cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are church and state substitutes? Evidence from the 1996 welfare reform

Abstract Churches provide community services similar to those provided by the government, but there has been no convincing analysis of the extent to which church activity can substitute for government activity. To address this important issue, this paper uses a new panel data set of Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations to regress both church-member donations and a church's community spending on a number of variables, including government welfare expenditures. A provision of the 1996 welfare law that decreased the availability and use of welfare services by non-citizens serves as an instrument to identify the causal effect of government spending on church activity. The results show that church activities substitute for government activities. Extrapolating the findings to all denominations, the estimated “crowd-out” effect lies between 20 and 38 cents on the dollar. The results are subjected to a number of robustness tests.
Experimental Evidence of the Viscous Behavior of Grain Boundaries in Metals

The mechanical behavior of grain boundaries in metals has been a subject of constant controversy. The present research is designed to examine thoroughly the mechanical behavior of grain boundaries in metals in a quantitative manner. A simple torsional apparatus has been devised for measuring four types of anelastic effects at very low stress levels, namely: internal friction at low frequencies; variation of dynamic rigidity with temperature; creep under constant stress; and stress relaxation at constant strain. All four types of anelastic effects have been studied in 99.991 percent polycrystalline aluminum as well as in single crystal aluminum; these effects are practically absent in single crystal aluminum. The four types of anelastic effects observed in polycrystalline aluminum are completely recoverable and are linear with respect to the applied stress and prior strain. They satisfy the interrelations derived by Zener from Boltzmann's superposition principle within experimental error. These are consistent with the viewpoint that the grain boundaries behave in a viscous manner. The maximum amount of shear stress relaxation in polycrystalline aluminum determined by the four types of anelastic measurements is about 33 percent. This is in good agreement with the theoretical value of 36 percent calculated by assuming the grain boundary to be viscous. The heat of activation associated with the viscous slip along the grain boundaries has been found to be 34,500 calories per mole. The coefficient of viscosity of the grain boundaries in aluminum estimated using this heat of activation, is consistent with that of molten aluminum at the same temperature. Similar anelastic effects have been also observed in polycrystalline magnesium, indicating that the viscous behavior is common to all metals.
Infrared multiphoton-induced chemistry of ethyl vinyl ether: Dependence of branching ratio on laser pulse duration

The “collisionless”, IR multiphoton-induced decomposition of ethyl vinyl ether has been studied where the yields and ratio of the two unimolecular reaction channels have been used to probe the internal energy distribution during laser pumping. It is found that the yields and branching ratio can be varied by changing the laser pulse duration and that both reaction channels are observed at threshold when the pulse duration is 0.2 μs.
Stiff-Persons' syndrome associated with thymoma and subsequent myasthenia gravis

We report the first case of stiff-persons' (-man) syndrome in the setting of a histologically proven thymoma. Muscular hyperactivity was abolished under general anesthesia and the symptoms of stiffness resolved after thymectomy and three courses of intravenous immunoglobulins. After thymectomy, the patient developed ocular myasthenia gravis which later resolved spontaneously. We suggest that thymoma be sought for in cases with neuromuscular hyperactivity syndromes. Myasthenia gravis may develop subsequently in these cases.
Stability theory for ordinary differential equations.

LaSalle stability theorems refined for ordinary differential equations, discussing classical Liapunov results on system stability
Control of pyrimidine biosynthesis in "Pseudomonas alkanolytica" ATCC 21034.

The control of denovo pyrimidine biosynthesis in the industrially important patent strain “Pseudomonasalkanolytica” ATCC 21034 was investigated. Uracil supplementation of succinate-grown “P. alkanolytica” cells produced the greatest depression of the denovo pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway enzyme activities. After the pyrimidine limitation of a “P. alkanolytica” orotate phosphoribosyltransferase mutant strain grown on succinate, the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway enzyme activities were derepressed. The pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway enzyme aspartate transcarbamoylase in “P. alkanolytica” was inhibited by pyrophosphate, cytidine 5′-triphosphate (CTP), uridine 5′-triphosphate (UTP), and guanosine 5′-triphosphate (GTP). (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
THE RUINOUS-THIN RELATIONSHIP FOR THREE ELEMENT SETS

Richard Thompson's group F is nonamenable if and only if there exists a ruinous set. It is known that no three element set is ruinous. Here we explicitly construct a family of thin sets for any three element set each of whose trees has three carets. We then show where this construction fails when each of the trees has four or more carets.
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids : The biosynthesis of seneciphyllic acid

Abstract The biosynthesis of seneciphyllic acid in Senecio douglasii DC. has been investigated. Incorporation studies with [14C]-acetate and [2-14C]-mevalonate have shown that biosynthesis of the acid does not involve either direct condensation of acetate units or participation of the acetate-mevalonate pathway. High, specific incorporations were observed with [U-14C]- L -threonine and [U-14C]- L -isoleucine. The results of degradative experiments indicate that L -threonine is incorporated after transformation into L -isoleucine. It is suggested that L -isoleucine furnishes a five-carbon-atom fragment from which seneciphyllic acid is derived by coupling with another five-carbon-atom unit of different origin. Incorporation experiments with [Me-14C]- L -methionine and [14C]-formate show that C8 in seneciphyllic acid is provided by a one-carbon-atom donor. On the basis of the present studies, a general hypothesis is proposed for the biosynthesis of some of the acids encountered among the pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Beta-funaltrexamine affects cocaine self-administration in rats responding on a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement.

Many studies have shown interactions between μ-opiates and the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Mu-opiate receptor antagonists have been reported to either increase or decrease the rate of cocaine self-administration, and the interpretation of these data has been difficult. In an attempt to further characterize and localize the effect of opiate receptor blockade on the reinforcing effects of cocaine, the μ-opiate irreversible antagonist beta-funaltrexamine (βFNA) was administered locally to different regions of the mesocorticolimbic system. Microinjection of βFNA into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) or the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) had no effect on cocaine self-administration under a fixed ratio (FR) schedule of reinforcement. However, blockade of opiate receptors in both brain regions did attenuate responding for cocaine maintained by a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Administration of βFNA in the dorsal striatum had no effect under either schedule condition. The present findings suggest that endogenous opiate systems within the mesolimbic DA system modulate the reinforcing effects of cocaine; however, this modulation seems to be schedule dependent.
An association study of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and amphetamine response†

Although genetic factors are known to be important in addiction, no candidate genes have yet been consistently linked to drug use or abuse. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which has been implicated in the behavioral response to psychomotor stimulants and potentiates neurotransmitters that are strongly linked to addiction, is a logical candidate gene to study. Using a drug challenge approach, we tested for association between BDNF G196A (val66met) genotype and subjective responses to amphetamine (AMPH). Healthy volunteers participated in a double-blind, crossover design in which they received placebo, 10 mg, and 20 mg oral d-amphetamine in random order. Subjective and physical responses to ingestion of AMPH were measured at thirty minute intervals after drug ingestion. Each subject was genotyped for the BDNF G196A polymorphism and grouped and analyzed accordingly. The effects of AMPH on ratings of arousal, energy, and heart rate were compared in subjects with the val/val genotype (N = 67) and the subjects with either the val/met or met/met genotypes (N = 32). AMPH produced less pronounced self-ratings of arousal and energy, yet higher increases in heart rate, in the val/met and met/met compared to the val/val group. These results suggest that BDNF is related to the subjective and physical response to low doses of AMPH.
Searching for Answers in a Google World

Searching for answers within the online information environment is increasingly dominated by Web-based tools such as Google and Amazon. In rethinking reference education for the Google generation, this article proposes meeting students on their own territory by approaching them through popular search tools they are already familiar with as a platform for introducing the key concepts and resource functionalities of more advanced information searching. The article also considers innovative uses of Google and Amazon in reference services and reference education.
Morphology and physiology of neurons in the rat perirhinal-lateral amygdala area.

Neuronal structure-function relationships were studied in rat brain slices containing the perirhinal cortex (PR) and immediately adjacent lateral nucleus of the amygdala (ALa). Using video microscopy, whole-cell recordings were made from visually preselected neurons that were labeled with biocytin for subsequent anatomical reconstructions. Most cells were 1 of 4 primary neurophysiological types: fast-spiking (FS), regular-spiking (RS), late-spiking (LS), and burst-spiking (BS). Fast-spiking neurons (small somata) were found throughout PR; RS neurons (stellates and pyramids) were present from layer II/III through VI of PR; BS neurons (large pyramids with thick nonbifurcating apical dendrites) were found in layer Va of PR; and LS neurons (stellates, small pyramids, and cone cells) were encountered in layers II/III and VI of PR. One subpopulation of LS neurons (small pyramids) was found in layer II/III; another (cone cells) was found in clusters spanning layer VI through the lateral portion of ALa. Layer Va also contained large RS pyramidal neurons whose axons were seen traveling in the external capsule, but not entering the ALa. Conversely, the axons of large RS pyramidal neurons in layer Vb typically projected deep into the ALa. The four primary firing patterns were present in ALa, which also contained irregular-spiking, slow-charging, and single-spiking cells. Spontaneous synaptic currents differed markedly among cell types and layers. There was excellent agreement between somatic areas measured from video images of living neurons and somatic areas from the same neurons following fixation. Representative montages, which combined the cellular neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, suggested a circuit-level organization that helps elucidate information processing through the PR-ALa region. J. Comp. Neurol. 410:613–642, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The evolution and impact of therapy in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is a clonal B-cell malignancy characterized by aberrant expression of plasma cells wtihin the bone marrow, and is associated with the well known clinical manifestations anemia, bone disease, renal dysfunction, hypercalcemia, and recurrent infections. For many years, melphalan and prednisone represented the standard of care in multiple myeloma therapy, with stem cell transplantation reserved for selected patients. Treatment of the disease has evolved rapidly over the past decade, however, with the development and utilization of thalidomide, lenalidomide, and bortezomib. As a result of these developments, clinical outcomes have improved significantly. This review highlights important historic landmarks as well as more recent events that have played an important role in the evolution of myeloma therapy.
Adolescent health-related quality of life and perceived satisfaction with life.

Purpose: To explore the relationship between perceived satisfaction with life and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a state-wide sample of 13–18-year-old adolescents (n=4914) in South Carolina, USA. Methods: Questions were added to the self-report Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) asking about perceived life satisfaction in six domains (self, family, friends, living environment, school, and overall) and HRQOL (self-rated health; and the number of poor physical health days, poor mental days, and activity limitation days during the past 30 days). Results: Adjusted logistic regression analyses and multivariate models constructed separately revealed that self-rated health, poor physical days (past 30 days), poor mental health days (past 30 days), and activity limitation days (past 30 days) were significantly related (p < 0.05) to reduced life satisfaction, regardless of race or gender. Moreover, as the number of reported poor health days increased, the greater the odds of reporting life dissatisfaction. Conclusions: This is the first study to document the relationship between poor physical health and perceived life satisfaction. This adds to the mounting evidence that life satisfaction is related to a variety of adolescent health behaviors and that life satisfaction may add additional information in longitudinal databases that track adolescent health because it appears to be related to HRQOL.
Reevaluation of Tetrahydrophthalic Anhydride as an End Cap for Improved Oxidation Resistance in Addition Polyimides

Several substituted 1,2,3,6-tetrahydrophthalic anhydride end caps - including the 3-phenyl, 3-methoxy, 3-trimethylsilyloxy, and 3,6-diphenyl analogs - were synthesized via the Diels-Alder condensation of the corresponding butadienes and maleic anhydride. These anhydrides, as well as the commercially available 3-hydro and 4-methyl analogs, were each ground together with methylenedianiline in a 2:1 ratio and heated gradually from 204 C to 371 C, with the thermolysis followed by NMR. Generally speaking, a transformation via monoimide to bisimide was observed in the lower temperature range, followed by competition between crosslinking and aromatization. We believe that this competition produces a substantial percentage of aromatic product, with the concomitant lowering of the relative amount of crosslinking and is responsible for improving both thermal oxidative stability of tetrahydrophthalic end capped polyimides and their substantial frangibility. The thermolysis of the tetrahydrophthalimides under inert atmosphere dramatically lowers the amount of aromatization hence, the mechanism for aromatization is an oxidative one.
Fabrication of a Dye Sensitized Solar Cell and Its Performance Dependence on Temperature and Irradiance

This paper reports the temperature and irradiance dependence of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with acetonitrile-based electrolytes. The prototyped DSSCs had nanocrystalline titanium dioxide photoanodes and platinum thin film cathode. The photoanodes were sensitized with N-749 dye. The current-voltage characteristics of the DSSCs were measured at temperatures from 5 to 50 °C and under 500, 1000, and 1500 W m−2 irradiance. The open circuit voltage, VOC , decreased linearly with increasing temperature and had positive, logarithmic relation with irradiance. At temperatures lower than 15 °C, short circuit current density, JSC , was limited by the diffusion of I3 − in the electrolyte and increased with increasing temperature. At higher temperatures the recombination of electrons injected into the TiO2 conduction band was dominant over diffusion and JSC decreased with increasing temperature. Moreover, JSC increaed linearly with increasing irradiance. The DSSC photoconversion efficiency did not vary appreciably at temperatures lower than 15 °C but decreased with increasing temperature. Finally, the efficiency increased with increasing irradiance.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
General Effects of Ageing on Textiles

AbstractGeneral effects of five types of ageing on textiles are examined. The types of ageing discussed are physical, photochemical, thermal, chemical and mechanical. Changes in the structure and properties of textiles that result from each type of ageing are discussed in general terms. This paper is expected to provide conservators of polymeric materials (textiles in particular) with a basic understanding of some of the more important changes in textiles that result from ageing.
A Cognitive Diagnostic Modeling of Attribute Mastery in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and the U.S. National Sample Using the TIMSS 2007

Studies of international mathematics achievement such as the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have employed classical test theory and item response theory to rank individuals within a latent ability continuum. Although these approaches have provided insights into comparisons between countries, they have yet to examine how specific attribute mastery affects student performance and how they can provide information for curricular instruction. In the 2007 administration of TIMSS, two benchmark participants—Massachusetts and Minnesota—were tested following the same procedural methods, providing an opportunity for comparison within and across the United States. Overall comparison of their performance showed Massachusetts and Minnesota to significantly outperform the United States. However, this article shows that there is a greater wealth of fine-grained information that can be translated directly for classroom application at the attribute level when a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) such as the...
Selective semantic-lexical impairment of language comprehension in right-brain-damaged patients.

Abstract Fifty right-brain-damaged patients and thirty-nine normal controls were given two tests of semantic-lexical discrimination (auditory language comprehension and reading comprehension) and a test of phoneme discrimination. The aims of the research consisted in checking: (A) if right-brain-damaged patients are significantly more impaired than normal controls on the tasks of semantic discrimination even when the influence of associated variables (such as unilateral spatial neglect or general mental impairment) is ruled out; and (B) if semantic-lexical disorders of right-brain-damaged patients are selective or if they are associated with disorders of phoneme discrimination. Results have shown that right hemispheric lesions consistently impair semantic-lexical discrimination but do not hamper phoneme discrimination. Some implications of these results are discussed.
Frequent Nonprescription Stimulant Use and Risky Behaviors in College Students: The Role of Effortful Control

AbstractObjective: The goal of this study was to (a) investigate the association between nonprescription stimulant use (NPSU) and risky behaviors, including risky sex, driving, financial behaviors, and drug use and (b) collect preliminary evidence on mechanisms that may link NPSU to risky behaviors. Participants: A sample of 555 college students was collected between August 2010 and February 2012. Methods: Students completed several self-report measures assessing their drug use history, attention-deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, temperament, and risky behaviors beyond drug use. Results: Those who reported more frequent NPSU were more likely to engage in high-risk behavior across all 4 domains studied. Further, effortful control abilities partially mediated the link between NPSU and risky behaviors. Conclusions: These results highlight the associated risks of frequent NPSU for college students as well as provide future directions for examining effortful control as a potentially important mechanism linki...
Low temperature selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH3 over Fe–Mn based catalysts

Fe–Mn based transition metal oxides (Fe–Mn, Fe–Mn–Zr and Fe–Mn–Ti) show nearly 100% NO conversion at 100–180 °C for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 under the applied conditions with a space velocity of 15 000 h−1.
SU‐FF‐T‐285: Low Dose RBE of Therapeutic Proton Beams

Purpose: To develop a model for calculation of RBE in therapeuticproton fields applicable to low dose regions; determine parameters of the model and evaluate RBE variations throughout realistic treatment fields. Methods and Materials: The clinically adopted generic RBE of 1.1 is supported by extensive radiobiological data (Paganetti H., et al. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 53:407–21, 2002). However, most of these data are based on measurements at doses exceeding the typical dose of about 2 Gy/fx near the target volume, let alone doses received by normal tissues and organs away from it. Late responding tissues are characterized by low α/β ratios and have RBE increasing significantly with decreasing dose. It is therefore conceivable that the generic RBE underestimates biological effects in some normal tissues that both exhibit late morbidity and receive low doses. Methods of the present study include review of published radiobiological proton data with focus on doses of about 2 Gy and less, and data analysis based Monte Carlo simulations of pertinent proton fields. Results: A data set comprised of previously published data on in vitro survival of V79 hamster cells was compiled. It includes data relatively accurate at low doses, and covers a range of irradiation conditions, characterized in our study by proton fluence spectrum at the point of measurement. The spectra were calculated with the Monte Carlo program MCNPX and are used to obtain biological response functions that map proton spectra onto parameters of cell survival curves. In this approach RBE variations throughout a treatment field are calculated based on protondoses and spectra at points of interest. Conclusion: A phenomenological model has been developed for calculation of proton RBE. The model will be further applied to other cell lines and biological endpoints.
Ethyl 2-(2,3,4,5,6-Penta-bromo-phen-yl)acetate.

The title compound PBPEA, C10H7Br5O2, has its ethyl acetate portion nearly orthogonal to the benzene ring, with a C—C—C—C torsion angle of 88.3 (5)°. The packing involves an inter­molecular contact with a Br⋯Br distance of 3.491 (1) A, having C—Br⋯Br angles of 173.4 (2) and 106.0 (2)°. The crystal studied was an inversion twin.
Perspective: Serious play: Teaching medical skills with improvisational theater techniques

AbstractThe physician–patient encounter may be structured, but it is never scripted; every physician–patient interaction is to some degree improvised. Both physicians and improvisers must prepare for unpredictability, and the surprising and unrecognized overlap between improvisational theater and me
Temporal Relationship between Local Elevations of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and the Development of Nasal/Otologic Pathophysiology during Experimental Infection with Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Temporal Relationship between Local Elevations of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and the Development of Nasal/Otologic Pathophysiology during Experimental Infection with Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Web Camouflage: Protecting Your Clients from Browser-Sniffing Attacks

Browser cache and history are intended to be private, yet it's not difficult for malicious Web sites to "sniff" cache entries on visitors' computers and then use that information to more accurately deceive them. The authors' approach neutralizes the threat of URLs being discovered on client computers.
The Autism Epidemic, Vaccinations, and Mercury

(2000). The Autism Epidemic, Vaccinations, and Mercury. Journal of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine: Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 261-266.
Phylogeography and ecology of an endemic radiation of Hawaiian aquatic case-bearing moths (Hyposmocoma: Cosmopterigidae)

The endemic moth genus Hyposmocoma (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) may be one of the most speciose and ecologically diverse genera in Hawaii. Among this diversity is the Hyposmocoma saccophora clade with previously unrecorded aquatic larvae. I present a molecular phylogeny based on 773 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 762 bp of the nuclear gene elongation factor 1-α. Topologies were constructed from data using maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood and Bayesian search criteria. Results strongly support the monophyly of the H. saccophora clade and the monophyly of the genus Hyposmocoma . The H. saccophora clade has single-island endemic species on Oahu, Molokai and West Maui. By contrast, there are three species endemic to Kauai, two being sympatric. The H. saccophora clade appears to follow the progression rule, with more basal species on older islands, including the most basal species on 11 Myr-old Necker Island, one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Aquatic behaviour either evolved recently in the species on the main Hawaiian Islands or was secondarily lost on the arid northwestern Necker Island. The phylogeny suggests that Hyposmocoma is older than any of the current main islands, which may, in part, explain Hyposmocoma 9s remarkable diversity.
A comprehensive study on next-generation optical grooming switches

This paper investigates the characteristics and performance of different optical grooming switches, i.e., optical cross-connects (OXCs) capable of traffic grooming, under a dynamic traffic environment. We present four optical grooming-OXC architectures, namely, single-hop grooming OXC, multihop partial-grooming OXC, multihop full-grooming OXC, and light-tree-based source-node grooming OXC. After exploring their grooming capabilities, we propose three grooming schemes and two corresponding algorithms, grooming using auxiliary graph and grooming using light-tree. Through the algorithms, we evaluate the performance of different optical grooming OXCs in a dynamic traffic environment under different connection bandwidth-granularity distributions. Our investigation uncovers the following results: (1) the multihop full-grooming OXC can achieve the best network performance, but it may encounter cost and scalability constraints; (2) by using significantly less low-granularity electronic processing and intelligent traffic-grooming algorithms, the multihop partial-grooming OXC shows reasonable network performance and, hence, can be viewed as a cost-effective alternative when a network node does not require full-grooming capability; (3) the single-hop grooming OXC may cause a large amount of capacity waste and lead to poor network performance; and (4) through its multicast capability, a light-tree-based source-node grooming OXC can significantly out-perform the performance of a single-hop grooming OXC in terms of network throughput and network resource efficiency. From our results, we also observe that the connection bandwidth-granularity distribution has a large impact on network throughput and network resource efficiency and, therefore, should be carefully considered for network design and traffic provisioning.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction for posttraumatic stress disorder among veterans a randomized clinical trial

Importance Mindfulness-based interventions may be acceptable to veterans who have poor adherence to existing evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective To compare mindfulness-based stress reduction with present-centered group therapy for treatment of PTSD. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial of 116 veterans with PTSD recruited at the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center from March 2012 to December 2013. Outcomes were assessed before, during, and after treatment and at 2-month follow-up. Data collection was completed on April 22, 2014. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to receive mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy (n = 58), consisting of 9 sessions (8 weekly 2.5-hour group sessions and a daylong retreat) focused on teaching patients to attend to the present moment in a nonjudgmental, accepting manner; or present-centered group therapy (n = 58), an active-control condition consisting of 9 weekly 1.5-hour group sessions focused on current life problems. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome, change in PTSD symptom severity over time, was assessed using the PTSD Checklist (range, 17-85; higher scores indicate greater severity; reduction of 10 or more considered a minimal clinically important difference) at baseline and weeks 3, 6, 9, and 17. Secondary outcomes included PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity assessed by independent evaluators using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale along with improvements in depressive symptoms, quality of life, and mindfulness. Results Participants in the mindfulness-based stress reduction group demonstrated greater improvement in self-reported PTSD symptom severity during treatment (change in mean PTSD Checklist scores from 63.6 to 55.7 vs 58.8 to 55.8 with present-centered group therapy; between-group difference, 4.95; 95% CI, 1.92-7.99; P =.002) and at 2-month follow-up (change in mean scores from 63.6 to 54.4 vs 58.8 to 56.0, respectively; difference, 6.44; 95% CI, 3.34-9.53, P P = .03) at 2-month follow-up, they were no more likely to have loss of PTSD diagnosis (53.3% vs 47.3%, respectively; difference, 6.0%; 95% CI, −14.1% to 26.2%; P = .55). Conclusions and Relevance Among veterans with PTSD, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, compared with present-centered group therapy, resulted in a greater decrease in PTSD symptom severity. However, the magnitude of the average improvement suggests a modest effect. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01548742
Analysis of segmented traveling-wave optical modulators

A simple and comprehensive modeling approach is developed for analyzing the frequency response of segmented traveling-wave optical modulators. The approach is based on the microwave transmission (ABCD) matrix theory. The case study for a GaAs traveling-wave Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) verifies this analysis approach with excellent agreement to the reported experimental results; the analyses for the quantum-well-based MZMs and electroabsorption modulators indicate that the segmented traveling-wave design can provide much better bandwidth than the lumped-element or the continuous-traveling-wave counterparts, with a few decibels penalty in the electrical-to-optical (E/O) conversion gain if low-loss optical waveguides are available. Meandered transmission line design, which provides more design freedom, is also analyzed using this modeling approach.
Scheduling unsplittable flows using parallel switches

We address the problem of scheduling unsplittable flows using a number of switches in parallel. This has applications in optical switching and eliminates the need for re-sequencing in traditional packet switching. The use of parallel switches is becoming increasingly popular since it provides a way of building a high-speed switch while overcoming the speedup requirement imposed on the switch. Unlike packet switching however, we will assume that flows cannot be split across switches. This constraint adds a new dimension to the problem: various questions such as obtaining the best schedule, i.e. the schedule with the maximum throughput possible, become NP hard. Our problem is a special case of the general unsplittable flow problem, where in a directed capacitated graph containing a number of commodities with demands, the goal is to obtain a flow that does not violate capacity and in which all demands are satisfied and every commodity flows along a single path. In this paper, we are not going to address the general problem. Rather, we will study the special case of scheduling unsplittable flows using parallel switches, and present some simple approximation algorithms to various aspects of the problem with no speedup. We also define a speedup version of the problem and discuss under what speedup we can fully schedule an admissible set of flows.
Multilayer microfluidic PEGDA hydrogels

Development of robust 3D tissue analogs in vitro is limited by passive, diffusional mass transport. Perfused microfluidic tissue engineering scaffolds hold the promise to improve mass transport limitations and promote the development of complex, metabolically dense, and clinically relevant tissues. We report a simple and robust multilayer replica molding technique in which poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) are serially replica molded to develop microfluidic PEGDA hydrogel networks embedded within independently fabricated PDMS housings. We demonstrate the ability to control solute-scaffold effective diffusivity as a function of solute molecular weight and hydrogel concentration. Within cell laden microfluidic hydrogels, we demonstrate increased cellular viability in perfused hydrogel systems compared to static controls. We observed a significant increase in cell viability at all time points greater than zero at distances up to 1 mm from the perfused channel. Knowledge of spatiotemporal mass transport and cell viability gradients provides useful engineering design parameters necessary to maximize overall scaffold viability and metabolic density. This work has applications in the development of hydrogels as in vitro diagnostics and ultimately as regenerative medicine based therapeutics.
A new species of Schinia Hübner from the southeastern United States (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Heliothinae).

Schinia psamathea sp. n. is described from the southern coastal plain in Georgia and the East Gulf coastal plain in Florida and Alabama in habitats associated with sandy soil or dunes. Adult males and females and their genitalia are described and illustrated. Schinia psamathea is compared to Schinia saturata (Grote).
Practical exercises for learning to construct NMR/MRI probe circuits

Nine sets of laboratory exercises are designed to acquaint the student with many aspects of NMR/MRI probe resonant circuits. These include demonstrations of stray inductance and capacitance, matching a resonant circuit to 50 V, inductive coupling, doubly resonant circuits, loading effects of tissue, and radiation from the probe circuit. Many of the exercises are for the bench, but some are performed in an NMR system. The exercises should lead to an understanding of, as well as some intuitive knowledge about,
Using artificial neural network analysis of global ventilation-perfusion scan morphometry as a diagnostic tool.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether global statistical data from radionuclide ventilation-perfusion scans could predict the likelihood of pulmonary embolism.Digital data were obtained from 161 patients undergoing both radionuclide ventilation-perfusion scanning and subsequent pulmonary angiography. Morphometric data characterizing whole-lung perfusion and ventilation parameters were input into artificial neural networks in an attempt to predict the likelihood of pulmonary embolism.The performance of artificial neural networks using only automated global region of interest-based data was superior to that of clinicians in predicting the likelihood of acute pulmonary embolism in patients with normal findings on chest radiographs with segmental or larger emboli (p < .005) and in patients with normal findings on chest radiographs and emboli of any size (p < .01). Network performance did not significantly differ from clinician performance in patients with abnormal findings on chest radiographs.Th...
Mixing Rules for Binary Lennard-Jones Fluid Structures

Abstract The mixing rule estimates of the radial distribution functions gαβ(r), from the van der Waals one-fluid and mean density approximations for Lennard-Jones fluid mixtures, are examined by comparing with Monte Carlo simulations. In addition, these mixing rule estimates of gαβ(r) are used to calculate the Helmholtz energy for Lennard-Jones homonuclear chain mixtures based on the thermodynamic perturbation theory (TPT). Two simplifying modifications of these mixing rules are proposed for the TPT mixture model. The accuracy of these simplified rules is examined and found to give accurate representation of the theoretically derived Helmholtz energy over a wide range of densities and temperatures.
Evolutionary bidirectional expansion for the tracing of alpha helices in cryo-electron microscopy reconstructions.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) enables the imaging of macromolecular complexes in near-native environments at resolutions that often permit the visualization of secondary structure elements. For example, alpha helices frequently show consistent patterns in volumetric maps, exhibiting rod-like structures of high density. Here, we introduce VolTrac (Volume Tracer) - a novel technique for the annotation of alpha-helical density in cryo-EM data sets. VolTrac combines a genetic algorithm and a bidirectional expansion with a tabu search strategy to trace helical regions. Our method takes advantage of the stochastic search by using a genetic algorithm to identify optimal placements for a short cylindrical template, avoiding exploration of already characterized tabu regions. These placements are then utilized as starting positions for the adaptive bidirectional expansion that characterizes the curvature and length of the helical region. The method reliably predicted helices with seven or more residues in experimental and simulated maps at intermediate (4-10A) resolution. The observed success rates, ranging from 70.6% to 100%, depended on the map resolution and validation parameters. For successful predictions, the helical axes were located within 2A from known helical axes of atomic structures.
The role of organic acids in mineral weathering

Organic acids and their anions (for brevity we shall use the term “acids” to include both) may affect mineral weathering rates by at least three mechanisms: by changing the dissolution rate far from equilibrium through decreasing solution pH or forming complexes with cations at the mineral surface; by affecting the saturation state of the solution with respect to the mineral; and by affecting the speciation in solution of ions such as Al3+ that themselves affect mineral dissolution rate. In this paper we review the effects of organic acids on the dissolution rates of silicate minerals, particularly feldspars, under conditions approximating the natural weathering environment −25°C, pH 4–7 and with concentrations of organic acids comparable to those measured in soil solutions. Feldspar dissolution rates far from equilibrium increase with decreasing pH below pH 4–5. They appear to be independent of pH between pH 4–5 and about 8, and above pH 8 feldspar dissolution rates increase with increasing pH. Small chelating ligands such as oxalate appear to accelerate feldspar dissolution through complexation of Al at the surface of the mineral. Feldspar dissolution rates in the presence of 1 mM oxalic acid show effects ranging from no enhancement to enhancements of a factor of 15, depending upon the data set, pH, and aluminum content of the mineral: there is a great deal of scatter in the available data. In general, concentrations of oxalate of the order of 1 mM are necessary to cause a significant effect. Humic acids do not appear to increase feldspar dissolution rates significantly. Dissolution rates must decrease as the solution approaches saturation with respect to the primary phase (the chemical affinity effect). Organic acids will influence chemical affinity by complexing Al (and possibly other elements) in solution and hence decreasing the chemical activity of Al3+. There are essentially no data on the effect of chemical affinity on feldspar dissolution rate at 25°C and mildly acid pH, so it is hard to evaluate the importance of organic acids in accelerating silicate dissolution through the chemical affinity effect. The effect of complexation of dissolved Al does not appear to be an important determinant of silicate dissolution rates in nature. Observed rates of silicate weathering in the field are typically much slower than predicted from laboratory experiments far from equilibrium, suggesting control by transport of solutes between “micropores” and “macropores” (“micropores” include fractures and crystal defects within grains). If such transport is rate-controlling, analysis of the effect of organic acids on weathering rates in nature in terms of dissolution rates far from equilibrium may be misleading.
Reduction of Error Rates in the Microlymphocytotoxicity Test

The overall error rate of the microlymphocytotoxicity test has been reduced from 1.08% in 1971 to approximately 0.35%, based on comparisons of 882 replicate test pairs (different bleedings) and on family studies, with 0.11% attributable to "reading" errors. This reduction was attributed to automation for lymphocyte adding, better incubation temperature control, better technical preparation of cells and stronger, more monospecific sera. Three types of errors contribute to the overall error rate: random, sera-related (affected by strength and specificity), and lymphocyte-related (possible B-cell reactivity and donor/lymphocyte physiological condition). Strongly skewed error distributions, which seem to be lymphocyte-related, occurred in less than 4% of the test pairs.
Tamoxifen-induced proto-oncogene expression persists in uterine endometrial epithelium.

The use of the antiestrogen tamoxifen for breast cancer management, although generally well tolerated, is linked to an increase in uterine pathologies in a high number of postmenopausal women receiving the drug. This effect is thought to be due to estrogenic stimulation of the uterine endometrium by the antiestrogen; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the uterotrophic activity of tamoxifen and the uterine cellular compartments that respond to the drug have not been clearly established. In this study, we determined which of the several uterine tissues (myometrium, stroma, and luminal and glandular epithelium) demonstrated chronic overexpression of c-fos and the jun proto-oncogenes in response to tamoxifen. Uteri from tamoxifen-treated, castrated rats were examined histologically, and cell type-specific expression of c-fos, c-jun, jun-B, and jun-D was assessed using in situ hybridization. Treatment with tamoxifen resulted in uterine luminal and glandular epithelial hypertrophy and basally located n...
News Media Portrayal of Mental Illness Implications for Public Policy

Newspapers are a primary source of information about a variety of topics, including mental illnesses. A study of 1999 newspapers revealed that dangerousness is the most common theme of stories about mental illnesses. In contrast, stories of recovery or accomplishment were found to be rare. The ratio of negative to positive stories involving mental illness decreased between 1989 and 1999, but negative stories continued to far outnumber positive ones. The potential influence of these patterns of news coverage on public attitudes and public policy are discussed.
Cataracts in the Royal College of Surgeons rat: Evidence for initiation by lipid peroxidation products

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat has been extensively studied as a model system for inherited retinal degeneration. As in a number of human retinal degenerative diseases, posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC) are associated with the retinal changes. It has been hypothesized recently that such cataracts may be initiated by toxic products generated by the peroxidation of polyunsaturated lipid components from degenerating photoreceptor outer segments. In the present study, the possibility that such a mechanism might be responsible for cataract initiation in the RCS rat has been investigated. The degeneration of the rod outer segments (ROS) occurs rapidly in these animals, beginning a few weeks after birth. Due to the failure of the retinal pigmented epithelium to phagocytize normally, ROS degeneration is accompanied by an accumulation of debris in the eye. During the brief period of maximal debris accumulation there is a marked increase in lipid peroxidation products in the vitreous. Cataract formation is correlated temporally with these events, becoming evident immediately following the time during which peroxidation products are present in the vitreous. In addition, the primary damage detected in the RCS lenses is an increase in the passive permeability of the lens membranes. Similar lens damage has been found in studies in which normal rat lenses were exposed to degenerating ROS in vitro. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that cataracts in the RCS rat may be initiated by toxic lipid peroxidation products.
Mobilization of Plasmids and Chromosomal DNA Mediated by the SXT Element, a Constin Found in Vibrio cholerae O139

The Vibrio cholerae SXT element encodes resistance to multiple antibiotics and is a conjugative, self-transmissible, and chromosomally integrating element (a constin). Excision and self-transfer of the SXT element require an element-encoded integrase. We now report that the SXT element can also mobilize the plasmids RSF1010 and CloDF13 in trans as well as chromosomal DNA in an Hfr-like manner. SXT element-mediated mobilization of plasmids and chromosomal DNA, unlike its self-transfer, is not dependent upon excision of the element from the chromosome. These results raise the possibility that the SXT element and other constins play a general role in horizontal gene transfer among gram-negative bacteria.
Metabolism of 4-methylaminorex ("EU4EA") in the rat.

Metabolism studies were conducted on 4-methylaminorex (4,5dihydro-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolamine [4-MAX]), a potent central nervous system stimulant that has emerged as a drug of abuse under the name "EU4EA", "EU4Euh", and "Ice". Tritiated norephedrine was cyclized with cyanogen bromide to form 3H-4MAX, which was administered to rats at a dose of 10 mg/kg orally and intravenously. Radioactivity was excreted almost entirely in urine (40% of the dose was excreted by 24 h), primarily as the parent drug (60% of the total excretions were as the parent compound). Three metabolites were identified by highperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with thermospray ionization: norephedrine, 5-phenyl-4-methyl-2oxazolidinone, and 2-amino-5-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyl-2oxazoline. Stability studies showed that 4-MAX in aqueous solution degraded very slightly to norephedrine upon standing. There was no evidence for glucuronide or sulfate conjugation. These results suggest that the metabolic fate of 4-MAX is similar to that of the amphetamines in that it is eliminated primarily unchanged but undergoes some slight oxidative deamination and aromatic hydroxylation. Hydrolytic degradation back to the synthetic precursor can also occur. There was no evidence for the of the oxazolamine ring to form a urea that has been reported for the demethylated congener aminorex. This suggests that 4-methyl substitution of the oxazoline ring may inhibit metabolism similar to the (~-methyl substitution of [3-phenylethylamines.