cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differences in Race and Ethnicity in Muscular Dystrophy Mortality Rates for Males under 40 Years of Age, 2006-2015.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) has childhood onset, primarily affects males, and is usually fatal before the age of 40 years. Previous studies have indicated that this X-linked condition is more prevalent in whites than in blacks, but those were based on active surveillance, and limited to smaller populations and younger ages. METHODS US death data were used to calculate mortality rates by race and ethnicity, with MD as either the underlying or multiple cause of death (MCD). Poisson approximation was used for confidence intervals; chi-square was used to compare rates. RESULTS From 2006 to 2015, there were 3,256 deaths in males <40 years with MD as MCD, and 71% of these were aged 15-29 years. For whites, the average annual death rate was 0.43/100,000, which was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) that that of blacks (0.28), American Indian/Alaska Natives (0.20), and Asian/Pacific Islanders (0.21). The rate for non-Hispanic whites (0.46) was significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the rates for Hispanic whites (0.31), Hispanic blacks (0.07), and non-Hispanic blacks (0.29). CONCLUSION Since DMD is the primary cause of deaths in young males with MD, mortality rates are a reasonable proxy for the relative difference in racial prevalence. It appears that DMD is significantly more common in white males than in males of other races.
Molecular Approaches to the Study of Nucleotide Excision Repair in Eukaryotes

Very little is known about the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair in eukaryotes. Studies on human cells have been stimulated by the availability of excision repair-defective cell lines from patients suffering from the autosomal recessive disease xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). Such studies have contributed significantly to an understanding of the genetic complexity of excision repair in human cells. However, to date, no human excision repair genes or gene products known to complement the repair defect in XP cells have been isolated. The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an interesting model for exploring the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair in eukaryotic cells. As is true in human cells, multiple yeast genes are involved and at least five genes are required for the specific incision of UV-irradiated DNA in vivo. These five genes have been isolated by molecular cloning and the nucleotide sequences of four of them have been determined. Each of these cloned genes is being used for overexpression of protein.
Integrating Theoretical Paradigms

In this chapter, we have provided a foundation to better comprehend the importance that innate biological and genetic processes have in forming a patient’s unique core sense of self, as well as their intrapsychic and interpersonal psychological functioning. With a greater grasp of these concepts, the consulting psychiatrist can begin to use the psychodynamic tenets to understand the patient’s personality style and may develop a psychodynamic formulation, regardless of his or her theoretical orientation, to facilitate the implementation of practical treatment interventions in difficult consultations.
Field evaluation of the availability for corn and soybean of phosphorus recovered as struvite from corn fiber processing for bioenergy

There is strong interest on recovering nutrients from waste stream of industrial processing of crop biomass for bioenergy so it can be efficiently utilized as a fertilizer material. The objective of this study was to evaluate at the field the P availability for corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] of P recovered as struvite (NH4MgPO4.6H2O) from the aqueous stream of corn fiber processing for bioenergy. Trials were established at three Iowa locations with different soil series. Soil-test P (STP) was low (8 to 12 mg kg -1 Bray-1 P, 15-cm depth) and pH was 5.5 to 6.4. Each trial was evaluated for three years, with corn the first year, soybean the second, and corn the third. Treatments were 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 120 kg P ha -1 as granulated struvite or triple superphosphate (TSP) P sources, which were broadcast and incorporated into the soil only once before the first corn crop. Measurements were corn aboveground dry matter accumulation (DW), P concentration, and P uptake at the V6 growth stage only the first year; grain yield, P concentration, and P accumulation; and post-harvest STP each year by the Bray-1, Mehlich-3 (M3), and Olsen tests. There were very large P rate
Motion Description Languages for Multi-Modal Control in Robotics

In this paper we outline how motion description languages provide useful tools when designing multi-modal control laws in robotics. Of particular importance is the introduction of the description length as a measure of how complicated a given control procedure is. This measure corresponds to the number of bits needed for coding the input string. Description length arguments can furthermore be invoked for selecting sensors and actuators in a given robotics application, thus providing a unified framework in which a number of major areas of robotics research can coexist.
A Unifying Hypothesis Linking Hepatic Adaptations for Ethanol Metabolism to the Proinflammatory and Profibrotic Events of Alcoholic Liver Disease.

The pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remains poorly understood but is likely a multihit pathophysiological process. Here, we propose a hypothesis of how early mitochondrial adaptations for alcohol metabolism lead to ALD pathogenesis. Acutely, ethanol (EtOH) feeding causes a near doubling of hepatic EtOH metabolism and oxygen consumption within 2 to 3 hours. This swift increase in alcohol metabolism (SIAM) is an adaptive response to hasten metabolic elimination of both EtOH and its more toxic metabolite, acetaldehyde (AcAld). In association with SIAM, EtOH causes widespread hepatic mitochondrial depolarization (mtDepo), which stimulates oxygen consumption. In parallel, voltage-dependent anion channels (VDAC) in the mitochondrial outer membrane close. Together, VDAC closure and respiratory stimulation promote selective and more rapid oxidation of EtOH first to AcAld in the cytosol and then to nontoxic acetate in mitochondria, since membrane-permeant AcAld does not require VDAC to enter mitochondria. VDAC closure also inhibits mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation and ATP release, promoting steatosis and a decrease in cytosolic ATP. After acute EtOH, these changes revert as EtOH is eliminated with little hepatocellular cytolethality. mtDepo also stimulates mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy). After chronic high EtOH exposure, the capacity to process depolarized mitochondria by mitophagy becomes compromised, leading to intra- and extracellular release of damaged mitochondria, mitophagosomes, and/or autolysosomes containing mitochondrial damage-associated molecular pattern (mtDAMP) molecules. mtDAMPs cause inflammasome activation and promote inflammatory and profibrogenic responses, causing hepatitis and fibrosis. We propose that persistence of mitochondrial responses to EtOH metabolism becomes a tipping point, which links initial adaptive EtOH metabolism to maladaptive changes initiating onset and progression of ALD.
ZFX Mediates Non-canonical Oncogenic Functions of the Androgen Receptor Splice Variant 7 in Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Summary Androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) is crucial for prostate cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. We show that, independent of ligand, AR-V7 binds both androgen-responsive elements (AREs) and non-canonical sites distinct from full-length AR (AR-FL) targets. Consequently, AR-V7 not only recapitulates AR-FL’s partial functions but also regulates an additional gene expression program uniquely via binding to gene promoters rather than ARE enhancers. AR-V7 binding and AR-V7-mediated activation at these unique targets do not require FOXA1 but rely on ZFX and BRD4. Knockdown of ZFX or select unique targets of AR-V7/ZFX, or BRD4 inhibition, suppresses growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer cells. We also define an AR-V7 direct target gene signature that correlates with AR-V7 expression in primary tumors, differentiates metastatic prostate cancer from normal, and predicts poor prognosis. Thus, AR-V7 has both ARE/FOXA1 canonical and ZFX-directed non-canonical regulatory functions in the evolution of anti-androgen therapeutic resistance, providing information to guide effective therapeutic strategies.
The New Coastal History: Cultural and environmental perspectives from Scotland and beyond

Our coasts matter. They are among the most populated, sought after, contested, and dynamic landscapes in the world. They are also among the least understood, at least by historians. The 17 essays i...
Multifocal Rounded Intraplacental Hematomas, Placental Abruption and Intrauterine Fetal Demise.

Background: Rounded intraplacental hematomas (RIH) have a distinct rounded hemorrhagic appearance located within the placental parenchyma. Hemorrhagic villous infarctions (infarcts that when sectio...
LEAN NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED PREVALENCE AND INCIDENCE OF CARDIOMETABOLIC DISORDERS

Recent studies suggest that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in lean (BMI<25kg/m2) individuals present a distinct phenotype. We sought to determine the cardiometabolic relationships and consequences of lean NAFLD in a population cohort We analyzed data from a 26,090 voluntary employer-
Digital Technologies in Heart Failure Management

Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospital readmission for patients over 65 years old in the United States. HF is a unique clinical condition requiring frequent monitoring of objective patient variables that cannot be accomplished by office visits alone. With the advent of smartphones, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technologies, an opportunity arose for the digital management of HF patients. This paper reviews the current digital technologies available in HF management and future directions that have the potential to change clinical practice. Implantable, wireless pulmonary artery hemodynamic monitoring systems, such as CardioMEMS, have shown strong evidence in reducing HF hospitalization. Wearable activity trackers can also be used to track functional status and rhythm abnormalities in HF; however, evidence that these devices improve clinical outcomes in HF is lacking. There is currently promise in non-invasive measurements of pulmonary congestion and cardiovascular hemodynamics using Remote Dieletric Sensing Technologies (ReDS), seismocardiography, and ballistocardiography, but these technologies are not routinely used in clinical practice. Future applications of digital technologies will likely incorporate personalized medicine to improve clinical care. Digital management of HF has emerged as a promising avenue for prevention of HF hospitalization. Although some technologies have shown to improve clinical outcomes, further studies are needed on currently existing technologies to assess their viability as tools in preventing rehospitalization. It is important for the clinician to understand the limitations of digital technologies, as well as their potential to worsen healthcare disparities.
Formulating Bioplastic Composites for Biodegradability, Recycling, and Performance: A Review

Society’s wish list for future packaging systems is placing some daunting challenges upon researchers: In addition to protecting contents during storage and shipping, the material must not bio-accumulate, and it should be readily recyclable by using practical processing steps. This article considers strategies employing bio-based plastics and reviews published information relative to their performance. Though bioplastics such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) can be prepared from plant materials, their default properties are generally inferior to those of popular synthetic plastics. In addition, some bioplastics are not easily decomposed in soil or seawater, and the polymers can undergo chemical breakdown during recycling. This review considers strategies to overcome such challenges, including the use of biodegradable cellulose-based reinforcing particles. In addition to contributing to strength, the cellulose can swell the bioplastic, allowing enzymatic attack. The rate-controlling step in bioplastic degradation also can be abiotic, i.e. not involving enzymes. Though there is much more work to be done, much progress has been achieved in formulating bioplastic composites that are biodegradable, recyclable, and higher in strength compared to the neat polymer. Emphasis in this review is placed on PLA and PHB, but not to the exclusion of other bioplastic matrix materials.
UV-Induced Degradation of High-Efficiency Solar Cells with Different Architectures

The ultraviolet-induced degradation (UVID) of solar panels is associated with the deterioration of cell performance and reduced reliability of packaging materials. Here we examine the UV stability of different architectures of high-efficiency solar cells without any encapsulation. Identical UV exposure tests were performed at two different labs using UVA-340 fluorescent lamps under different electrical bias configurations (open- or short-circuit) and irradiated cell surfaces (for bifacial technologies). Cell technologies, including heterojunction (HJ), interdigitated back-contact cells (IBC), passivated emitter rear contact (PERC), passivated emitter rear totally-diffused (PERT), are found to be more susceptible to UVID, leading to significant Isc loss (up to 4%) and P max loss (up to 15%) as compared to the conventional back surface field (Al-BSF) cells after exposure to UV irradiation of 8.92 MJ-m−2 -nm−1 at 340 nm. Additionally, the bifacial cells when irradiated from the backside exhibited greater photocurrent loss compared to the front side exposure, indicating potential sensitivity of rear surface passivation to UV radiation.
Comment on “TVOR: Finding Discrete Total Variation Outliers Among Histograms”

Recent paper “TVOR: Finding Discrete Total Variation Outliers Among Histograms” introduces the Total Variation Outlier Recognizer (TVOR) method for identification of outliers among a given set of histograms. After providing a theoretical discussion of the method and verifying its success on synthetic and population census data, it applies the TVOR model to histograms of ages of Holocaust victims produced using United States Holocaust Memorial Museum data. It purports to identify the list of victims of the Jasenovac concentration camp as potentially suspicious. In this comment paper, we show that the TVOR model and its assumptions are grossly inapplicable to the considered dataset. When applied to the considered data, the model is biased in assigning a higher outlier score to histograms of larger sizes, the set of data points is extremely sparse around the point of interest, the dataset has not been reviewed to remove obvious data processing errors, and, contrary to the model requirements, the distributions of the victims’ ages naturally vary significantly across victim lists.
Predicting Visual Political Bias Using Webly Supervised Data and an Auxiliary Task

The news media shape public opinion, and often, the visual bias they contain is evident for careful human observers. This bias can be inferred from how different media sources portray different subjects or topics. In this paper, we model visual political bias in contemporary media sources at scale, using webly supervised data. We collect a dataset of over one million unique images and associated news articles from left- and right-leaning news sources, and develop a method to predict the image’s political leaning. This problem is particularly challenging because of the enormous intra-class visual and semantic diversity of our data. We propose two stages of training to tackle this problem. In the first stage, the model is forced to learn relevant visual concepts that, when joined with document embeddings computed from articles paired with the images, enable the model to predict bias. In the second stage, we remove the requirement of the text domain and train a visual classifier from the features of the former model. We show this two-stage approach that relies on an auxiliary task leveraging text, facilitates learning and outperforms several strong baselines. We present extensive quantitative and qualitative results analyzing our dataset. Our results reveal disparities in how different sides of the political spectrum portray individuals, groups, and topics.
Finding the missing bullet: A case report of an unusual trajectory from the left scapula into the left orbit.

Abstract Evaluating a traumatically injured patient requires a systematic evaluation that can rapidly detect life threatening injuries. When there is a discrepancy in the number of expected retained bullets, one must re-evaluate the initial work-up. This case consists of an extremely unusual trajectory course of a scapular wound where the ballistic then traversed off the scapula through the neck entering the para-pharyngeal space, travelling through the facial bones, and coming to rest within the left eye, itself. This case herein reinforces the importance for the evaluating provider to quickly recognize when the work-up is inconsistent with the initial assessment. Failure to recognize this discrepancy may lead to an inappropriate work-up with subsequent devastating life-threatening consequences.
Agglomerative clustering to improve the resolution of pseudo well stochastic seismic inversion: A case study

Abstract The Monte Carlo rejection and Monte Carlo Markov Chain methods are two common sampling techniques in Bayesian seismic inversion. Conventional methods of pseudo well stochastic seismic inversion for reservoir properties uses Monte Carlo rejection sampling of pseudo-wells to select those that best match seismic traces. The selected pseudo-wells do not influence the selection/rejection of subsequent pseudo-wells. The process requires a very large number of prior pseudo-wells to draw a reasonable outcome, which consumes a major part of the computation time. In conventional methods, the best-matched pseudo-wells often have dissimilarly shaped volume of shale logs, which can degrade the resolution of the outcome. Though Agglomerative clustering is well-known but the idea of grouping pseudo-wells based on similarly shaped volume of shale logs in pseudo well stochastic seismic inversion is unique. We propose an agglomerative clustering technique to group the prior pseudo-wells according to the shape of their volume of shale logs, before matching to seismic. The centroids of the pseudo-well clusters summarize the large number of prior pseudo-wells. The best-matched pseudo-well cluster centroid with seismic gives the most likely outcome while the two next best-matched cluster centroids give alternative results. The alternative results are useful to understand the uncertainty in the outcome. It has been observed that, the proposed method has reduced computation time (50–55% less than conventional pseudo well stochastic inversion). Meanwhile, the quantification of sand volume from the proposed method shows improvement over the conventional method. A comparison between the proposed and the conventional method has been shown on a synthetic wedge model and real seismic. In the wedge model (volume of sand is 0.65), the resultant volume of sand predicted in the modified method (0.7) is better than that predicted using the conventional method (0.8). The modified pseudo-well stochastic seismic inversion method has been applied on seismic data from deepwater Krishna-Godavari basin. The result shows an improvement in the characterization of thin shale layers within the reservoir.
EFFERENCE COPY AND INTENTION : OLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLES ? : COMMENTARY ON JORDAN

Publisher Summary The first controversy concerns the “efference copy,” the long-hypothesized internal signal that informs the rest of the brain about commands sent to the muscles. Its original conception, ironically, had a more cognitive context than its current instantiation in mathematical models. The brain could compare the effort of will with the sensory results of its actions to determine whether a change in sensory stimulation originated from the outside or the inside of the organism. Despite his formidable mathematical skills, Helmholtz made no effort to construct a mathematical model of his idea. At the lowest levels of motor control, Jordan describes the gamma-efferent system in his statement that “the reference signal for the spinal loops is a state of spindle stretch specified via descending efferents from higher-level control systems.” In fact the reference signal enters the spindle fiber itself. This is an active mechanical control, modified by innervation of contractile elements on the ends of the spindle fiber.
Gender and Work Stress: Differential Exposure and Vulnerability

Three work conditions have evidenced consistent relationships to health-related outcomes: control, demands, and job complexity. Most studies of work stress involve samples of male workers. The hypothesis of differential vulnerability contends that women would be more responsive than men to work stressors. The differential exposure hypothesis proposes that there is no gender difference in the effects of work stressors, but patterns of occupational segregation increase women's exposure to detrimental job conditions. Previous studies of gender differences in responses to work stress are equivocal, indicating both similarity and highly specific differences. This study explores gender differences in the effects of work conditions on psychological distress and self-medication. Job satisfaction and perceived job stress are specified as mediating variables. The results do not support the hypothesis of general differential vulnerability. The only gender difference observed indicates that women are less responsive than men to job demands.
Criminal Behavior, Theories of

A wide variety of theories have been developed to explain criminal behavior. This article discusses three general types of theories of criminal offending: biological/physiological theories, psychological/psychiatric theories, and sociological theories. For each type, specific theories are reviewed along with the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Evaluation of Patient Needs and Patient Navigator Communication About Cervical Cancer Prevention in Appalachian Kentucky

Few studies describe the way patient navigation processes may address disparities in treatment and follow-up care for medically underserved populations. Using a social ecological framework, we analyzed survey assessments of 519 patients completing a randomized navigation trial in Appalachia Kentucky to examine patient-reported barriers to follow-up cervical cancer care. We also analyzed in-depth interview transcripts with four lay patient navigators in the trial to identify barriers to follow-up care and to learn what communication strategies navigators use to successfully (or unsuccessfully) help patients navigate around those barriers. Our analysis provides insight into how patient navigation may improve adherence to follow-up care through assisted uncertainty management. We also discuss opportunities for improving navigator training to address disparities in clinical outcomes.
Detection of urinary tract infections by reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium Technical Note

Detection of urinary tract infections by reduction of nitroblue tetrazolium. Technical Note. Background Nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction to formazan has been used as a marker for nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Since inducible NOS activity is elevated in urine from patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs), we investigated the accuracy of NBT reduction as an early predictor of UTIs and quantified the relationship between inducible NOS and NBT. Methods Urine samples from 434 patients were screened for the presence of UTIs with leukocyte-esterase and nitrite dipsticks and with NBT reduction. The rapid screening results from each test were compared to urine culture results. In addition, NBT reduction parameters were measured in urine pellet at 595nm after incubation with one of four factors: NOS cofactors, NOS inhibitors, NADH, or superoxide dismutase/catalase. Results As a urine screening test for UTIs, NBT reduction was more sensitive with a higher negative predictive accuracy than the nitrite dipstick. NBT reduction also was more specific with a higher positive predictive accuracy and negative predictive accuracy than the leukocyte-esterase dipstick. In infected urine pellet, both NADPH, a NOS cofactor, and NADH increased NBT reduction. Superoxide dismutase/catalase decreased NBT reduction. Conclusions Although NOS may not be the only NBT reducing enzyme, rapid, visible reduction of NBT is induced in urine from patients with UTIs.
Mechanical properties and structure–function relationships in articular cartilage repaired using IGF-I gene-enhanced chondrocytes

Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of IGF-I gene therapy in enhancing the histologic and biochemical content of cartilage repaired by chondrocyte transplantation. However, there is little to no data on the mechanical performance of IGF-I augmented cartilage grafts. This study evaluated the compressive properties of full-thickness chondral defects in the equine femur repaired with and without IGF-I gene therapy. Animals were randomly assigned to one of three study cohorts based on chondrocyte treatment provided in each defect: (i) IGF-I gene delivered by recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-5; (ii) AAV-5 delivering GFP as a reporter; (iii) naive cells without virus. In each case, the opposite limb was implanted with a fibrin carrier without cells. Samples were prepared for confined compression testing to measure the aggregate modulus and hydraulic permeability. All treatment groups, regardless of cell content or transduction, had mechanical properties inferior to native cartilage. Overexpression of IGF-I increased modulus and lowered permeability relative to other treatments. Investigation of structure-property relationships revealed that Ha and k were linearly correlated with GAG content but logarithmically correlated with collagen content. This provides evidence that IGF-I gene therapy can improve healing of articular cartilage and can greatly increase the mechanical properties of repaired grafts.
Population-based determinants of radical prostatectomy operative time

Objectives To determine factors that influence radical prostatectomy (RP) operative times. Operative time assessment is inherent to defining surgeon learning curves and evaluating quality of care. Subjects/Patients and Methods Population-based observational cohort study using USA Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data of men diagnosed with prostate cancer during 2003–2007 who underwent robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP, 3458 men) and retropubic RP (RRP, 6993) through to 2009. We obtained median operative time using anaesthesia administrative data for RP and used median regression to assess the contribution of patient, surgeon, and hospital factors to operative times. Results The median RARP operative time decreased from 315 to 247 min from 2003 to 2008–2009 (P < 0.001), while the median RRP operative time remained similar (195 vs 197 min, P = 0.90). In adjusted analysis, RARP vs RRP (parameter estimate [PE] 70.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] 58, 84; P < 0.001) and obesity (PE 15; 95% CI 7, 23; P < 0.001) were associated with longer operative times while higher surgeon volumes were associated with shorter operative times (P < 0.001). RPs performed by surgeons employed by group (parameter estimate [PE] –22.76; 95% CI –38, –7.49; P = 0.004) and non-government (PE –35.59; 95% CI –68.15, –3.03; P = 0.032) vs government facilities and non-profit vs government hospital ownership (PE –21.85; 95% CI –32.28, –11.42; P < 0.001) were associated with shorter operative times. Conclusions During our study period, RARP operative times decreased by 68 min while RRP operative times remained stagnant. Higher surgeon volume was associated with shorter operative times, and selective referral or improved efficiency to the level of high-volume surgeons would net almost $15 million (USA dollars) in annual savings.
Problem Drinking by Race and Nativity: What Is Learned from Social Structural and Mental Health-Related Data of US-Born and Immigrant Respondents?

Background and Objectives: Although heavy drinking is considered a health risk, research demonstrates that some adults turn to alcohol in an effort to manage disabling stress or mental health problems. Race and nativity may be associated with such decisions to “self-medicate” with alcohol. This study identified and compared links between problem drinking and social structural and mental health-related factors for four race-nativity groups. Methods: Using data from the 2009 National Health Interview Survey, the final sample comprised 7,905 US-born Whites, 390 foreign-born Whites, 2,110 US-born Blacks, and 193 foreign-born Blacks. Investigated were the social structural variables of demographic factors (age, gender), socioeconomic status (employment, income, education), and social integration factors (family size, living with a partner). Mental health-related variables included chronic mental illness and access to and use of mental health services. Results: Overall, both types of variables were found to be associated with large-quantity drinking and frequent binging, with the strength of association varying—for some factors—by race and/or nativity. Further, the findings indicated that, in the presence of chronic mental illness, both US- and foreign-born Black Americans engaged in relatively frequent binge-drinking when health-care variables were controlled. Conclusions and Scientific Significance: These results underscore the need for mental health professionals to identify co-occurring mental illness and alcohol abuse among Black clients and, where it is found, to seek the root causes of the persistent stress that tends to accompany this co-occurrence. (Am J Addict 2012;21:S77–S87)
A Research Base for Humane Care: Hospitalized Children and Their Families

Since Bowlby's identification of separation anxiety in young children, much knowledge has been gained about children and families in their adaptation to hospitalization. Attitudes of children, parents, and staff play a vital role in adjustment to a hospital experience. At St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Montana, a Pediatric parent/staff project was carried out over a period of approximately 2 years. These objectives were identified and all were met, to some degree 1) to increase pediatric staff's awareness of the needs of parents of hospitalized children, 2) to increase the staff's effectiveness in helping parents and hospitalized children, and 3) to increase parents' positive feelings about their child's nursing care. Staff participated in identifying, planning, and implementing strategies for helping parents to help their children cope with the threats of hospitalization. This research and other studies, before and after, have contributed to a knowledge base about the kinds of nursing intervention tha...
Reply to Fishbein and Ajzen

Abstract The purpose of the Songer-Nocks study was clarified, and the relationship of the predictions and results to the theoretical formulations of Fishbein and Ajzen were discussed. Results from the model-testing procedure originally performed with behavior as the criterion were presented using behavioral intention as the criterion. The findings revealed that the interactive effect of prior experience with attitude toward the act in predicting behavioral intention was not significant, and that the interactive effect of motivational set with normative belief in predicting behavioral intention was significant. In addition, a regression analysis of the BI-B relationship was performed in which the design variables were incorporated as predictors. Results showed that the inclusion of design variables aided the prediction of behavior significantly. Songer-Nocks' data were interpreted as being consistent with the overall Fishbein formulation, but as suggesting certain potentially specifiable limitations in predicting actual behavior from attitudinal components.
Technique and follow-up of percutaneous management of caliceal diverticula

Between June 1985 and July 1992 we treated 20 patients who had symptomatic caliceal diverticula (13 in upper calix, 6 in middle calix, and 1 in lower calix) in whom long-term (3 months to 3 years) evaluation of persistent symptoms, physical condition, and radiologic findings was possible. Of the 20 patients, 19 had had stones in the diverticulum preoperatively, and the other had a huge diverticulum but no stones. Eighteen patients (95%) with stones preoperatively had been rendered stone free, and the other patient demonstrated only small residual stones in the area of the obliterated diverticulum. Sixteen patients (80%) had obtained complete resolution of their diverticula, and the remaining 4 had at least a 50 percent diminution of the original size of the lesion. All patients had been rendered free of infection and symptoms. Percutaneous management of caliceal diverticula is the most effective approach to rendering patients with caliceal diverticula stone free and achieving diverticular ablation.
Atom-centered functions in the optimized Thomas-Fermi theory

Abstract In the application of the optimized Thomas-Fermi theory to condensed phase systems, it has proved convenient to introduce a sum of atom-centered functions to represent the most rapidly varying part of the electron density near the nuclei. By extraction of this portion of the density, attention can be focused on the more slowly varying portion, allowing numerical techniques to be employed without being hindered by a prohibitively high density of grid points. Dealing with these atom-centered functions is facilitated by the closed-form evaluation of some nontrivial integrals. For the case of exponential functions, these integrals are evaluated here and specific methods for their computation are presented.
A change in the stoichiometry of assembly of bovine lens α-crystallin subunits in relation to cellular differentiation

Summary Incorporation of [ 3 H] leucine into oligomeric α -crystallin via individual subunits has been measured in epithelial cells and cortex fiber cells from adult bovine lenses in vitro. Our data show that the ratio of [ 3 H] leucine incorporation via subunits α B 2 and α A 2 is shifted from a value of about 1:2 in epithelial cells to a value of about 1:3 in fiber cells. Thus, in this system, cellular differentiation is accompanied by a change in the stoichiometry of assembly of individual subunits to form the oligomeric α -crystallin molecule. These results indicate possible changes in the rates of synthesis of individual α -crystallin subunits.
Female Juvenile Delinquency: Misunderstood by the Juvenile Justice System, Neglected by Social Science

The study of juvenile delinquency has focused primarily on conduct disorder and aggression in males, while relatively little attention has been paid to females who commit delinquent acts. This article offers a critical review of the existing theories of and research on female delinquency and the juvenile justice system's response to female delinquency. The inadequacies and persistence of historical theories and the conceptual and methodological strengths and weaknesses of contemporary perspectives in female delinquency are reviewed. Understanding and treatment of female and male delinquency could be enhanced through the adoption of a gender-integrated theory of delinquency that is informed by the comprehensive study of developmental, psychological, and social-ecological determinants.
Endothelial-dependent mechanisms of monocyte adhesion

Mononuclear phagocytes interact with vascular endothelium in a variety of pathological and physiological settings. Reversible adhesive interactions with blood-vessel walls lead to mar-gination of a substantial proportion of the circulating monocyte pool (1). Constitutive emigration into uninflamed tissues occurs through mechanisms that remain obscure. Increasing evidence suggests that local activation of vascular endothelium plays an important role in initial adhesion and subsequent emigration of monocytes at inflammatory sites, and that similar mechanisms promote monocyte accumulation in atherosclerotic plaques (2).
Adoptive transfer of resistance to pulmonary tuberculosis in guinea pigs is altered by protein deficiency

Abstract Adoptive transfer of lymphoid cells was used to study the influence of dietary protein deficiency on the development and expression of resistance in inbred strain 2 guinea pigs infected by the respiratory route with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv. Cells from the bronchotracheal lymph nodes of aerosol-infected donors and from the spleens of intravenously-infected donors transferred a significant level of protection when injected (0.5–1.0 × 10 8 cells) into syngeneic recipients by the intraperitoneal route. Nylon wool enrichment of T cells from both cell populations resulted in a marked increase in the level of resistance transferred. Adoptively-protected guinea pigs were as resistant, as measured by control of viable M. tuberculosis in the lungs, as animals actively vaccinated with M. bovis BCG. Donor lymphocytes were more effective when transferred into the recipients by the intraperitoneal, as compared to the subcutaneous, route of injection. Reciprocal adoptive transfer between well-nourished or protein-deficient donors and recipients revealed that protein deficiency prevented guinea pigs from generating a population of immune lymphocytes as indicated by the relative inability of such cells to protect normally-nourished recipients. However, protein-deprived recipients were perfectly capable of being protected by immune cells from well-nourished donors. Adoptively protected protein-deficient guinea pigs developed large, well-circumscribed tuberculous granulomas in their lungs, in contrast to their non-protected counterparts which developed numerous, small, poorly-defined granulomata. Our data suggest that the cellular and humoral environment of the protein-deficient guinea pig is not intrinsically suppressive, but that protein deficiency prevents infected animals from generating a population of protective lymphocytes.
Gallium-67-labeled lactam bridge-cyclized alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone peptide for primary and metastatic melanoma imaging.

The purpose of this study was to examine the melanoma imaging properties of a novel 67Ga-labeled lactam bridge-cyclized α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) peptide. A lactam bridge-cyclized α-MSH peptide, DOTA-GlyGlu-CycMSH {DOTA-Gly-Glu-c[Lys-Nle-Glu-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Arg-Pro-Val-Asp]}, was synthesized and radiolabeled with 67Ga. The melanoma targeting and pharmacokinetic properties of 67Ga-DOTA-GlyGlu-CycMSH were determined in B16/F1 flank primary melanoma-bearing and B16/F10 pulmonary metastatic melanoma-bearing C57 mice. Flank primary melanoma and pulmonary metastatic melanoma imaging were performed by small animal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/CT using 67Ga-DOTA-GlyGlu-CycMSH as an imaging probe. 67Ga-DOTA-GlyGlu-CycMSH was readily prepared with greater than 95% radiolabeling yield. 67Ga-DOTA-GlyGlu-CycMSH exhibited substantial tumor uptake (12.93 ± 1.63%ID/g at 2 h postinjection) and prolonged tumor retention (5.02 ± 1.35%ID/g at 24 h postinjection) in B16/F1 melanoma-be...
The dedicated observer approach to instrument failure detection

One approach to the problem of detecting instrument failure in operating systems using functional redundancy (as opposed to hardware redundancy) is described. The practical feasibility of this scheme is discussed in terms of results obtained on simulators. A bibliography covering the field of fault detection by "artificial" redundancy is included.
A distance and angle similarity measure method

This article presents a distance and angle similarity measure. The integrated similarity measure takes the strengths of both the distance and direction of measured documents into account. This article analyzes the features of the similarity measure by comparing it with the traditional distance-based similarity measure and the cosine measure, providing the iso-similarity contour, investigating the impacts of the parameters and variables on the new similarity measure. It also gives the further research issues on the topic.
Shrunken p-values for assessing differential expression with applications to genomic data analysis

In many scientific problems involving high-throughput technology, inference must be made involving several hundreds or thousands of hypotheses. Recent attention has focused on how to address the multiple testing issue; much focus has been devoted toward the use of the false discovery rate. In this article, we consider an alternative estimation procedure titled shrunken p-values for assessing differential expression (SPADE). The estimators are motivated by risk considerations from decision theory and lead to a completely new method for adjustment in the multiple testing problem. In addition, the decision-theoretic framework can be used to derive a decision rule for controlling the number of false positive results. Some theoretical results are outlined. The proposed methodology is illustrated using simulation studies and with application to data from a prostate cancer gene expression profiling study.
The Infamous Ratio Measure

S oftware productivity and quality are commonly expressed as derived metrics—in particular, the ratio of two base measures. For productivity, which I addressed in my previous column (“Measurement Acquiescence,” March/April 2008), the base measures are output (or a proxy thereof) and effort. For quality, common base measures are defect count and software size. The March/April 2007 IEEE Software article “Misleading Metrics and Unsound Analyses” (by Barbara Kitchenham, David Ross Jeffery, and Colin Connaughton) drew attention to the pitfalls of using ratios; however, ratios and other derived metrics are inevitable in software measurement. An appreciation of what they’re good for, and not good for, can help to avoid these pitfalls. I focus on ratios here.
Round and group quadratic forms over global fields

Abstract An anisotropic quadratic form φ is called round if φ ≅aφ whenever φ represents a nontrivially. All round forms over global fields are completely determined. A generalization of a round form, called a group form, is investigated over global fields.
A Multi-step Simulation Approach toward Secure Fault Tolerant System Evaluation

As new techniques of fault tolerance and security emerge, so does the need for suitable tools to evaluate them. Generally, the security of a system can be estimated and verified via logical test cases, but the performance overhead of security algorithms on a system needs to be numerically analyzed. The diversity in security methods and design of fault tolerant systems make it impossible for researchers to come up with a standard, affordable and openly available simulation tool, evaluation framework or an experimental test-bed. Therefore, researchers choose from a wide range of available modeling-based, implementation-based or simulation-based approaches in order to evaluate their designs. All of these approaches have certain merits and several drawbacks. For instance, development of a system prototype provides a more accurate system analysis but unlike simulation, it is not highly scalable. This paper presents a multi-step, simulation-based performance evaluation methodology for secure fault tolerant systems. We use a divide-and-conquer approach to model the entire secure system in a way that allows the use of different analytical tools at different levels of granularity. This evaluation procedure tries to strike a balance between the efficiency, effort, cost and accuracy of a system’s performance analysis. We demonstrate this approach in a step-by-step manner by analyzing the performance of a secure and fault tolerant system using a JAVA implementation in conjunction with the ARENA simulation.
AMexp⊈(NP∩coNP)/poly

Abstract In this note we show that AMexp⊈(NP∩coNP)/poly, where AMexp denotes the exponential version of the class AM. Since there are oracles relative to which AMexp⊆P/poly, our result is an instance of very few nonrelativizable separation results.
Segmenting images by simulated annealing

A new image segmentation paradigm is presented in which a contour is deformed stochastically until it fits around an object of interest. The evolution of the contour is controlled by a simulated annealing process which causes the contour to settle into the minimum of an empirically derived “energy” function.
Bridged-T Measurement of High Resistances at Radio Frequencies

A bridged-T circuit suitable to the measurement of high resistances at radio frequencies is analyzed and a measuring set incorporating the circuit is described. The device is capable of measuring resistances ranging from 0.01 to 10 megohms with an accuracy approximating the precision of setting of the adjulstable standard elements of the apparatus.
The Tropics of Empire: Why Columbus Sailed South to the Indies

The Tropics of Empire: Why Columbus Sailed South to the Indies Nicolas Wey Gomez Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008 xxiv, 592 pp. (ISBN 9780262232647) The figure of Christopher Columbus captured the imagin...
Qualitative influences on the perception of movement: An experimental study

One of the most puzzling features of “hyperactivity” in children is the importance of activity itself. Generalized overactivity has not been found to be a valid diagnostic marker. Could some qualitative features of activity be important determinants of the perceived quantity of activity? The analogue study reported here derives from a social-psychological hypothesis that anything that makes a behavior more noticeable or distracting can create an illusion of increased movement. Subjects performed a simple cognitive task while watching short films of adult actors. Two variables were manipulated: (a) The sound level was either loud or quiet, and (b) instructions to subjects were varied so that the behaviors shown were perceived as either appropriate or inappropriate. Results strongly supported the hypothesis. Loudness and contextual inappropriateness made the films more distracting, produced higher ratings of the amount of movement observed, and led to more negative evaluations of the behaviors seen. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.
WICKSELL'S INFLATIONARY CREDIT CYCLE

The credit cycle implicit in Wicksell's upward cumulative process (UCP) is described. UCP may be interpreted as a stable cycle with two phases and an upper turning point corresponding to the maximum 2-rate-differential. The volume of credit and the rate of inflation is shown to expand in phase 1 and to contract in phase 2. The role of velocity increasing in causing a higher inflation rate is also described. This cycle has not been noticed in the literature because Lectures(2) was unclear about how long it would take to reach an upper turning point. But, Interest and Prices emphasized that the continuous return of the inflation rate to zero equilibrium would begin after a relatively short period.
Transformations for the Computer Detection of Curves in Noisy Pictures

Abstract Transformations which map noisy feature points originating from the same curve in a picture into dense regions are considered. These transformations are to be followed by clustering to detect curves in the original picture. Properties of the transformations are treated as they relate to this subsequent clustering. The influence of noise and distortion in the picture are examined as well as approximations to Hough-like transformations. The case in which the picture contains curves from many different families is analyzed in terms of a “scattering property.” Sensitivity to different feature measurements and variances to be used in the subsequent distance measures are presented.
New Medium for In Vitro Susceptibility Studies with Amphotericin B

Antibiotic medium 20 FDA and antibiotic medium 3 FDA were compared to determine if antibiotic medium 3 would be suitable for in vitro susceptibility testing with amphotericin B.