cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apollo-L2, an advanced fuel tokamak reactor utilizing direct conversion

A scoping study of a tokamak reactor fueled by a D-/sup 3/He plasma is presented. The Apollo D-/sup 3/He tokamak incorporates recent advances in high-field magnets (20 T) and utilizes rectennas to convert the synchrotron radiation directly to electricity. The low neutron wall loading (0.1 MW/m/sup 2/) permits a first wall lasting the life of the plant and enables the reactor to be classified as inherently safe. The cost of electricity is less than that from a similar power level D-T reactor. Technology considerations, including heat flux considerations, reference technology, and radiation damage to structural materials are discussed. >
Depressed Mothers' Neonates Improve Following the MABI and a Brazelton Demonstration

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a short-term intervention for improving interaction behaviors of newborn infants with their depressed mothers. Method: Depressed mothers assigned to the experimental group first observed an administration of the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) at delivery. Mothers then used a similar instrument, the Mother's Assessment of the Behavior of her Infant (MABI), to independently conduct NBAS-like infant assessments periodically at home. Depressed mothers in the control group were not present when the NBAS was administered at delivery, and they periodically completed written assessments at home of their parenting attitudes and infants' development. Results: One-month NBAS assessments administered by an examiner revealed that experimental group infants performed more optimally than controls on Social Interaction and State Organization. Conclusions: Findings suggested that an intervention consisting of mothers taking part in NBAS/MABI assessments may be a simple and cost-effective technique for benefiting infants of depressed mothers during the early postpartum period.
Two-stage photobioreactor process for the metabolic insertion of nanostructured germanium into the silica microstructure of the diatom Pinnularia sp.

There is significant interest in imbedding nanoscale germanium (Ge) into dielectric silica for optoelectronic applications. In this study, a bioreactor process was developed to metabolically insert nanostructured Ge into a patterned silica matrix of the diatom Pinnularia sp. at levels ranging from 0.24 to 0.97 wt.% Ge. In Stage I, the diatom cell culture was grown up to silicon starvation. In Stage II, soluble silicon and germanium were co-fed to the silicon-starved culture to promote one cell division during Ge uptake. In Stage II, soluble Si and Ge were transported into the silicon-starved diatom cell by a surge uptake process, and Ge uptake preceded its incorporation into the frustule. STEM-EDS line scans of the frustule in the newly-divided cells revealed that the Ge was uniformly incorporated into the biosilica. The overall shape of the new frustule was intact, but Si-Ge oxides filled the frustule areolae and altered their nanoscale pore size and geometry. Ge-rich pockets imbedded within the silica frustule and Ge-rich nanoparticles littering the frustule surface were also found. These results suggest that a two-stage diatom cultivation process can biologically fabricate and self-assemble new types of Ge-Si nanocomposite hierarchical materials that possess intricate submicron features. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Simulation of vector nonlinear time series models on clusters

Vector functional coefficient autoregressive (VFCAR) models are powerful nonlinear times series models. Statistical estimation and inference involving VFCAR models are computationally intensive so that simulations to study statistical properties take weeks, or even months. As a consequence, empirical results are often based on a relatively small number of simulation replications, sacrificing precision, accuracy and reliability in the interest of "computational expediency". The simulations are amenable for parallelization; however, parallel computing technology has not been implemented in the VFCAR literature. This paper proposes an approach to the parallelization of statistical simulation codes to address long running times, without resorting to extensive code revisions. This approach takes advantage of recent advances in dynamic loop scheduling on workstation clusters to achieve high performance, even with the presence of unpredictable load imbalance factors. Preliminary results indicate that efficiencies in the range 95-99% on 32 processors of a Sun Solaris cluster are achievable.
Environmental Belief Systems Public Opinion on Land Use Regulation in Florida

Many studies have assumed that the public's apparent concern about environmental quality is rooted in one or more abstract ideologies or philosophies. In contrast, the literature on mass belief sys...
The effect of long-term antipsychotic treatment on prolactin.

Objective: This naturalistic, cross-sectional study was designed to assess the risk of prolactin level elevation and associated side effects in youths taking long-term atypical antipsychotic medication. Method: Subjects were enrolled from outpatient child psychiatric treatment settings in upstate New York who were taking risperidone, olanzapine, or quetiapine for at least 6 months. Demographic data, medication history, and side effects were elicited at the initial interview. Two fasting morning serum prolactin levels were obtained 1 month apart, and the results were averaged. Results: Fifty outpatient youths, with a median age of 13 years, were enrolled in the study. The median overall duration of use of an atypical antipsychotic was 22.1 months. The median dose of medication for risperidone was 1.5 mg/day, for olanzapine 10 mg/day, and for quetiapine 200 mg/day. The mean prolactin level among all patients on risperidone was significantly greater than controls, as well as for those on quetiapine or olanza...
Mechanical circulatory support: New advances, new pumps, new ideas☆

Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) is a viable therapy for severe end-stage heart disease. Most obstacles to long-term MCS therapy have been overcome, and a number of clinical trials, including the recent REMATCH trial, have shown a clear benefit in terms of survival and improved quality of life. MCS should therefore no longer be considered as simply a temporary bridge to other therapies, but also a destination therapy whose potential should continue to expand through the development and use of newer, more innovative devices such as continuous flow pumps, next-generation centrifugal pumps, and total artificial hearts. The homebound heart failure patient and the patient facing imminent death from massive myocardial infarction receive little statistical benefit from current therapies, and the new and evolving MCS technologies offer the potential for effective therapy to these desperately ill patients. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Nicotine enhances inhibition of mouse vagal motor neurons by modulating excitability of premotor GABAergic neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii

The caudal nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) serves as the site of the first synapse for visceral sensory inputs to the central nervous system. The NTS sends functional projections to multiple brain nuclei, with gastric-related projections primarily targeting the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV). Previous studies have demonstrated that the majority of caudal NTS neurons that project to the DMV respond robustly to nicotine and express nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, the cytochemical identity and relationship with specific viscera of DMV-projecting, nicotine-responsive caudal NTS neurons have not been determined. The present study used transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under a GAD67 promoter in a subset of GABAergic neurons, in vivo retrograde pseudorabies viral labeling to identify gastric-related vagal complex neurons, and patch-clamp electrophysiology in acute brain stem slices to test the hypothesis that gastric-related and GABAergic inhibitory synaptic input to the DMV from the caudal NTS is under a robust modulatory control by nAChRs. Our results suggest that activation of nAChRs in the caudal NTS, but not DMV, potentiates GABAergic, but not glutamatergic, input to the DMV. Gastric-related caudal NTS and DMV neurons are directly involved in this nicotine-sensitive circuitry. Understanding the central patterns of nicotinic modulation of visceral sensory-motor circuitry may help develop therapeutic interventions to restore autonomic homeostasis in patients with autonomic impairments.
Optimizing parallel algorithms for all pairs similarity search

All pairs similarity search is used in many web search and data mining applications. Previous work has used comparison filtering, inverted indexing, and parallel accumulation of partial intermediate results to expedite its execution. However, shuffling intermediate results can incur significant communication overhead as data scales up. This paper studies a scalable two-step approach called Partition-based Similarity Search (PSS) which incorporates several optimization techniques. First, PSS uses a static partitioning algorithm that places dissimilar vectors into different groups and balance the comparison workload with a circular assignment. Second, PSS executes comparison tasks in parallel, each using a hybrid data structure that combines the advantages of forward and inverted indexing. Our evaluation results show that the proposed approach leads to an early elimination of unnecessary I/O and data communication while sustaining parallel efficiency. As a result, it improves performance by an order of magnitude when dealing with large datasets.
Short-Term, Ambulatory Detoxification of Opiate Addicts Using Methadone

Twenty-one young opiate addicts entered an ambulatory, low dose methadone detoxification program which lasted 7 days. Eight (38%) did not successfully complete detoxification. At the end of 6 months only two (9.5%) addicts were found to be free of opiate drugs. Although low dose methadone detoxification can easily be accomplished on a short-term ambulatory basis, the high relapse rate to opiate use indicates that this procedure should only be attempted with selected, motivated individuals.
Developmental regulation of leucine-enkephalin expression in adrenal chromaffin cells by glucocorticoids and innervation

Most catecholaminergic cells derived from the sympathoadrenal lineage of the neural crest contain one or more neuropeptides. Although a great deal is known about the development and regulation of catecholaminergic properties in these cells, relatively little is known about the developmental control of their neuropeptidergic properties. We have investigated the possible role of glucocorticoids and preganglionic innervation in the regulation of leucine-enkephalin (L-Enk) expression in cultures of embryonic and neonatal adrenal chromaffin cells and in mature chromaffin cells in vivo. Exposure of embryonic and neonatal chromaffin cells to the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone increases L-Enk content. Neonatal chromaffin cells grown in medium containing elevated levels of potassium to mimic depolarization also exhibited increased L-Enk levels. The depolarization-induced increase in L-Enk was selectively inhibited by treatment with the enkephalin analog [D-Ala, d-Leu]-enkephalin to mimic the enkephalinergic component of the preganglionic innervation. Denervation of the adrenal gland in vivo resulted in a dramatic increase in L-enk expression that could be partially mimicked by selectively blocking enkephalinergic transmission with administration of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone. Taken together with the developmental time course and pattern of L-Enk expression in vivo, our results suggest that glucocorticoids and the preganglionic innervation regulate the developmental expression of this peptide in adrenal chromaffin cells and therefore participate in the generation of the mature neurochemical phenotypes present in the adrenal medulla. Further, in adult chromaffin cells similar factors appear to regulate the expression of L-Enk, which could in turn participate in physiological responses to stress.
Upstream stimulatory factor 1 activates GATA5 expression through an E-box motif

Silencing of GATA5 gene expression as a result of promoter hypermethylation has been observed in lung, gastrointestinal and ovarian cancers. However, the regulation of GATA5 gene expression has been poorly understood. In the present study, we have demonstrated that an E (enhancer)-box in the GATA5 promoter (bp -118 to -113 in mice; bp -164 to -159 in humans) positively regulates GATA5 transcription by binding USF1 (upstream stimulatory factor 1). Using site-directed mutagenesis, EMSA (electrophoretic mobility-shift analysis) and affinity chromatography, we found that USF1 specifically binds to the E-box sequence (5'-CACGTG-3'), but not to a mutated E-box. CpG methylation of this E-box significantly diminished its binding of transcription factors. Mutation of the E-box within a GATA5 promoter fragment significantly decreased promoter activity in a luciferase reporter assay. Chromatin immunoprecipitation identified that USF1 physiologically interacts with the GATA5 promoter E-box in mouse intestinal mucosa, which has the highest GATA5 gene expression in mouse. Co-transfection with a USF1 expression plasmid significantly increased GATA5 promoter-driven luciferase transcription. Furthermore, real-time and RT (reverse transcription)-PCR analyses confirmed that overexpression of USF1 activates endogenous GATA5 gene expression in human bronchial epithelial cells. The present study provides the first evidence that USF1 activates GATA5 gene expression through the E-box motif and suggests a potential mechanism (disruption of the E-box) by which GATA5 promoter methylation reduces GATA5 expression in cancer.
An interface to support lazy replicated file service

The authors argue that, if they are going to assume low-sharing workloads, then it is possible to build more efficient implementations that provide the same (or stronger) semantics by making fullest use of the assumption. Accordingly, they take an extreme point on the spreading/searching tradeoff: the searcher is made responsible for all the work. Thus, spreading can be made asynchronous and hence very fast from the caller's viewpoint. They employ an important optimization to eliminate most of the searching work when there is little sharing. Their technique carries other advantages as well: simple and flexible recovery algorithms, and suitability for mobile computing. >
Induction of Oxidative Stress Responses by Dioxin and other Ligands of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor

TCDD and other polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) have been classically considered as non-genotoxic compounds because they fail to be directly mutagenic in either bacteria or most in vitro assay systems. They do so in spite of having repeatedly been linked to oxidative stress and to mutagenic and carcinogenic outcomes. Oxidative stress, on the other hand, has been used as a marker for the toxicity of dioxin and its congeners. We have focused this review on the connection between oxidative stress induction and the toxic effects of fetal and adult dioxin exposure, with emphasis on the large species difference in sensitivity to this agent. We examine the roles that the dioxin-inducible cytochromes P450s play in the cellular and toxicological consequences of dioxin exposure with emphasis on oxidative stress involvement. Many components of the health consequences resulting from dioxin exposure may be attributable to epigenetic mechanisms arising from prolonged reactive oxygen generation.
Research on Homelessness : Sources and Implications of Uncertainty

The difficulties surrounding research on homelessness are numerous and substantial. Using a statewide census of homelessness, this article analyzes and critiques common methodological techniques employed in that study. In addition, using cross-tabulation and loglinear modeling, the relationship between key demographic variables and the cited primary cause of homelessness, as well as the types of housing needed, are assessed. Through a multiphased process, which isolates the effects of the operationalized definition of homelessness, significant changes emerge. The operational definition of homelessness is found to affect the demographic composition of the sample, the estimation of annual incidents of homelessness, and the estimation of the statewide number of homeless individuals. The impact of the uncertainty surrounding research on homelessness on policy formation is addressed.
Observations on the failure of insulin to pass from the fetus to the mother in the rabbit.

Abstract Observations are recorded on the effects on the maternal blood sugar level of injecting large doses (240 units) of insulin into the blood stream of fetal rabbits close to term. Of 5 animals successfully studied, no alteration took place in the maternal blood sugar level over a 2 hour period in three animals and a slight fall occurred in 2 animals. The lowest recorded blood sugar levels in the latter 2 animals were 66 mg. per cent and 46 mg. per cent, respectively, and were higher than that produced in a control animal following the intravenous injection of 2 units of insulin (27 mg. per cent within one hour). In 8 other animals a definite hyperglycemia was shown to follow the intrafetal injection of insulin, a phenomenon which was observed to be associated with damage to the placenta. It was concluded that no evidence was obtained to support the view that insulin can pass across the placenta from the fetus to the mother in the rabbit.
Molecular identification of a component of delayed rectifier current in gastrointestinal smooth muscles

Kv2.2, homologous to theshab family ofDrosophila voltage-gated K+ channels, was isolated from human and canine colonic circular smooth muscle-derived mRNA. Northern hybridization analysis performed...
3-D Parallel Monte Carlo Simulation of Sub-0.1 Micron MOSFETs on a Cluster Based Supercomputer

A full band, three-dimensional, Monte Carlo simulator for deep sub-micron Si MOSFET like devices has been developed, with the goal to obtain optimal performance on a parallel system built from a cluster of commodity computers. A short-range carrier-carrier and carrier-ion model has been implemented within this framework, using Particle-Particle Particle-Mesh (P3M) algorithm. Test simulations include the 90 nm “well-tempered MOSFET” for which measurements are available. Simulation benchmarks have identified several factors limiting the overall performance of the code and suggestions for improvements in these areas are made.
Mechanisms underlying regulation of respiratory pattern by nicotine in preBötzinger complex.

Cholinergic neurotransmission plays a role in regulation of respiratory pattern. Nicotine from cigarette smoke affects respiration and is a risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and sleep-disordered breathing. The cellular and synaptic mechanisms underlying this regulation are not understood. Using a medullary slice preparation from neonatal rat that contains the preBotzinger Complex (preBotC), the hypothesized site for respiratory rhythm generation, and generates respiratory-related rhythm in vitro, we examined the effects of nicotine on excitatory neurotransmission affecting inspiratory neurons in preBotC and on the respiratory-related motor activity from hypoglossal nerve (XIIn). Microinjection of nicotine into preBotC increased respiratory frequency and decreased the amplitude of inspiratory bursts, whereas when injected into XII nucleus induced a tonic activity and an increase in amplitude but not in frequency of inspiratory bursts from XIIn. Bath application of nicotine (0.2–0.5 μM, approximately the arterial blood nicotine concentration immediately after smoking a cigarette) increased respiratory frequency up to 280% of control in a concentration-dependent manner. Nicotine decreased the amplitude to 82% and increased the duration to 124% of XIIn inspiratory bursts. In voltage-clamped preBotC inspiratory neurons (including neurons with pacemaker properties), nicotine induced a tonic inward current of −19.4 ± 13.4 pA associated with an increase in baseline noise. Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) present during the expiratory period increased in frequency to 176% and in amplitude to 117% of control values; the phasic inspiratory drive inward currents decreased in amplitude to 66% and in duration to 89% of control values. The effects of nicotine were blocked by mecamylamine (Meca). The inspiratory drive current and sEPSCs were completely eliminated by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) in the presence or absence of nicotine. In the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX), low concentrations of nicotine did not induce any tonic current or any increase in baseline noise, nor affect the input resistance in inspiratory neurons. In this study, we demonstrated that nicotine increased respiratory frequency and regulated respiratory pattern by modulating the excitatory neurotransmission in preBotC. Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) enhanced the tonic excitatory synaptic input to inspiratory neurons including pacemaker neurons and at the same time, inhibited the phasic excitatory coupling between these neurons. These mechanisms may account for the cholinergic regulation of respiratory frequency and pattern.
Water Reservoirs As A Record Of Watershed And Reservoir Processes: A Case Example Lake Abilene, Tx

This study investigates a different approach for identifying water reservoir sediment source regions within watersheds. The method uses physical and chemical analysis of targeted vibracores augmented with multi-frequency acoustic profiling to examine the sediment in Lake Abilene, Texas. The acoustic survey was conducted using a sub-bottom profiling system with central frequencies at 200, 125, 50, 24 and 12 KHz. Vibracores were taken in 4 locations to verify the acoustic interpretations and perform sediment analysis. Fluctuations in the Cs 137 concentration were used as date markers to establish sedimentation rates. The C/N was used to discriminate between sources of organic material to indicate whether the sediment was deposited under base flow or flood conditions. Thin sections were examined to characterize the contact between sediment layers and the deposition pattern in each layer. XRD analysis was preformed to correlate the mineralogy of the layers in the sediment to sources in the watershed. Results show that the sediment cores are characterized by dark grey, cm-scale lamination with high C/N that consists of graded silt beds that fine upward in thin section. Approximately 35% of the sediment is derived from within the watershed, while the rest is eroded from the lakeshore.
Grading Broker Algorithms

Institutional trading desks often have accounts with multiple brokers, each offering one or more flavors of the workhorse algorithms: Implementation Shortfall, VWAP, and Volume Participation. The challenge for many traders has become not only which algorithm to use but also whose algorithm to use.
MEASUREMENTS OF WAVE GENERATED BEDFORMS

A 5 MHz multiple transducer array was used to measure wave generated bedforms near Duck, NC. The transducer array consists of 37 transducers with a center to center spacing of 1.2 centimeters. Seabed measurements were made with approximately 1 millimeter vertical and 2 centimeter horizontal resolution. Measured ripple dimensions are compared to three popular ripple prediction models. It is shown that errors of over 100 percent were found between measured and predicted ripple heights and lengths for all ripple models compared. Errors in predicting ripple steepness ranged from 37 to 55 percent.
Information management in the humanities: Scholarly processes, tools, and the construction of personal collections

The promise and challenge of information management in the humanities has garnered a great deal of attention and interest Bulger et al., ; Freiman et al., ; Trace & Karadkar, ; University of Minnesota Libraries, ; Wilson & Patrick, . Research libraries and archives, as well as groups from within the humanities disciplines themselves, are being tasked with providing robust support for information management practices, including helping to engage humanities scholars with appropriate digital technologies in ways that are sensitive to disciplinary-based cultures and practices. However, significant barriers impede this work, primarily because the infrastructure services, tools, and collaborative networks to support scholarly information management is still under development. Under the aegis of the Scholars Tracking Archival Resources STAR project we are studying how humanities scholars gather and manage primary source materials with a goal of developing software to support their information management practices. This article reports the findings from our interviews with 26 humanities scholars, in conjunction with a set of initial requirements for a mobile application that will support scholars in capturing documents, recreating the archival context, and uploading these documents to cloud storage for access and sharing from other devices.
The frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies and genetic mutations associated with hypercoagulability among patients with Wegener's granulomatosis with and without history of a thrombotic event.

OBJECTIVE: Venous thrombotic events (VTE), including both deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, are now recognized as an important complication of Wegener9s granulomatosis (WG), but the mechanism(s) of this occurrence is unclear. The frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL), anti-beta2-glycoprotein antibodies (anti-beta2-GP), and several genetic hypercoagulable factors were examined in a large cohort of patients with WG. METHODS: One hundred eighty patients with active WG had serum and DNA samples collected upon entry into a clinical trial. Of the 180 patients, 29 patients had VTE -- 13 before trial entry, 16 during trial. aCL (IgG, IgM, and IgA) and anti-beta2-GP (IgG and IgM) were evaluated in 176 patients. Factor V Leiden (FVL), the prothrombin gene mutation (G20210A, PGM), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation were tested in the 29 patients with thrombotic events, and 36 patients without. RESULTS: aCL occurred with increased frequencies in patients with WG when compared to the general population (1%-5%): 12% had aCL and 3% had anti-beta2-GP. There was no difference in the prevalences of aCL or anti-beta2-GP based on clotting status. The prevalence of the genetic hypercoagulable factors examined in patients with WG was comparable to the reported rates in the general population. CONCLUSION: Although the incidence of clinically significant VTE is increased in patients with WG, this increased risk is not explained by increased prevalences of aCL, anti-beta2-GP, FVL, or mutations in PGM or MTHFR. These observations suggest a need to search for new genetic or acquired prothrombotic abnormalities to account for the increased thrombotic event rate in patients with active WG.
Antibiotic-resistant pneumococci.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is one of the more common pathogens to cause both focal and serious systemic illness in children. Although resistance to antibiotics by the pneumococcus has been recognized for many years, only recently has widespread resistance to penicillin and other antibiotics become common in many parts of the world, including the United States, where the prevalence of these organisms is rapidly increasing. Pneumococcal resistance to penicillin and other antimicrobial agents has forced a re-evaluation of empiric therapy for pneumococcal infections and made the need for improved pneumococcal vaccines in children more urgent.
Detection and identification of sugar alcohol sweeteners by ion mobility spectrometry

The rapid and sensitive detection of sugar alcohol sweeteners was demonstrated using ion mobility spectrometry (IMS). IMS provides a valuable alternative in sensitivity, cost, and analysis speed between the lengthy gold-standard liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) technique and rapid point-of-measurement disposable colorimetric sensors, for the Food and Nutrition industry's quality control and other “foodomics” area needs. The IMS response, characteristic signatures, and limits of detection for erythritol, pentaerythritol, xylitol, inositol, sorbitol, mannitol, and maltitol were evaluated using precise inkjet printed samples. IMS system parameters including desorption temperature, scan time, and swipe substrate material were examined and optimized, demonstrating a strong dependence on the physicochemical properties of the respective sugar alcohol. The desorption characteristics of each compound were found to dominate the system response and overall sensitivity. Sensitivities for these compounds ranged from single nanograms to hundreds of picograms with optimal desorption temperatures ranging from 125 °C to 200 °C. Sugar alcohol components of commercial products – chewing gum and a sweetener packet – were detected and identified using IMS. IMS is demonstrated to be an advantageous field deployable instrument, easily operated by non-technical personnel, and enabling sensitive point-of-measurement quality assurance for sugar alcohols.
Attenuated neural response to emotional cues in cocaine-dependence: a preliminary analysis of gender differences.

ABSTRACTBackground: Cocaine users often report a loss of arousal for nondrug-related stimuli, which may contribute to their response to drug-related rewards. However, little is known about users’ neural reactivity to emotional nondrug-related stimuli and the potential influence of gender. Objectives: Test the hypotheses that cocaine-dependent individuals have an attenuated neural response to arousing stimuli relative to controls and that this difference is amplified in women. Methods: The brain response to typically arousing positive and negative images as well as neutral images from the International Affective Picture System was measured in 40 individuals (20 non-treatment seeking cocaine-dependent and 20 age- and gender-matched control participants; 50% of whom were women). Images were displayed for 4 s each in blocks of five across two 270-second runs. General linear models assessed within and between group activation differences for the emotional images. Results: Cocaine-dependent individuals had a si...
Self-Organized Instability in Nonlinear Graded-Index Multimode Fiber With Disorder

We show that pulses launched into multimode fibers are attracted to the fundamental mode, which has maximum spatiotemporal instability. The self-organization and instability are caused by cooperation between disorder, nonlinearity and dissipation.
Polysorbates prevent biofilm formation and pathogenesis of Escherichia coli O104:H4

AbstractEscherichia coli biotype O104:H4 recently caused the deadliest E. coli outbreak ever reported. Based on prior results, it was hypothesized that compounds inhibiting biofilm formation by O104:H4 would reduce its pathogenesis. The nonionic surfactants polysorbate 80 (PS80) and polysorbate 20 (PS20) were found to reduce biofilms by ≥ 90% at submicromolar concentrations and elicited nearly complete dispersal of preformed biofilms. PS80 did not significantly impact in vivo colonization in a mouse infection model; however, mice treated with PS80 exhibited almost no intestinal inflammation or tissue damage while untreated mice exhibited robust pathology. As PS20 and PS80 are classified as ‘Generally Recognized as Safe’ (GRAS) compounds by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these compounds have clinical potential to treat future O104:H4 outbreaks.
Invasive granulomatous cryptococcal sinusitis in an adult with multiple myeloma

We report a case of cryptococcal sinusitis, a rare presentation of Cryptococcus neoformans infection in a patient with multiple myeloma. The objective of this case report is to highlight the utility of structural and functional imaging modalities in the differential diagnosis of sinonasal soft tissue masses in the immunocompromised patient population. PET-CT was the first imaging modality in this patient, who presented for routine follow-up staging of multiple myeloma, and was asymptomatic at the time of his presentation. PET-CT findings prompted further evaluation with MRI, to aid in the differential diagnosis with respect to a neoplastic versus infectious etiology. Ultimately, surgical excision with histopathology was required to provide definitive diagnosis. Final histopathology displayed yeast-organism staining consistent with Cryptococcus neoformans/gatti. The patient subsequently underwent treatment for this infection, along continued treatment for multiple myeloma. To our knowledge this is the first known case of cryptococcal sinusitis in a patient with neoplastic disease. Imaging represents an important tool to differentiate fungal infection from neoplasm in the immunocompromised patient population. As the population of immunocompromised patients continues to grow, the relevance of this diagnosis as well as the use of alternative imaging modalities is becoming more important in clinical practice.
USE OF THIOLATED AMINOETHYL CELLULOSE TO REMOVE MERCURY BOUND TO SOLUBILIZED FISH PROTEIN

Aminoethyl cellulose (AEC) was thiolated with S-acetylmercaptosuccinic anhydride. The S-acetyl protective groups were removed at pH 11.5 to yield thiolated aminoethyl cellulose (TAEC) preparations with 0.077 to 0.109 × 10−3 mole SH per g TAEC. TAEC bound approximately 0.1 × 10−3 mole of p-mercuribenzoate/g. Mercury was removed from fish protein by stirring solubilized tuna fish protein concentrate with TAEC at pH values from 6 to 11. The fish protein was solubilized by either a high temperature, high pH process, or by succinylation. The amount of mercury removed was pH dependent, being maximal at pH values 6.4 and 9. Under reducing conditions, that is, TAEC treated with dithiothreitol, and the mercury removed under nitrogen, 80% removal from a 2% protein solution at pH 7 was achieved. Srafion NMRR, a commercial chelator for dissolved organic and inorganic mercuric salts, was ineffective in removing mercury from soluble fish protein concentrate.
Restricted Albumin Utilization Is Safe and Cost Effective in a Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit.

Background Volume expansion is often necessary after cardiac surgery, and albumin is often administered. Albumin's high cost motivated an attempt to reduce its utilization. This study analyzes the impact limiting albumin infusion in a cardiac surgery intensive care unit. Methods This retrospective study analyzed albumin use between April 2014 and April 2015 in patients admitted to a cardiac surgery intensive care unit. During the first 9 months, there were no restrictions. In January 2015, institutional guidelines limited albumin use to patients requiring more than 3 L crystalloid in the early postoperative period, hypoalbuminemic patients, and to patients considered fluid overloaded. Albumin utilization was obtained from pharmacy records and compared with outcome quality metrics. Results In all, 1,401 patients were admitted over 13 months. Albumin use, mortality, ventilator days, patients receiving transfusions, and length of stay were compared for 961 patients before and 440 patients after guidelines were initiated. After restrictive guidelines were instituted, albumin utilization was reduced from a mean of 280 monthly doses to a mean of 101 monthly doses (p Conclusions Albumin restriction in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit was feasible and safe. Significant reductions in utilization and cost with no changes in morbidity or mortality were demonstrated. These findings may provide a strategy for reducing cost while maintaining quality of care.
Implementing the teen marijuana check-up in schools-a study protocol.

Substance misuse is now encountered in settings beyond addiction specialty care, with schools a point-of-contact for student access to behavioral health services. Marijuana is a leading impetus for adolescent treatment admissions despite declining risk perception, for which the Teen Marijuana Check-Up (TMCU)—a tailored adaptation of motivational enhancement therapy—offers an efficacious service option. To bridge the knowledge gap concerning effective and affordable technical assistance strategies for implementing empirically supported services, the described trial will test such a strategy to facilitate school-based TMCU implementation. A type II effectiveness/implementation hybrid trial will test a novel strategy for a TMCU purveyor to provide technical assistance on an ‘as-needed’ basis when triggered by a fidelity drift alarm bell, compared to resource-intensive ‘gold-standard’ technical assistance procedures of prior efficacy trials. Trial procedures adhere to the EPIS framework as follows: (1) initial mixed-method exploration of the involved school contexts and identification of TMCU interventionist candidates in elicitation interviews; (2) interventionist preparation via a formally evaluated training process involving a two-day workshop and sequence of three training cases; (3) post-training implementation for 24 months for which trained interventionists are randomized to ‘as-needed’ or ‘gold-standard’ technical assistance and self-referring students randomized (in 2:1 ratio) to TMCU or waitlist/control; and (4) examination of TMCU sustainment via interventionist completion of biannual outcome assessments, cost analyses, and exit interviews. Hypothesized effects include non-differential influence of the competing technical assistance methods on both TMCU fidelity and intervention effectiveness, with lesser school costs for the ‘as-needed’ than ‘gold-standard’ technical assistance and greater reduction in the frequency of marijuana use expected among TMCU-exposed students relative to those assigned to waitlist/control. This trial—occurring in Washington state as legislative, fiscal, and sociocultural forces converge to heighten exposure of American adolescents to marijuana-related harms—is set to advance understanding of best implementation practices for this and other efficacious, school-based interventions through examination of a data-driven technical assistance method. If shown to be clinically useful and affordable, the concept of a fidelity drift alarm could be readily translated to other empirically supported services and in other health settings. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03111667 registered 7 April 2017.
Utility of preoperative Holter monitoring in children undergoing extracardiac conduit Fontan operation.

BACKGROUND In patients undergoing extracardiac conduit Fontan (ECF) who require postoperative pacing, epicardial leads are usually required because of anatomical constraints. If indicated, these could be conveniently placed at the time of ECF. We have routinely performed ambulatory 24-hour Holter monitoring before ECF to determine the presence or absence of preoperative sinus node dysfunction, in an attempt to avoid repeat sternotomy at a later time. METHODS We performed a retrospective study of all patients undergoing ECF from January 2000 to December 2015. RESULTS Two hundred sixteen patients met inclusion criteria. Patients were separated into two groups, those with preoperative Holter monitoring (PHM, n = 150) and those without (No-PHM, n = 66). Ten patients (4.6%) underwent permanent pacemaker implantation at the time of ECF (eight patients [5.3%] in PHM vs two patients [3.0%] in No-PHM, P = 0.46). There were seven (3.2%) patients who underwent pacemaker implantation after ECF requiring repeat sternotomy (four patients [2.7%] in PHM vs three patients [4.5%] in No-PHM, P = 0.47). Fourteen (6.5%) patients underwent permanent epicardial lead placement without a pulse generator at the time of ECF. None from this group underwent pacemaker implantation to date (median follow-up of 5.7 years). The overall incidence of pacemaker implantation was 9.3% (20 patients). CONCLUSIONS In our series, arrhythmia disturbances requiring pacing after ECF occurred in just over 9% of patients. While PHM in those patients may help predict which patients might require postoperative pacing, this approach did not result in a significant decrease in those patients requiring repeat sternotomy for pacemaker implantation.
Evidence Contamination and Faraday Methods

This chapter provides the reader with common ways in which digital mobile evidence is contaminated. As technology advances, so does the end users' ability to remotely manipulate their personal data. The internal settings of some devices also can limit what is stored and what can be retrieved if the item(s) are not handled properly. Many devices will have specific internal settings that can aid the investigator or first responder. Other makes and models that are not as “feature robust” may not be equipped with features that can aid in preventing changes to the evidence. Secondary tools must be employed to “Faraday” the items, this insures that there are little changes as possible. Each of these products will have pluses and minuses with their use. It is important to understand the limitations of each one and validate how they work before their use on actual evidence. Some can even be carried in the pocket of the first responder.
An Improved Generalized Average Model of DC–DC Dual Active Bridge Converters

Improvements are proposed for generalized average models of dual active bridge (DAB) converters. Generalized average modeling involves a tradeoff between accuracy and tractability. To maintain an acceptable level of complexity, existing DAB models are derived using a first harmonic approximation. These models provide accurate small-signal representations, but are limited as large-signal analysis tools due to persistent steady-state error. This study proposes a modeling framework that provides accurate large and small-signal models without significant increases in the overall complexity. The framework describes DAB operation with a triple phase shift modulation, and is easily simplified for single, dual, or extended phase shift modulation schemes. The special case of a single phase shift modulation, which experiences the most significant large-signal error, is given additional consideration. The framework is applied to open and closed-loop operation, and both large- and small-signal models are discussed. Models are validated in simulation and hardware experiments using a small scale DAB prototype.
Dimensions of Student Supervision: A Point of View:

Social workers new to supervision need to evaluate how best to produce competent professionals who can master the complexities of current practice. This involves helping them think independently, m...
Effects of maternal nutrient restriction followed by realimentation during early and mid-gestation in beef cows. II. Placental development, umbilical blood flow, and uterine blood flow responses to diet alterations.

Abstract The objectives were to examine the effects of maternal nutrient restriction followed by realimentation during early to mid-gestation on placental development and uterine and umbilical hemodynamics in the beef cow. On day 30 of pregnancy, multiparous, non-lactating beef cows (620.5 ± 11.3 kg) were assigned to 1 of 2 dietary treatments: control (C; 100% National Research Council [NRC] recommendations; n = 18) and restricted (R; 60% NRC; n = 30). On day 85, cows were slaughtered (C, n = 6; R, n = 6), remained on control (CC; n = 12) and restricted (RR; n = 12), or were realimented to control (RC; n = 11). On day 140, cows were slaughtered (CC, n = 6; RR, n = 6; RC, n = 5), remained on control (CCC, n = 6; RCC, n = 5), or were realimented to control (RRC, n = 6). On day 254, all remaining cows were slaughtered. Heart rate and umbilical and uterine hemodynamics [blood flow, resistance index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI)] were determined via Doppler ultrasonography. As expected umbilical blood flow increased and fetal heart rate decreased as gestation advanced. Umbilical PI in RRC cows was less (P = 0.01) compared to RCC and CCC. During late gestation, RCC cows had greater (P = 0.02) ipsilateral and total uterine blood flow vs. CCC and RRC. There was an increase in the number and weight of placentomes from R cows (P ≤ 0.02) compared to C cows (i.e. day 85). There were more placentomes (P = 0.03) in RR vs. CC and RC cows, but placentome weight was not affected (P = 0.18) by maternal dietary treatment at day 140. Maternal nutrient restriction during early to mid-gestation increased the weight (by day 85) and number (day 85 and 140) of placentomes, and did not reduce fetal weight compared to control cows. A longer realimentation period may enhance uterine blood flow and individual placentome size during later gestation, which may compensate for reduced nutrients experienced early in gestation.
Psychiatric hospital length of stay for Medicaid clients before and after managed care.

Managed care systems allegedly discharge psychiatric inpatients “quicker and sicker” than fee-for-service programs. Study subjects were admitted to a general hospital that served adjacent counties. During 1994, both counties operated fee-for-service Medicaid mental health systems. In 1995, one county remained fee-for-service and the other assumed inpatient financial risk. Lengths of stay declined in both counties between 1994 and 1996. Managed care patients had longer lengths of stay than their fee-for-service counterparts (even after adjustment for confounders). Secular trends and practice patterns may influence length of stay more than managed care.
The effects of 2% alkaline gluteraldehyde solution on the elastic properties of elastomeric chain.

Abstract The effect of two proprietary alkaline gluteraldehyde solutions on the strength (failure load) and the required displacement or stretching to achieve a force of 500g was studied for six types of elastomeric chains. The effect of disinfection (short-term exposure) and sterilization (long-term exposure) as well as repeated immersion cycles on these parameters was evaluated. The findings showed that exposure to gluteraldehyde solution affected the strength and the distention required to deliver a force of 500g of certain elastomeric chains. However, the resultant changes were relatively small and are probably insignificant in the clinical setting.
Volvulus of the stomach

1. Volvulus of the stomach is a rare condition. 2. A case of partial volvulus of the stomach is reported. is probably due to the fact that any true volvulus, because of its knotting effect, necessarily shortens the freely movable part of the stomach and brings it closer to the plane of its fixed points (cardia and pylorus), i.e. a plane closer to the spine. It seemed that posterior displacement of the stomach was part of the mechanism for the production of volvulus and that both could 3. The posterior displacement of the stomach during the volvulus is emphasized. 4. Unusual mobility of the stomach, found at operation, is thought to be of etiological significance in this case. 5. Gastropexy produced symptomatic relief in the case reported.