cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An evidence based protocol for managing neonatal middle ear effusions in babies who fail newborn hearing screening.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of middle ear disease in infants referred for failed newborn hearing screening (NBHS) and to review patient outcomes after intervention in order to propose an evidence-based protocol for management of newborns with otitis media with effusion (OME) who fail NBHS. Methods 85 infants with suspected middle ear pathology were retrospectively reviewed after referral for failed NBHS. All subjects underwent a diagnostic microscopic exam with myringotomy with or without placement of a ventilation tube in the presence of a middle ear effusion and had intra-operative auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing or testing at a later date. Results At the initial office visit, a normal middle ear space bilaterally was documented in 5 babies (6%), 29/85 (34%) had an equivocal exam while 51/85 (60%) had at least a unilateral OME. Myringotomy with or without tube placement due to presence of an effusion was performed on 65/85 (76%) neonates. Normal hearing was established in 17/85 (20%) after intervention, avoiding the need for any further audiologic workup. Bilateral or unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) or mixed hearing loss was noted in 54/85 (64%) and these children were referred for amplification. Initially observation with follow up outpatient visits was initiated in 27/85 (32%) however, only 3/27 (11%) resolved with watchful waiting and 24/27 (89%) ultimately required at least unilateral tube placement due to OME and 14/24 (59%) were found to have at least a unilateral mixed or SNHL. Conclusions An effective initial management plan for children with suspected middle ear pathology and failed NBHS is diagnostic operative microscopy with placement of a ventilation tube in the presence of a MEE along with either intra-operative ABR or close follow-up ABR. This allows for the identification and treatment of babies with a conductive component due to OME, accurate diagnosing of an underlying SNHL component and for prompt aural rehabilitation.
Progress in Photo-Responsive Polypeptide Derived Nano-Assemblies

Stimuli-responsive polymeric materials have attracted significant attention in a variety of high-value-added and industrial applications during the past decade. Among various stimuli, light is of particular interest as a stimulus because of its unique advantages, such as precisely spatiotemporal control, mild conditions, ease of use, and tunability. In recent years, a lot of effort towards the synthesis of a biocompatible and biodegradable polypeptide has resulted in many examples of photo-responsive nanoparticles. Depending on the specific photochemistry, those polypeptide derived nano-assemblies are capable of crosslinking, disassembling, or morphing into other shapes upon light irradiation. In this mini-review, we aim to assess the current state of photo-responsive polypeptide based nanomaterials. Firstly, those ‘smart’ nanomaterials will be categorized by their photo-triggered events (i.e., crosslinking, degradation, and isomerization), which are inherently governed by photo-sensitive functionalities, including O-nitrobenzyl, coumarin, azobenzene, cinnamyl, and spiropyran. In addition, the properties and applications of those polypeptide nanomaterials will be highlighted as well. Finally, the current challenges and future directions of this subject will be evaluated.
Image-Guided Navigation in Lymph Node Biopsy.

Background and objectives Image-guided navigation is an effective intra-operative technology in select surgical sub-specialties. Laparoscopic and open lymph node biopsy are frequently undertaken to obtain adequate tissue of difficult lesions. Image-guided navigation may positively augment the precision and success of surgical lymph node biopsies. Methods In this prospective pilot study, pre-operative imaging was uploaded into the navigation platform software, which superimposed the imaging and the subject's real-time anatomy. This required anatomical landmarks on the subject's body to be spatially registered with the platform using an infrared camera. This was then used to guide dissection and biopsy in laparoscopic and subcutaneous biopsies. Results Image-guided lymph node biopsy was undertaken in 15 cases. Successful biopsy locations included: retroperitoneum, porta hepatis, mesentery, iliac region, para-aortic, axilla, and inguinal region. There was an 87% total absolute success rate in biopsies (89% in laparoscopic image-guided navigation [LIGN] and 83% in subcutaneous image-guided navigation [SIGN]). There was a 92% absolute success rate in lesions with fixed locations. There was a 67% absolute success rate in lesions with mobile locations. Conclusion The investigators successfully incorporated image-guidance into surgical biopsy of lymph nodes in a diverse variety of locations. This image-guided technique for surgical biopsy can accurately and safely localize target lesions minimizing unnecessary dissection, conversion to open procedure, and re-operation for further tissue characterization. This technique was useful in the morbidly obese, instances of limited foci of disease, PET-active lesions, identifying areas of highest PET-avidity, and lesions with critical surrounding anatomy.
Mechanisms of hyperlipoproteinemia.

Our understanding of the pathogenesis of hyperlipoproteinemia stems from knowledge of the synthesis, secretion and metabolism of plasma lipoproteins and the regulation of These processes. Application of this knowledge in recent years has provided an explanation of several secondary hyperlipoproteinemias in terms of altered regulation of fat transport. This paper will review current knowledge of fat transport in lipoproteins and the increasing evidence that all major lipoprotein classes are involved in this process. The pathogenesis of certain secondary hyperlipoproteinemias will be discussed in the context of this review. Finally, a speculative assessment of the pathogenesis of the primary hyperlipoproteinemias will be attempted with particular reference to possible mechanisms of defective catabolism.
Preclinical Pharmacodynamics of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

During the past three decades research into the development of anti-inflammatory (AI) drugs has given rise in the main to the cyclooxygenase inhibitors. More recent efforts, based on a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the inflammatory process, have led to the development of unique and novel molecular entities as potential candidates for use in the treatment of inflammation. However, lack of suitable animal models that mimic the human disease and specific markers to follow immunological response that might possibly be associated with the disease process have made the selection of which new drug to take into clinical trials more difficult. This review discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of animal models used routinely for the evaluation of AI agents and includes some suggestions as to how one might approach the development of newer models that may help identify novel AI drugs with varying mechanisms of therapeutic action.
The scope of forensic radiology.

The use of x-ray in the solution of forensic problems commenced within days of Rontgen’s discovery; indeed, most of the applications of radiology to the forensic sciences were accomplished or anticipated within the next two years. The scope of forensic radiology ranges widely and includes determination of identity, evaluation of injury and death, applications in both criminal and civil litigation and in administrative proceedings, detection of abuse, investigation of gunshot wounds, medical education and research. Newer modalities and techniques afford opportunity for the expansion of forensic radiology if problems of accessibility and cost can be resolved along with improvement in interdisciplinary cooperation and understanding.
Integrated Ultrasonic Technique for Characterization of Composite Materials

The comprehensive non-destructive evaluation of modern composite materials requires the application of complementary techniques for the characterization of fabricated laminates. Current measurement methods, such as velocity and attenuation measurements of ultrasonic waves are, however, not integrated but require different ultrasonic and electronic system configurations.
Re-Making America: Soil Mechanics, Earth Moving, Highways, and Dams

American engineers have moved more earth than any engineers in history. The work of Austrian Karl Terzaghi, the “father of soil mechanics,” was crucial to that ability. Soil mechanics and improvements in earth-moving machinery allowed construction of a national “Good Roads” network in the U.S. beginning in the 1920s. Very serious floods, such as the Mississippi flood of 1927, persuaded Americans to spend much more money on flood control from the 1930s on. The needed levees and earthen dams were feasible only with the new machinery and a thorough understanding of soil mechanics.
Alternative polyadenylation factors link cell cycle to migration

In response to a wound, fibroblasts are activated to migrate toward the wound, to proliferate and to contribute to the wound healing process. We hypothesize that changes in pre-mRNA processing occurring as fibroblasts enter the proliferative cell cycle are also important for promoting their migration. RNA sequencing of fibroblasts induced into quiescence by contact inhibition reveals downregulation of genes involved in mRNA processing, including splicing and cleavage and polyadenylation factors. These genes also show differential exon use, especially increased intron retention in quiescent fibroblasts compared to proliferating fibroblasts. Mapping the 3′ ends of transcripts reveals that longer transcripts from distal polyadenylation sites are more prevalent in quiescent fibroblasts and are associated with increased expression and transcript stabilization based on genome-wide transcript decay analysis. Analysis of dermal excisional wounds in mice reveals that proliferating cells adjacent to wounds express higher levels of cleavage and polyadenylation factors than quiescent fibroblasts in unwounded skin. Quiescent fibroblasts contain reduced levels of the cleavage and polyadenylation factor CstF-64. CstF-64 knockdown recapitulates changes in isoform selection and gene expression associated with quiescence, and results in slower migration. Our findings support cleavage and polyadenylation factors as a link between cellular proliferation state and migration.
Discovering the active subspace for efficient UQ of molecular dynamics simulations of phonon transport in silicon

Abstract This paper develops an efficient methodology for both forward and inverse problems in uncertainty quantification with respect to molecular dynamics simulation. Specifically, our objectives are to investigate the impact of uncertainty in the Stillinger-Weber (SW) potential parameters on NEMD-based predictions of bulk thermal conductivity of silicon (forward problem), and perform a Bayesian calibration of these parameters using experimental data (inverse problem). However, both analyses typically require tens of thousands of model evaluations and therefore, relying purely on atomistic simulations would be impractical. The common strategy of building a surrogate model in the space of the uncertain parameters is also unaffordable due to the need for many training evaluations using atomistic simulations. Therefore, computational effort is minimized in this paper by reducing the dimensionality of the input space of the surrogate model by first computing the so-called active subspace. The active subspace is found to be 1-dimensional, indicating enormous scope for dimension reduction and computational savings. A surrogate model is then built in the 1-dimensional subspace to help quantify the variability of the bulk thermal conductivity, and is shown to have reasonable accuracy. The active subspace is also used to perform efficient global sensitivity analysis (GSA) of the SW parameters. Finally, we use the active subspace-based surrogate model for fast calibration of SW parameters in a Bayesian setting.
Deaths by Suicide and Other Causes Among Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects Over 24 Years of Prospective Follow-Up.

OBJECTIVE This study has 4 aims. The first is to determine rates of mortality due to suicide and other causes for patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and personality-disordered comparison subjects over 24 years of prospective follow-up. The second and third aims are to determine the best predictors of time-to-suicide and time-to-premature death (not due to suicide) in patients with BPD. A final aim is to determine whether mortality rates are impacted by recovery status. METHODS A total of 290 adult inpatients meeting rigorous Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines and DSM-III-R criteria for BPD and 72 personality-disordered comparison subjects were recruited during inpatient admission at McLean Hospital between June 1992 and December 1995. Participants were followed and reassessed every 2 years, with data collection now entering its 26th year. Participant deaths were tracked over time. RESULTS A total of 5.9% of borderline patients and 1.4% of comparison subjects died by suicide. Additionally, 14.0% of borderline patients and 5.5% of comparison subjects died by non-suicide causes. Among borderline patients, number of prior hospitalizations significantly predicted completed suicide (HR = 1.62, P = .037). Sociodemographic factors, physical health indicators, and psychiatric history significantly predicted premature death (not due to suicide) in bivariate analyses (all P values < .05). In multivariate analyses, male sex (HR = 3.56, P = .003) and more prior psychiatric hospitalizations (HR = 2.93, P < .001) significantly predicted premature death. Most borderline patients who died either by suicide (87.5%) or non-suicide-related causes (88%) were not recovered before death. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, these findings suggest that individuals with BPD are at elevated risk of premature death. Patients who did not achieve recovery were at a disproportionately higher risk of early death than recovered patients.
Spaces and Traces: Implications of Smart Technology in Public Housing

Smart home technologies are beginning to become more widespread and common, even as their deployment and implementation remain complex and spread across different competing commercial ecosystems. Looking beyond the middle-class, single-family home often at the center of the smart home narrative, we report on a series of participatory design workshops held with residents and building managers to better understand the role of smart home technologies in the context of public housing in the U.S. The design workshops enabled us to gather insight into the specific challenges and opportunities of deploying smart home technologies in a setting where issues of privacy, data collection and ownership, and autonomy collide with diverse living arrangements, where income, age, and the consequences of monitoring and data aggregation setup an expanding collection of design implications in the ecosystems of smart home technologies.
Quitting starts in the brain: a randomized controlled trial of app-based mindfulness shows decreases in neural responses to smoking cues that predict reductions in smoking

Current treatments for smoking yield suboptimal outcomes, partly because of an inability to reduce cue-induced smoking. Mindfulness training (MT) has shown preliminary efficacy for smoking cessation, yet its neurobiological target remains unknown. Our prior work with nonsmokers indicates that MT reduces posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activity. In individuals who smoke, the PCC, consistently a main hub of the “default mode network,” activates in response to smoking cues. In this randomized controlled trial, we tested the effects of app-delivered MT on PCC reactivity to smoking cues and whether individual differences in MT-mediated PCC changes predicted smoking outcomes. Smoking cue-induced PCC reactivity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and 1 month after receiving smartphone app-based MT (n = 33) vs. an active control (National Cancer Institute’s QuitGuide, n = 34). Whether individual differences in treatment-related changes in PCC activity predicted smoking behavior was assessed. The MT group demonstrated a significant correlation between a reduction in PCC reactivity to smoking cues and a decline in cigarette consumption (r = 0.39, p = 0.02). No association was found in the control group (r = 0.08, p = 0.65). No effects of group alone were found in PCC or cigarette reduction. Post hoc analysis revealed this association is sex specific (women, r = 0.49, p = 0.03; men: r = −0.08, p = 0.79). This initial report indicates that MT specifically reduces smoking cue-induced PCC activity in a subject-specific manner, and the reduction in PCC activity predicts a concurrent decline in smoking. These findings link the hypothesized behavioral effects of MT for smoking to neural mechanisms particularly in women. This lays the groundwork for identifying individuals who may benefit from targeted digital therapeutic treatments such as smartphone-based MT, yielding improved clinical outcomes.
Dynamic Data Quality for Static Blockchains

Blockchain's popularity has changed the way people think about data access, storage, and retrieval. Because of this, many classic data management challenges are imbued with renewed significance. One such challenge is the issue of Dynamic Data Quality. As time passes, data changes in content and structure and thus becomes dynamic. Data quality, therefore, also becomes dynamic because it is an aggregate characteristic of the changing content and changing structure of data itself. But blockchain is a static structure. The friction between static blockchains and Dynamic Data Quality give rise to new research opportunities, which the authors address in this paper.
Of All Possible Future Worlds: Global Trends, Values, and Ethics

What will our world be like in the next 15–20 years? According to policymakers in the US, EU, Russia, and NATO, trends may bend in many potential directions, ranging from the rise of technologically empowered individuals; to an aging, more crowded, urbanized, and resource-stressed planet; to a more equal, interdependent, and interconnected borderless citizenry; or to a competitive stage where once developing nation-states will increasingly co-define the contours of a no less divided globe. In the end, though, some future worlds may be freer than others. Some less just. Others possibly more peaceful, and still others more diverse. We must work toward a logic of one world to understand what will be possible, impossible, and necessary. The ethical choice for us then will be to determine what degree of our values we can achieve not only in the next fifteen years, but also, as we have in the past, for the longer future of humanity to come.
The incessant inbox: Evaluating the relevance of after‐hours e‐mail characteristics for work‐related rumination and well‐being

While many employees read and respond to work-related e-mails in the evenings after work, the mechanisms through which after-hours e-mailing influences well-being remain poorly understood. In particular, there has been limited consideration of whether different characteristics of after-hours e-mails (frequency, duration, perceived tone) may trigger work-related rumination that influences employee well-being at bedtime (i.e., the end of the post-work period). To address this gap in the literature, data were collected from 59 employees during a 5-day daily survey period. We expected after-hours e-mail frequency, duration, and perceived tone to indirectly relate to employee vigour and fatigue at bedtime (two common well-being criteria) via affective rumination and problem-solving pondering (two major forms of work-related rumination). Our results indicated that a more negatively perceived after-hours e-mail tone influenced both vigour and fatigue via affective rumination. Further, our findings suggested diverging implications of after-hours e-mailing frequency and duration for problem-solving pondering, with longer duration and more frequent after-hours e-mailing co-varying with higher and lower levels of this form of rumination, respectively. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering various characteristics of after-hours e-mailing and corresponding implications of work-related rumination when studying employee well-being.
Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Health Services for People Without Documentation Status in an Anti-Immigrant Era: A Socioecological Model

Purpose: This qualitative study explores the barriers and facilitators to health care from the perspective of providers who care for patients without documentation status in the San Francisco Bay Area. Methods: Twenty-four direct providers were interviewed using semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants included health care providers and community-based organization leaders. Interviews were independently coded using grounded theory analysis. The socioecological framework was used to develop the interview guide, analyze findings, and guide the discussion. Results: Participants identified fear as a barrier that transcended multiple levels of influence. At the public policy level, national policies, such as public charge and anti-immigration rhetoric, limited access to services. Local expansion of health care coverage, such as Healthy San Francisco, facilitated access to care. At the organizational level, law enforcement presence generated fear. This was countered by a welcoming environment, described as culturally concordant clinical sites, representation of the community in the provider pool, and resources to address social needs. Individual-level fear, rooted in trauma and economic insecurity, was eased by trauma-informed care and health navigators. Community engagement and sustained partnerships built trust and credibility to transcend the fear that hindered access to care. Conclusion: In a region with expansive policies for improved health care access, barriers are rooted in fear and span individual, organizational, and public policy levels of access to care. Richer community engagement may lessen the national and systemic barriers that this vulnerable population continues to face. Developing an understanding of this topic improves health care providers' ability to meet the needs of this growing and vulnerable population.
Machine Learning Algorithm Prospectively Predicts Survival for High-Risk Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Survival Analysis of SHIELD-RT.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Mortality prediction is critical to appropriate cancer care planning. This has become a topic of interest, with machine learning (ML) tools demonstrating accurate binary predictions for mortality at specific time points. There are limited prospective data validating the clinical utility of health care ML tools. We previously developed a ML algorithm which predicts risk of acute care (ER visits or hospitalizations). SHIELD-RT was a randomized controlled study which demonstrated that a ML algorithm could direct supplemental clinic visits to reduce the rate of acute care during RT from 22% to 12%. While the algorithm was trained for acute care visits, we sought to determine whether ML risk would facilitate multiple clinical uses through survival prediction in this prospective study. MATERIALS/METHODS Patients who initiated RT from 1/7/2019-6/30/19 at a single institution were evaluated during the first week of treatment by the electronic health record-based ML algorithm. High risk patients (> 10% risk of acute visit) were randomized to standard weekly evaluations (S) or twice weekly evaluations (TW). Patient, disease, and treatment factors were collected prospectively. Survival was recorded retrospectively. Unadjusted OS was estimated with the Kaplan Meier method and compared between arms with the log rank test. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the association of covariates with OS after adjustment for study arm. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported. RESULTS Patients undergoing 311 distinct courses were randomized to S (n = 157) or TW (n = 154) evaluations. The 1-year OS was similar for those who underwent S (58%, 95% CI 50%-65%) or TW (66%, 95% CI 58%-73%) evaluations, P = 0.35. ML risk on a continuous basis was significantly associated with survival (HR 4.27, 95% CI 0.98-18.6, P = 0.05). Other factors associated with OS included age (HR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.03, P = 0.04), palliative treatment vs curative treatment (HR 6.59 (95% CI 4.62-9.41, < 0.001), widely metastatic disease vs no metastatic disease (HR 6.86, 95% CI 4.74-9.92, P < 0.001). Treatment of certain disease sites were also associated with OS: brain metastases (HR 5.00, 95% CI 3.16-7.93, P < 0.001), bone metastases (HR 4.69, 95% CI 3.09-7.12, P < 0.001), thoracic (HR 2.44, 95% CI 1.61-3.7, P < 0.001), head and neck cancer (HR 0.44, 95% CI 0.22-0.91, P = 0.03), genitourinary cancer (HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.12-0.85, P = 0.02). Admission during RT + 15 days was associated with decreased OS (HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.58-3.40, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Our ML algorithm, developed to predict acute care, also predicted OS. This supports the correlation between the two event types and demonstrates the utility of ML to provide multiple predictive functions. Implementation of predictive ML algorithms into oncology clinical workflows may aid in prognostication to guide personalized patient care and influence treatment decisions. (NCT03775265).
Comparison of Boundary Integral Equation and FE Methods

The boundary integral equation (BIE) method, with its origin in classical elasticity, has only in recent years been developed and used in structural mechanics. This method requires only boundary data, which reduces the dimension of the problem by one and relates boundary tractions and displacements through a system of integral equations. Through discretization and numerically, an algebraic system of equations is obtained and solved numerically. It appears that the BIE method has great potential in solving various structural problems alone, especially those with high stress gradients, or in conjunction with the finite element (FE) method. The purposes of this note are to apply the BIE method to some structural mechanics problems and to compare the results and efficiency with FE solutions.
Computing a high depth point in the plane

Given a set S = {P 1,…,P n} of n points in Rd, the depth δ (Q)of n points in Q ∈ R d is the minimum number of points of S that must be in a closed halfspace containing Q. A high depth point is a point whose depth is at least maxi [δ(Pi)] For dimension d = 2 we give a simple, easily implementable O(n(log n)2) deterministic algorithm to compute a high depth point and we give an Ω(n log n) lower bound for this task.
Environmental Literacy of Seventh-day Adventist Teachers in the Parochial Schools of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Problem. In the United States, there is an environmental literacy problem. Americans possess limited knowledge about the environment and environmental issues, and they display limited positive action regarding the environment in which they live. Moreover, there is a debate whether a Christian’s interpretation of Gen 1:28 leads either to a lower or to a higher environmental literacy. Does the Seventh-day Adventist teaching community reflect these problems? These are the problems which this dissertation seeks to help solve. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to attempt to assess the environmental literacy of a group of teachers in Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) parochial schools who teach in the schools of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, to determine what the level of environmental literacy is, and to discover the interpretations that these educators have of Gen 1:28. The study specifically looked at four dimensions of these teachers’ environmental literacy: (a) teachers’ attitudes toward the environment, (b) teachers’ feelings toward their roles in causing environmental change, (c) teachers’ interactions with their environment, and (d) teachers’ level of knowledge about the environment and issues involved. The teachers’ interpretations of Gen 1:28 were also studied. Thus, this study seeks to assist in helping to solve both the environmental literacy and praxis deficits in America. Method. This research employed a survey research method. The teachers of the parochial schools of the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were asked to respond to the survey. A census survey was utilized to conduct a study of the teachers’ environmental literacy and their interpretation of Gen 1:28. Data analysis included descriptive statistics of the results, correlational analysis to determine relationships between the variables, analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine significance of relationships between variables, and the PASW® general linear model (GLM), which includes ANOVA and regression, to test for interaction effects between demographic variables. Open-ended questions about Gen 1:28 were analyzed in terms of the answers to the research questions for emerging similarities among the participants’ responses. The resulting patterns and themes were examined in relationship to answers on the WELS. Results. The teachers of the parochial schools operated by the Florida Conference of Seventh-day Adventists who participated in the study showed nominal environmental literacy. The mean total environmental literacy score was 66%. The subscale that the participants scored the highest on was the cognitive subscale (76%), followed by the affective subscale (73%) and, lastly, the behavioral subscale (49%). As suggested by the scores, these teachers have room for improvement. A significant difference in cognitive subscale scores between White, Non-Hispanics, and Hispanics was discovered. The study discovered four themes in teachers’ interpretations of…
Analytical modeling of a parallel branch-and-bound algorithm on MIN-based multiprocessors

The authors propose a parallel decomposite, best-first' search branch-and bound algorithm for MIN-based multiprocessors. They start with a new probabilistic model to estimate the number of evaluated nodes for a serial algorithm. The proposed algorithm initially decomposes a problem into several subproblems. Each processor executes the serial best-first search to find a local feasible solution. The local solutions are broadcast through the network to compute the final solution. The speed-up analysis considers both the computation and communication overheads. It is seen that the parallel decomposite best-first search algorithm performs better than other reported schemes when communication overhead is taken into consideration. >
Mayo's Older American Normative Studies: Separate Norms for WMS-R Logical Memory Stories.

The present analyses provide separate norms for persons ages 56 to 93 years for each story from the Logical Memory subtests of the revised edition of the Wechsler Memory Scale. Norms for immediate (I) and delayed (II) trials are presented. Following our past Mayo's Older Americans Normative Studies (MOANS) methods, we established the need for age adjustments (but not education adjustments) based on multiple regression analyses. Norms with added reliability based on the method of overlapping intervals were developed. We present means and standard deviations for 3-year interval age groups from age 61 to 88 years.
Similarities and Differences in Precipitating Events Between Black and Anglo Suicide Attempts

The rapid rise in suicide among young Blacks in American the past decade is of increasing concern to mental health practitioners and suicidologists. While there are some similarities among suicide attempts by Blacks and Whites, the pattern is that Black suicide attempters are distinctly more youthful. This exploratory study tests the hypothesis that the precipitating events for young Blacks who consider, plan, and attempt suicide is more likely to be "the loss or threatened loss of a love partner in the context of a negative value-orientation and intragroup pressures" than among Anglo suicide attempters. Specific strategies are recommended that use a family perspective for assisting Blacks who consider, plan and attempt suicide.
A fast sort-selection filter chip with effectively linear hardware complexity

A hardware architecture for obtaining the t(th) largest number from a list of N numbers, each B bits long is presented. When t is such that N=2t-1, the system described is a hardware median filter. It is also shown that a pipelined architecture can perform a real-time filtering operation at a rate of one median computation per cycle, where the cycle time of this system is proportional to \log N . This hardware selection architecture is currently being implemented on a VLSI chip (7K gates plus testability structures) to build an N=25 median filter with a throughput rate for image processing of better than 10M pixels/second with 8 bits/pixel. This architecture can also be used as an efficient basis of a hardware sorter.
VATS Versus Open Surgery for Lung Cancer Resection: Moving Toward a Minimally Invasive Approach

The use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become the standard approach for the surgical resection of early-stage lung cancer. Although no large prospective, randomized, controlled trial has compared VATS lobectomy with thoracotomy, well-designed retrospective studies have consistently shown that VATS has comparable oncologic outcomes and is associated with fewer complications, reduced length of hospital stay, improvement in patient quality of life, and superior tolerance of adjuvant therapies.
Current Limitations of thin Film Conductors

Electromigration in thin film conductors is recognized as a potential wear-out failure mechanism for semiconductor devices. Design guidelines have been established limiting the maximum current densities for aluminum and aluminum alloy conductors. With the development of new lithography and etching techniques enabling the construction of very small conductors and spacings the validity of these guidelines has been questioned. Utilizing known experimental data of the lifetime of Al, Al 2% Si and Al 4% Cu 2% Si conductors new guidelines are presented which define the maximum design current density as a function of the conductor temperature and the conductor current. These maximum current densities established by electromigration considerations are further limited by the product of the thicknesses of the conductor and the underlying dielectric thickness which determine conductor temperature gradients caused by the conductor rise in temperature above that of the substrate. Data are presented for the above metal films on vitreous silica.
Changes in physical activity after abdominal sacrocolpopexy for advanced pelvic organ prolapse.

Objective The objective of the study was to describe changes in physical activity 1 year after sacrocolpopexy for pelvic organ prolapse. Study Design This was a prospective cohort of 301 randomized trial participants. Results Compared with baseline, 1 year after surgery, 36% increased, 18% decreased, and 47% did not change preoperative exercise intensity level. In contrast, women were more likely to reduce (24%) than increase (11%) the frequency of major effort activities, like heavy lifting. Of 99 women who reported preoperatively that prolapse interfered substantially with doing exercise or recreation, house/yard work, or work outside the home, 83 (84%) reported no substantial interference 1 year later. After surgery, women reporting substantial interference from prolapse or treatment had similar rates of interval treatment for stress incontinence or prolapse as women not reporting substantial interference. Conclusion After sacrocolpopexy, one third of women increased exercise intensity, few increased major effort activities, and most reported that prolapse no longer interfered with activities.
Synthesis and Structure of a Nucleoside with π-Conjugated Nitroxide Spin Label Forming a One-Dimensional Ferromagnetic Chain

Spin labeled 2‘-deoxyuridine, in which a significant fraction of the spin density is delocalized from a nitroxide radical to the DNA base residue, was prepared as a crystalline solid, stable at ambient conditions. The crystal packing, which includes multiple hydrogen bonds, leads to one-dimensional chains of molecules with predominant intrachain ferromagnetic coupling and weaker interchain antiferromagnetic coupling.
Genetic origin of RD114 and other RNA tumour viruses assayed by molecular hybridization.

MOLECULAR hybridization experiments between tumour virus nucleic acids and DNA from uninfected cells can be used to determine whether the cell has the potential to code for the viral genetic information1–11. A positive result would help to decide between various theories on the mechanism of RNA tumour virus origin and replication and could provide a system for determining, unambiguously, the phylogenetic origin of an uncharacterized virus.
Some Oxovanadium(IV) Complexes with C2v Symmetry

Synthesis of few oxovanadium (IV) complexes of C2v symmetry with low symmetry β-diketones is described. Magnetic, infrared and electronic spectral studies of the complexes are reported. Splitting of the xy xz, yz transition is observed at 77°K and is believed to be of vibrational origin. Darstellung sowie magnetische, IR- und elektronenspektroskopische Eigenschaften einiger C2v-symmetrischer Oxovanadin (IV)-Komplexe von niedrig symmetrischen β-Diketonen werden beschrieben. Die bei 77°K beobachtete Ausspaltung des Ubergangs dxy dxy,yz wird auf Schwingungskopplung zuruckgefuhrt.
A simple method for monitoring dog leash compliance behavior in parks and natural areas

Abstract This article presents a monitoring protocol for dog leash compliance designed with public participation, mobile technology and flexible platforms in mind. We describe the protocol development and illustrate data utility by comparing results across three trail surface types. Implemented at an urban nature park in North Carolina, pilot tests indicated a high level of inter-observer reliability (>86%) for all variables. The consistency was improved further by refining the measures and the observation procedure. A total of 169 dogs were observed during the study period with an overall compliance rate of 87%. Significantly lower compliance was found on the woodchip and unpaved trail sections (71–74%) than the paved section (99%). Our results suggest this approach may serve as a reliable protocol for monitoring a common and important impact issue. Lessons learned are shared to stimulate further advancements and applications of technology in participatory monitoring of this and other indicators of sustainable recreation.
Compressive strength studies on portland cement mortars containing fly ash and superplasticizer

Abstract The effects of two super water-reducing admixtures on the compressive strengths and elastic moduli of portland cement mortars containing fly ash were determined. The results show that the effectiveness of the chemicals for improving the strengths of mixtures in which portland cement is partially replaced by fly ash decreases with an increase in the percentage of ash. Increased strength can be nil or too low to justify the additional expense associated with the chemicals. The mixtures did exhibit normal stress-strain relationships: the elastic moduli were related to the ultimate compressive strengths in the usual manner. The results are based on mixes with equal workabilities.
Dendritic Cell Development from Common Myeloid Progenitors

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells which both initiate adaptive immune responses and control tolerance to self-antigens. It has been suggested that these different effects on responder cells depend on subsets of DCs arising from either myeloid or lymphoid hematopoietic origins. In this model, CD8 alpha+ Mac-1- DCs are supposed to be of lymphoid while CD8 alpha- Mac-1+ DCs are supposed to be of myeloid origin. Here we summarize our findings that both CD8 alpha+ and CD8 alpha- DCs can arise from clonogenic common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) in both thymus and spleen. Therefore CD8 alpha expression DCs does not indicate a lymphoid origin and differences among CD8 alpha+ and CD8 alpha- DCs might rather reflect maturation status than ontogeny. On the basis of transplantation studies, it seems likely that most of the DCs in secondary lymphoid organs and a substantial fraction of thymic DCs are myeloid-derived.
Ataxic hemiparesis from a midbrain mass

A 10-year-old boy with leukemia developed ipsilateral corticospinal and cerebellar signs: the ataxic hemiparesis syndrome. Computed tomography revealed a mass lesion in the contralateral rostral midbrain. Previous reports of this syndrome placed the lesion in the basis pontis. The anatomical substrate of the ataxic hemiparesis syndrome includes the basis pontis, rostral midbrain, and possibly other areas within the central nervous system.
Formation of Chloropyromorphite from Galena (PbS) in the Presence of Hydroxyapatite

Transformation of unstable lead [Pb(ll)] forms into insoluble pyromorphite, [Pb5(P04)3(OH, Cl, F...)], by addition of phosphate to Pb contaminated soil has been proposed as a remediation technology which reduces the mobility and bioavailability of Pb. Under aerobic condition, oxidation of dissolved sulfide increases dissolution of galena (PbS), causing it to become a source of liable Pb forms in soils, sediments and wastes. Thus, a galena ore was reacted with synthetic hydroxyapatite [Ca5(P04)30H] under various pH condition to determine the formation rate of pyromorphite and the volubility of galena under the ambient conditions. In a 6 day reaction period the dissolution rate of galena increased with pH due to the oxidation of dissolved sulfide. Correspondingly, formation of chloropyrornorphite became apparent in the galena- apatite suspensions with increasing pH. The insignificant effect of mineral P/Pb molar ratio on the formation of chloropyromorphite implied that dissolution of galena was the rate limiting step.
Rapid Thermal Annealing of Oxygen-Vacancy Centers In O-Implanted Silicon

Infrared absorption by localized vibrational modes has been used to investigate rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of oxygen-vacancy (O-V) defects in O-implanted Si. At least three processes are involved in the annealing of O-V defects. An activation energy of 1.0 ± 0.2 eV for a process leading to O-V formation is attributed to O-V diffusion. The final O-V annealing stage is attributed to oxygen clustering around O 2 -V centers. Processes observed here in RTA are expected to be operative during implantation at the temperatures (400 to 600°C) used for production of silicon-on-insulator structures.
Repetitive exposure to the hot-plate test produces stress induced analgesia and alters β-endorphin neuronal transmission within the periaqueductal gray of the rat

Repetitive exposure of rats to a hot plate induced a novel non-opioid form of stress induced analgesia. The exposure caused a persistent 1.5-2 s increase in tail flick latency which was not attenuated by systemic naltrexone, but was completely inhibited by systemic MK-801. Concomitantly, alterations occurred in the ability to pharmacologically distinguish multiple beta-endorphin receptors in the periaqueductal gray. Thus, in response to different forms of stress, different pathways may be activated by beta-endorphin, resulting in stress induced analgesias with varied pharmacological characteristics (e.g., opioid and non-opioid).
A Sorting Platform Determines the Order of Protein Secretion in Bacterial Type III Systems

Bacterial type III protein secretion systems deliver effector proteins into eukaryotic cells in order to modulate cellular processes. Central to the function of these protein-delivery machines is their ability to recognize and secrete substrates in a defined order. Here, we describe a mechanism by which a type III secretion system from the bacterial enteropathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium can sort its substrates before secretion. This mechanism involves a cytoplasmic sorting platform that is sequentially loaded with the appropriate secreted proteins. The sequential loading of this platform, facilitated by customized chaperones, ensures the hierarchy in type III protein secretion. Given the presence of these machines in many important pathogens, these findings can serve as the bases for the development of novel antimicrobial strategies.
Managing burned landscapes: Evaluating future management strategies for resilient forests under a warming climate

Climate change effects on forested ecosystems worldwide include increases in drought-related mortality, changes to disturbance regimes and shifts in species distributions. Such climate-induced changes will alter the outcomes of current management strategies, complicating the selection of appropriate strategies to promote forest resilience. We modelled forest growth in ponderosa pine forests that burned in Arizona’s 2002 Rodeo–Chediski Fire using the Forest Vegetation Simulator Climate Extension, where initial stand structures were defined by pre-fire treatment and fire severity. Under extreme climate change, existing forests persisted for several decades, but shifted towards pinyon–juniper woodlands by 2104. Under milder scenarios, pine persisted with reduced growth. Prescribed burning at 10- and 20-year intervals resulted in basal areas within the historical range of variability (HRV) in low-severity sites that were initially dominated by smaller diameter trees; but in sites initially dominated by larger trees, the range was consistently exceeded. For high-severity sites, prescribed fire was too frequent to reach the HRV’s minimum basal area. Alternatively, for all stands under milder scenarios, uneven-aged management resulted in basal areas within the HRV because of its inherent flexibility to manipulate forest structures. These results emphasise the importance of flexible approaches to management in a changing climate.
The surface chemistry of CN and H on Pt(111)

Through a series of studies using reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), we have observed some common trends in the surface chemistry of CN-containing adsorbates on Pt(111). The molecules that have been studied include azomethane (CH3N2CH3), methylamine (CH3NH2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), cyanogen (C2N2), and acetonitrile (CH3CN). We find that HCN decomposes to yield adsorbed CN, which subsequently hydrogenates to form aminomethylidyne, CNH2. The aminomethylidyne species also forms from the thermal decomposition of azomethane and methylamine, but not from acetonitrile. Molecularly adsorbed cyanogen, C2N2, hydrogenates to form H2NCCNH2. Thus, the CNH2 functionality seems to have high stability on the Pt(111) surface. Detailed interpretation of the various RAIRS results required extensive use of isotopic substitution, normal-mode analyses, and an understanding of the effects of adsorbate-adsorbate interactions on the spectra.