 5.0±6.0% within and outside the target, respectively. All twelve TG‐119 point measurements delivered in solid water were within respective confidence intervals derived by TG‐119. Ten of twelve measurements in water were within respective confidence intervals. Mean differences for all measurements were 0.5% (max=7.0%) and 1.4% (max=4.1 %) in water and solid water, respectively. The mean gamma pass rate for all cases was 92.7% (min=88.6%). Out‐of‐field dose equivalent from IMNRT is ∼10 times higher than from photonIMRT but not significantly higher than from conventional fast neutron therapy. Conclusions:Ion chamber validation results for IMNRT commissioning are comparable to those from photonIMRT. Gamma pass rates for planar dose distributions are lower than typical for photonIMRT but may be improved with improved planar dosimetry techniques. Significantly higher out‐of‐field doses require careful clinical consideration to assure that benefits of IMNRT outweigh potential risks of second malignancy.
Identification of Compounds with Anti-West Nile Virus Activity

The lack of antiviral compounds targeting flaviviruses represents a significant problem in the development of strategies for treating West Nile Virus (WNV), Dengue, and Yellow Fever infections. Using WNV high-throughput screening techniques developed in our laboratories, we report the identification of several small molecule anti-WNV compounds belonging to four different structural classes including pyrazolines, xanthanes, acridines, and quinolines. The initial set of "hits" was further refined using cell viability-cytotoxicity assays to two 1,3,5-triaryl pyrazoline compounds: 1-(4-chlorophenylacetyl)-5-(4-nitrophenyl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole and 1-benzoyl-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(thiophen-2-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazole. On the basis of their activity and favorable therapeutic indexes, these compounds were identified as viable leads and subjected to additional evaluation using an authentic viral titer reduction assay employing an epidemic strain of WNV. The compounds were further evaluated in a transient replicon reporting system to gain insight into the mechanism of action by identifying the step at which inhibition takes place during viral replication. The results indicate the pyrazolines inhibit RNA synthesis, pointing to viral RNA polymerase, RNA helicase, or other viral replication enzymes as potential targets. Progress was also made in understanding the structural requirements for activity by synthesizing a focused chemical library of substituted pyrazolines. Preliminary SAR data are presented that show the aryl-rings are required for activity against WNV. More importantly, the results indicate WNV activity is tolerant to aryl-substitutions paving the way for the design and development of much larger combinatorial libraries with varied physicochemical properties.
TRANSFER OF PROTEINS FROM THE CHLOROPLAST TO VACUOLES IN CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYTA): A PATHWAY FOR DEGRADATION

Several chloroplast proteins were detected by immunoelectron microscopy within dense granules in cytoplasmic vacuoles in the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard. Transfer from chloroplast to vacuoles of two major, pulse-labeled polypeptides, the large subunit of rubisco and the α subunit of ATPase, which are synthesized on chloroplast ribosomes, was demonstrated by the recovery of these polypeptides in vacuolar granules over a several-hour time period. The ultrastructure of cryofixed algal cells was examined to search for structures that would provide insight into the transfer of chloroplast proteins to vacuoles. Micrographs showed that the two membranes of the envelope were appressed, with no detectable intermembrane space, over most of the chloroplast surface. Protrusions of the outer membrane of the envelope were occasionally found that enclosed stroma, with particles similar in size to chloroplast ribosomes, but generally not thylakoid membranes. These observations suggest that chloroplast material, especially the stromal phase, was extruded from the chloroplast in membrane-bound structures, which then interacted with Golgi-derived vesicles for degradation of the contents by typical lysosomal activities. A protein normally targeted to vacuoles through the endomembrane system for incorporation into the cell wall was detected in Golgi structures and vacuolar granules but not the chloroplast.
A Second-Order Iterative Implicit-Explicit Hybrid Scheme for Hyperbolic Systems of Conservation Laws

An iterative implicit?explicit hybrid scheme is proposed for hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. Each wave in a system may be implicitly, or explicitly, or partially implicitly and partially explicitly treated depending on its associated Courant number in each numerical cell, and the scheme is able to smoothly switch between implicit and explicit calculations. The scheme is of Godunov-type in both explicit and implicit regimes, is in a strict conservation form, and is accurate to second-order in both space and time for all Courant numbers. The computer code for the scheme is easy to vectorize. Multicolors proposed in this paper may reduce the number of iterations required to reach a converged solution by several orders for a large time step. The feature of the scheme is shown through numerical examples.
Altered Response to Neuroendocrine Challenge Linked to Indices of the Metabolic Syndrome in Healthy Adults

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by central obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and hypercholesterolemia. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity is frequently abnormal in MetS, and excessive cortisol exposure may be implicated in metabolic derangements. We investigated the hypothesis that cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) responses to a standardized neuroendocrine challenge test would be associated with indices of MetS in a community sample of healthy adults. Healthy adults, 125 men and 170 women, without significant medical problems or chronic medications were recruited from the community. Participants completed the dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing hormone (Dex/CRH) test, and anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and cholesterol were measured. Participants reported on their history of early life stress and recent stress, as well as mood and anxiety symptoms. Cortisol and ACTH responses to the Dex/CRH test were negatively associated with measures of central adiposity (p<0.001) and blood pressure (p<0.01), and positively associated with HDL cholesterol (p<0.01). These findings remained significant after controlling for body mass index (BMI). Measures of stress and anxiety and depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with cortisol and ACTH responses in the Dex/CRH test but were not related to MetS indices. That altered HPA axis function is linked to MetS components even in a healthy community sample suggests that these processes may be involved in the pathogenesis of MetS. Identification of premorbid risk processes might allow for detection and intervention prior to the development of disease.
Morphological criteria for the in vitro differentiation of embryoid bodies produced by a transplantable teratoma of mice

Embryoid bodies are produced when a transplantable testicular teratoma from strain 129 mice is serially passaged in the peritoneal cavity of these mice. These bodies are roughly spherical containing two morphologically distinct cell types. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy have been employed to show that the endodermal cells of embryoid bodies, like those of the mouse embryo, are on the outer surface and have highly convoluted surfaces containing numerous microvilli-like projections. The inner, embryonal carcinoma cells, are the pluripotent stem cells of this tumor. Intracisternal A-type particles have been observed in electron micrographs and are almost exclusively located in the endodermal cells of the embryoid bodies. The A-type complement-fixing antigen has been identified in extracts prepared from this tumor. When embryoid bodies are placed in culture and allowed to attach to the surface of a petri dish, a large number of new morphologically distinct cell types appear. Attachment to the petri dish surface is required for the generation of these new cell types. Cells of similar morphology in culture, display a distinctly “clonal” distribution on the petri dish surface.
Activation of brain tyrosine hydroxylase in rats exposed to carbon disulfide and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate.

A time-dependent activation of brain tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was observed in rats exposed by inhalation daily for 4 hr to carbon disulfide (5 mg/liter). TH activation rose above control after the second day of exposure, reached 140% of control by the fourth day, and declined thereafter. Activation of TH was also observed in rats given sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (dtc), 400 mg/kg ip daily, followed by 4 hr of air gassing. Brain TH activity fell 17% in control rats gassed with air on the same schedule as CS2-exposed rats. The decrease in brain TH activity was observed in both CS2-exposed and dtc-treated rats after one treatment, but rose above control on the second day of exposure and remained elevated for 6 days.
Objectively measured sleep quality and nursing home placement in older women.

Objectives: To determine the association between objectively measured sleep and subsequent placement in a nursing home or a personal care home. Design: Prospective cohort. Setting: Participants' homes and sites of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Participants: One thousand six hundred sixty-four community-dwelling women with a mean age of 83 ± 4. Measurements: At baseline, participants completed an average of 4 nights of wrist actigraphy; they provided data on place of residence at baseline and at follow-up, 5 years later. Results: At baseline, participants had a mean total sleep time of 408 ± 72 minutes, mean wake after sleep onset of 71 ± 43 minutes, and mean sleep efficiency of 79 ± 11%. At follow-up, 71 (4%) were residing in a nursing home, and 127 (8%) were in a personal care home. Women with the most wake after sleep onset (by quartile) had more than twice the odds as those with the least of placement in a nursing home (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.34�6.44) or a personal care home (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI = 1.26�4.30). Similarly, women with the lowest sleep efficiency had more than three times the odds as those with the highest of nursing home placement (AOR = 3.25, 95% CI = 1.35, 7.82) and more than twice the odds of placement in a personal care home (AOR = 2.38, 95% CI = 1.33, 4.24). There was no association between sleep duration and placement. Conclusion: In very old community-dwelling women, greater wake after sleep onset and lower sleep efficiency are risk factors for placement in a nursing home or personal care home. Sleep duration alone does not appear to increase the risk of placement in these long-term care settings.
Student Motives for Watching Soap Operas.

Soap operas recently have begun to receive scholarly attention commensurate with their importance. Despite the ascendancy in the number of shows produced to attract a younger audience, reasons for exposure remain unclear, especially for student viewing. This investigation used two alternative procedures to elicit motives. It identified 16 categories, reported their prevalence in two data sets, and considered the degree of convergence in findings of the two procedures. The diversity of motives and the resultant implications for subgroup analyses also were discussed.
Multi-dimensional Schrödinger Operators with No Negative Spectrum

In this paper we consider Schrodinger operators −∆+ V (x), V ∈ L∞(Rd) acting in the space L(R). If V = 0 then the operator has purely absolutely continuous spectrum on (0,+∞). We find conditions on V which guarantee that the absolutely continuous spectrum of both operators H+ = −∆ + V and H− = −∆− V is essentially supported by [0,∞). This means that the spectral projection associated to any subset of positive Lebesgue measure is not zero. Our main result is the following theorem (compare with [6]): Theorem 1.1. Let V ∈ L∞(Rd) be a real function. Assume that the negative spectrum of the operators H+ = −∆+ V and H− = −∆− V consists only of eigenvalues, denoted by λn(V ) and λn(−V ), which satisfy the condition ∑
Flexibility damps macromolecular crowding effects on protein folding dynamics: Application to the murine prion protein (121-231)

Abstract A model of protein folding kinetics is applied to study the combined effects of protein flexibility and macromolecular crowding on protein folding rate and stability. It is found that the increase in stability and folding rate promoted by macromolecular crowding is damped for proteins with highly flexible native structures. The model is applied to the folding dynamics of the murine prion protein (121–231). It is found that the high flexibility of the native isoform of the murine prion protein (121–231) reduces the effects of macromolecular crowding on its folding dynamics. The relevance of these findings for the pathogenic mechanism are discussed.